KID independent - handmade for kids » vintage

Designer of the Week – Furious Kingston

{MS} indi — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:17 +0000

Hi folks! If you’re lucky enough to have a few stylin’ little guys living in your household, I’m certain that today’s post will put a little twinkle in your eye. I was thrilled this week to have the opportunity to road test a Vintage Hipster Cardi from the Furious Kingston collection. I’m also excited to share a sneak peek at the Autumn Winter 2012 collection.

There’s a ton of things to love about the Vintage Hipster Cardi. It’s exceptionally well made, with quality workmanship and old school tailoring. It’s a mid weight cardi which makes it great over a tee in Autumn, or layered with a button up shirt or long sleeved tee for winter. Each cardi is handmade from the highest quality up-cycled wool and cotton knits, with feature panels in tonal prints.

However, let’s be completely honest… the reason I love it so much is that it’s just so freaking cool! We paired our hipster cardi with a plain white tee, greaser jeans, and a pair of slip on vans. Let’s put it this way, Dad was jealous.

Furious Kingston was launched in mid 2010 and has been gathering a loyal fan base ever since. A creative project of Jim and Cherry, a duo with 20 years combined experience in fashion, design & marketing, Furious Kingston is an expression of an obsession with retro styling and awesome threads.

It all began after the birth of little Kingston (a.k.a. The King), and the subsequent realisation that there was a huge void within the Australian clothing industry for unique and stylish boyswear. Cherry resolved this dilemma by creating clothing for Kingston herself out of the ever expanding sewing room of their Melbourne house.

Cherry explains…”It was only after it became a daily experience to be stopped and asked “where did you get that?” by strangers that the decision was made to create the label”… and we’re so glad she did!

Cherry is Mum to Master Kingston Indiana Godzilla who has just turned three. She is heavily inspired by vintage menswear from an era when men were men, and everyone dressed well. She also draws inspiration from her favourite illustrators and artists. Lastly, she has an amazing knack for choosing fabrics and designing outfits that celebrate rockabilly flair and bring back the “handsome” in boys clothing.

Here’s three fascinating facts about Ms Cherry…

I can write and draw with my left hand almost as well as with my right. I play roller derby with the Victorian Roller Derby League (although I’ve been away from training due to cracking my ribs twice in succession). I am a proud aspie.

Furious Kingston make hip clothing for little boys aged 1 – 6 years. Cherry and Jim are currently working on their Autumn Winter 2012 collection which promises to their best yet. It will be launched in mid-February, and here is a little taste of what you can expect!

My Favourite Vintage Clothing… by Kitsy!

{MS} indi — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:00:45 +0000

If you’re a regular reader of {KID} independent, it will come as no surprise when I tell you that vintage clothing for little people warms my heart and puts me in a state of nostalgic bliss. Today’s guest is Bec from Kitsy, and she’s here to take you on a little trip down memory lane as she shares some of her favourite vintage pieces.

I had a gorgeous baby girl this year and being the first one out of my sisters to give the grandparents a little munchkin to swoon over, I was lucky enough to be given a beautiful chest of vintage clothing and accessories that had been in my family for many years. There was an abundance of beautiful dresses, embroidered tops, playful rompers, sweet bonnets, hand knitted cardigans, beautifully smocked pieces, dainty lace linens and crocheted blankets. I was in vintage heaven!

Many of the pieces were worn by myself and my sisters as youngsters as well as a few very special items that have been in the family for a couple of generations. I love dressing my daughter in these clothes that are reminiscent of another era and after so many comments about her looking cute as a button I decided to start adding to my collection and sourcing pieces for my own store, Kitsy.

I am a thrift lover and love scouring op-shops for discarded treasures. I have now collected a huge range of lovely dresses, pretty blouses, gorgeous floral bonnets, and many other adorable nostalgic pieces. Every vintage piece I find is hand picked with thoughtful consideration into its sentimental appeal, quality and wearability.

I adore this clothing as it is from a time when little girls dressed just like little girls and boys looked like little gentlemen. My aim for Kitsy is to showcase a range of items special enough to become modern day heirlooms and sneak into children’s glory boxes.

I’d like to invite you to pop in to Kitsy to join in on the vintage lovin’ and admire my collection for little cuties.

A huge thank you to Bec for sharing her vintage delights.

If you’d like to view the full Kitsy collection, you can visit Bec’s store, blog or facebook page.

Kitschy, Kitschy, Christmas!

{MS} indi — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 06:00:23 +0000

We wish you a Merry Kitschmas… and a handmade New Year! Oooooh, I wish I had found these delightful little treats from KittyKatDance earlier so I could have one of them waiting ever so patiently under my tree on Christmas morning. Oh well, I can certainly enjoy the kitschy sweetness nonetheless!!

If you love these sweeties and are the “plan ahead” type…

KittyKatDance is having a sale, so you could always snap one up to put away for next year!

Printable 2012 Calendar by Chibi Run!

{MS} indi — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:00:20 +0000

Thank you so much, Indi, for letting me take on this super fun role as guest contributor for Kid Independent this Christmas! Today’s guest post involves a special end-of-year treat for everyone – a lovely 2012 Printable Calendar that is chock full of all things girly, vintage and cute!

I must confess, my life as a mum with 2 little girls is pretty full on and there are days that just seem to whizz by, don’t you agree?! There are lots of things that need to be done, day by day, week by week and sometimes, I just need to sit down and make sure I take time out to relax and chill… crafting is always good… and I love baking with the kids too.

As a mum and owner of Chibi Run, I am always on the lookout for beautiful design that is also useful for me and my family. When I see a lovely photo or a quote that just stands out, it does so much to inspire and rejuvenate my mind (which is sometimes sleep deprived from a teething toddler or from churning out meals day after day!). So I feel that it is most important to have little things around us that keep our life batteries charged!

I’ve designed this calendar to be super useful, interesting and pretty! I hope you like it. It has a series of vintage paper doll postcards, a little inspirational quote or two and two very yummy cake recipes that are a staple in my family. I’ve also included some pretty printable kitchen jar labels to help us stay organized too. The vintage paper dolls are dedicated to Indi, because I think she has a soft spot for dolls and softies as she always sends us these beautiful newsletters filled with the latest dolls and softies she’s discovered.

The calendar is designed to be printed on standard A4 sized paper/cardstock, so off you go!

Print away, clip it and put it somewhere important where it can be seen, while at the same time giving you happy thoughts every day of 2012!

Click here to download the full document in high resolution for printing!

Special thanks to the lovely Germaine from Chibi Run!

Designer of the Week – Miss Haidee

{MS} indi — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:40:33 +0000

Good morning! It’s another big fun Wednesday {fast becoming my favourite day of the week} and I’m most excited to share our designer of the week, the fabulous Miss Haidee! I met Haidee when KID independent was just a newborn and have been enchanted by her vintage style ever since.

The sweet little item that we’ll be reviewing today is the “Jemima” Dress. It’s made from Haidee’s personal collection of {100% cotton} vintage and retro fabrics and trims. Slipping this dress onto a little model {thank you Leah and Mum Bek, both borrowed for the morning and bribed with cookies}; the first thing that grabbed my attention was the sweetness of the crocheted doilies on the sleeves, followed closely by the richness of the flowering roses on the bodice. In fact, I was overcome by a wave of nostalgia for my childhood, and my Nana’s house. She was a lover of crochet, and her house was always filled with dainty tablecloths and trinkets placed carefully on hand-crocheted doilies.

The Jemima dress ties up nicely at the back into a bow which adds shape to the dress, and closes at the neck with a heart shaped button. Haidee designs all of her dresses to last several years, starting as a dress for a baby, then a tunic for a toddler and as a top with jeans or leggings for a 3 year old. This is a wonderful feature to have in a children’s item, not only for economical reasons, but also for your love of the item itself. The quality craftsmanship and fabric in this dress makes it perfect for keeping in the family as an heirloom or passing down to little sisters.

The Verdict… Nostalgic, Precious and Treasurable

Miss Haidee started out in 2005 while Haidee was pregnant with her first beautiful child. She had previously made adult’s clothing, but being pregnant inspired her to start a children’s label. She originally expected it to be more of a hobbie but her first collection and everything she made over the next two years was bought by the first shop to see it, and she has now been going strong for 6 years. Haidee decided to call her label “Miss Haidee” as an ode to her nickname, and enjoys the personal connection between herself and her product.

Haidee is Mum to 6 year old Millie and 5 year old Tom. She says… “They are wonderful children and it is a dream to be their mother. However, that may change in 5 mins…” When asked to describe her signature style, Haidee uses the term “Eclectic Vintage” which I think is perfectly apt.

“My signature vintage dresses are masterpieces and worth all the work that goes into them. In particular, the Jemima tunic is a more affordable piece that can be worn for several years. I love seeing Millie rocking hers with skinny jeans and boots. They also make a perfect baby present and I love, love, love making them. I can make them to order out of your family heirloom linen. I can also make dresses in all white or ivory for christenings, weddings and special occasions.”

If you take a peek inside Haidee’s sewing room, you’ll see baskets of doilies that she has collected for sleeves, and oodles of cottons, linens and vintage embroideries.

“I have no fear or mantra on combinations and am definitely not afraid of contrast. My mother cuts out the fabrics for me and she took one month to cut three tunics as she was so worried about getting it all perfect. The fun part happens when I have all of the main pieces together. I have a special vintage basket where I keep all the divine pieces and will cut them up as pockets or sleeves. It really is a lot of fun especially as each one is so unique and so special.”

Haidee in her own words… “Let’s see, three interesting things about me? Well, I am currently making a giant turtle out of paper Mache with Millie’s prep class at Fahan school. I would like to breed chickens but don’t know if I could cope with a rooster. We already have 7 chickens and have poached eggs most mornings. And finally, I love collecting vintage fabrics, of course…!”

Miss Haidee makes a range of tunics in sizes to suit babies + kids aged birth to 14 years, as well as sizes for adults. She does dresses in sizes 1 – 10 and baby rompers in eclectic patchwork vintage. Here’s an extra special look at her summer collection.

You can visit Miss Haidee at her website to view her full collection, shop online for something special, or visit her on facebook for all the latest news.

Photography by Kirsty Burns from Appleseed Photography

Go Vintage at Dreamy Princess Boutique

{MS} indi — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:00:16 +0000

A brand new collection of sweet and charming vintage inspired fashion has arrived at Dreamy Princess Boutique just in time for spring. The limited edition range is imported from Korea and includes dresses and skirts, jumpsuits, leggings, cute canvas shoes and frou-frou swimwear with a retro-charm. My favourite is the “Choco Dress” pictured here on the top left.

Dreamy Princess Boutique offers free delivery on orders over $100 and also have regular specials and giveaways. You can find out more at their website, or through their facebook page.