Daily Outfit - School Gate Chic

It was the first day of school and the beginning of a whole new era yesterday. Miss Four was all fancied up in her little dress and black polished Mary Janes. Her bag was filled with snacks and her heart high with hopes as she went off to meet all her new friends.

No uniform for this year. They are "highly recommended" to wear the official school tracksuit, but in my opinion that is asking for trouble. Imagine teaching them this young that wearing a tracksuit for anything other than the gym is acceptable! (puts hand to forehead in a faint)

And while fruit is the standard snacking fare, something a little more cheerful was required for such a momentous day.

As for me, I knew I had a whole new challenge on my hands with school gate dressing. Given that where I live the standard mum attire is either capri pants and t-shirts, or the full Ed Hardy soccer mum look, I knew that whatever I wore I was bound to stand out. But not wanting to over do it, I did my version of jeans and t-shirt with these vintage style pants I knocked up and one of my favorite new blouses. It is actually even more comfortable than a jeans and t-shirt combo, and in my opinion looks a million times better. A quick twist with the hair and up into a french roll, and I'm done.

Outfit Details: Blouse - thrifted (no label), Pants - made by me, Shoes - Rohde

Now the biggest challenge will be adjusting to a whole new routine. Packing lunches, leaving early, parent teacher meetings, bake sales... I wonder how long the enthusiasm lasts?

Spring Surprises

Firstly, thank you to every one who commented on the 200th post competition. To ensure impartiality in our draw, I have enlisted the services of Miss 4 as the delightful barrel girl. And the result is in, the winner is The Vintage Housewife!

Given that Miss 4 is making a cameo appearance today, I thought I'd go all out and let her give you the daily outfit today. (I have quite a number of requests to see what the girls wear) We spent the morning finishing this dress off for her, which at first she was a little worried why I'd make her a boys dress. A boys dress? Ah, that would be because of the black then. The fabric was left over from a gorgeous spring skirt I've made for myself, and you may remember my thoughts a little while ago on making matching outfits for the girls and myself. This dress is part two of the set. When I have something completed for each of us, I will post some appropriately cheesy and hysterical shots for your enjoyment.

I'd be out and out lying if I told you I dressed her like this everyday. More often than not I am begging her to put on track pants before she rides her bike, or that floor length skirts and slides don't mix. But she always wants to be a princess and just adores her dresses. So I've given in and just decide to make her a bunch that she can play in and enjoy. I'd love to dress her in true vintage, but honestly I couldn't stand to see it get ruined and I hate to be too precious about things. So instead, I've found a bunch of vintage patterns and am making them up in modern fabrics to keep them edgy. So here she is looking swish and dancing around the garden.

And that is how my Marie Claire was delivered this morning!

Torn

My sense of humor has been described as warped, dark, black, odd, highbrow and lowbrow. I am not sure which, if any of these things it is. But today I found it tested while out looking at baby gear. I kept coming upon row after row of children's and baby's t-shirts that just left me cold. Little cropped tops for my four year old that said, "Buy Me Stuff"," The Next Paris" and "Sexy Princess". They all made me screw up my face in the manner of tasting something nasty, and I don't need any more wrinkles, so they were all out. I didn't find them smart, I didn't find them funny, just plan sad. When it came to looking for T's for the baby, things got even worse. Leaving aside the abhorrent quality, the slogans clearly trying to be witty, missed the mark for me. I wasn't keen on "Hot stuff", "i pood" or "sex symbol in the making". It all seemed to be trying to hard to be cool and came across as cheap.

Perhaps that is what this new trend for labeling your baby is all about. Is it parents trying so hard to show you that they are still cool and have to use their children to announce it to the world? I'm really not sure. Because on one hand I hated the shirts I saw today so much, but these crackers I found on line, do tickle my funny bone and I probably would dress my girls in them.

"Cuter than Baby Jesus" from T-shirt Hell




Playing with Baby instructions by Wry Baby

So I have to ask myself, where do I draw the line? I know that some of the choices I find amusing would be just as offensive to others. Do I care? Well I don't really care if people don't get it, but I do care if people find it actively offensive. So chances are I would probably buy the Baby Jesus T-shirt, but just not dress Miss in it to head over the Nana's.

So given the potential minefield that choosing a simple T-shirt for a child can be, I think I might have chanced upon a solution. The Mother Daughter matching outfits! They are both scary and amusing all at the same time. I would wear these with all the irony in the world and have such a laugh doing it. I am entirely sure that not everyone would appreciate my sense of humor, and others would be moved to call childrens services at my clear lack of respect for a child's rights. But maybe, just maybe, this could be a whole new kind of cool. The kind of cool that only announces its presence to those in on the joke - and really, those are the people that I would most likely enjoy a giggle with.

Thank you to Kitchen Retro for this cracker of an image.

Adventures In Cute

When the act of shopping is elevated to an experience that is both aesthetically pleasing and good for the soul, you know you must be in Genki. While out on my little jaunt the other day, I dropped in to visit what has been one of my long time favorite stores, hidden in Melbourne's city. I say "long time favorite" even though my opportunities to visit have been some what few and far between in the last few years; however, every time I head up the stairs and catch a glimpse of the Genki window, my heart lifts. Always stunningly arrayed in kawaii and kitsch wares, you cannot help but smile and feel the little girl within do a happy dance as she eagerly fingers her wallet.





On this particular visit, I was hoping to find something special for Miss One's first birthday. And as I browsed through the candy coloured range of baby T's, I had the pleasure to chat with Chanie, the founder of Genki, and her three month old daughter (one of three girls - what a Mama!). Chanie founded Genki in 1998 and , after spreading the joy to Melbourne shoppers, expanded to opening a second store in Windsor in 2004. Genki is Japanese for 'health, happy and feeling fine', so as you can imagine, it is a tailor made shopping experience for Super Kawaii Mama. They stock a range of witty adults T-shirts that are made in Melbourne (and also available on their website), along with some children's wear, home wears, and super kawaii clothing and accessories, including the likes of those from Tatty Devine and Built By Wendy.

If you live in Melbourne and haven't visited this store, DO IT NOW! It is a sure fire way to cure your winter blues, and if you hurry you'll even get to see the latest shipment of fabulous from Japan. If you are planning a visit to Melbourne, don't miss out on this gem, and take home a little kawaii and kitsch that is FAR superior to an I Love Melbourne T-Shirt - your friends and family will thank you for it.

Kewpie say," Horray for Genki!"

Genki can be found at shop 5, cathedral arcade, 37 swanston st (cnr. flinder lane), melbourne.

A Little Swanky Panky

Today I'm finding ways of not just being a Super Kawai Mama, but making my girls even more Kawaii - if that is actually possible. ;) So I am on the look out for some funky finds for the smaller people in your life, be they your own or someone else's. It's just great to have another excuse to shop for fashion.
Asia Jam have super cute fashion and accessories, as always; and now they have some for kids too. They have a great range of cheap and cheerful for girls (sorry no boys yet), and loads of things to tempt you while you browse.


When I found these onesies over at Bored Inc, I nearly died of excitement. As a parent, you'd be surprised just how much talk of poo suddenly happens in your household, so having it adorn baby's shirt (when it's not the real stuff) is ironically cute. !And while little girls may not love skulls as much as mummy, ( I did dress my three year old in all manner of pirate accessories until she started protesting for pink and ponies ) this Bunny and Crossbones could be the answer. In fact, the bunny's face reminds me somewhat of Miss 3 when she says, "..I'm not kidding Mummy!"


And how to say 'Happy Birthday' or just 'I Love You' , without having to resort to the saccharine words of Hallmark or another glittery Disney card? This 'Audrey and the Flying Fish' card from Ouou on Etsy. Clear, simple illustrations full of whimsy and imagination.

Surprise someone today, be they little or big, with something that will make you both smile.

A Little Kawaii

While flitting across my favorite sites today, I came across this super cute clip from French act Titou Le Lapinou. A little something for the child within.