Acquiring fabrics, sewing muslins, getting ready to put the second season into production. It’s going to be about really loud plaids this time.
December 1st, 2009
kawaii desu
A trip to Kinokuniya, picked up the latest issue of Kids magazine (which I can’t read a word of), and really like Couprio, Luco and Bonton.
December 1st, 2009
the lacuna
Caught up on quite a bit of reading in the waiting room this morning. A quarter of the way through Barbara Kingsolver’s new novel, The Lacuna, and I find myself especially intrigued by her depiction of Diego Riviera and Frida Kahlo in their most peculiar (and simultaneously fascinating) studio home.
November 30th, 2009
window view
Looking forward to seeing and reading this book, The City Out My Window, for Matteo Pericoli’s illustrations of the New York cityscape and what the likes of Mark Morris, Philip Glass, and Nicole Krauss have to say about their window views.
November 30th, 2009
the price of making little clothes
My husband likes wearing shirts and jackets with unique and interesting details. So it only makes sense that mini-him is clad in some equally nice apparel. In the process of doing so, we quickly discovered how pricey children’s clothes can be. “A rip-off!” Not really, if you know more about what really goes into making tiny little clothes …
Unless you are Carter’s or the Gap and have gazillions of factories in faraway countries who churn out your pieces for insanely low prices, it does cost a lot to make childrens’ clothing. It takes the same amount of work and effort to make a little shirt or dress as it does to make a big person (adult’s) one, and sewers have to be paid fairly for the amount of time and effort they put into making each garment. Fabric is also a pricey thing — it gets cheaper to buy fabric only as you buy a whole lot more, which isn’t realistically possible for a small boutique designer. The same applies to buttons, linings, and every other bit of material that goes into the garment. Children’s clothing designers (at least, the ones I’ve met!) do try really really hard to find the most affordable prices for the best quality materials, so parents can get their money’s worth for what they buy.
Now that I’ve seen what goes on “behind-the-scenes,” I’m pickier and more careful when I buy clothes for my son. I look at the way things are sewn — whether the stitches are neat, buttons are secure, what type of fabric is used, and I think about how much use and wear each little garment will get if we buy it. For certain things, it makes a lot more sense to buy the cheaper mass-produced things, but once in a while, when my husband and I want something different that our son will get to wear a lot and eventually pass down to another little boy, we treat ourselves to a nicer piece. And we do so willingly, knowing that the money we spend is supporting another growing designer.
November 30th, 2009
and the pursuit of happiness
Reminded of her illustrations this past weekend during a trip uptown to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan.
Maira Kalman is one of those amazing people whose work never ceases to amaze and inspire. She’s so prolific, and through her artwork you can always hear her voice and opinions. There are more than just pretty pictures here.
November 23rd, 2009
thank you
… for reading this, cheering us on, and buying Half Dot for a little gal or guy this winter, enter HALFDOTTHKS at checkout and get 20% off your entire order!
November 23rd, 2009
kyoto rewind
Earlier this autumn, a week spent in Kyoto, Japan. Consumed some ridiculously delicious bento boxes, explored the city on foot, bus, and subway.
Wished we had Tomorrowland, Takeo Kikuchi, and Rabokigoshi Works here in New York City. Photographed some really picturesque temples. And had little son draw water from the wishing well that makes babies sleep through the night (it worked apparently). Hope to visit again soon, Kyoto.
November 17th, 2009
by the bridge
We hopped on the train to our friends’ beautiful apartment in Dumbo, Brooklyn, where they cooked up a storm and we feasted on an amazing breakfast of egg’s benedict, oven-baked pancakes, with fruit and veggie salad. Mister baby giggled in delight when we let him try apple chunks dipped in maple syrup and some Almondine brioche with jam. After brunch, a stroll along the waterfront. We checked out the Brooklyn Flea in search of a writing desk, and we stopped into the newly-opened Trunk where I picked up my new favorite accessory for the season, Samoy-Lenko’s hooded cowl in yellow tweed.
November 16th, 2009
the other things in life
Living in New York City is pretty great – I am able to run a zillion errands, go to Garment District to check out some materials for the spring/summer line, buy a whopping number of fresh apples at the Farmer’s Market, and also be in and out of the house enough times a day to run into the little tike and our super awesome nanny while they’re stopping in to grab a snack on the way to or from a playdate.
But we miss Brooklyn ever so much! The anonymity of the big city may be convenient when you’re rushing from one place to another (and you really don’t have time to chitchat), but I really miss our old neighborhood, Fort Greene, where storeowners knew us by face or name, where the postman and UPS guy knew our son back when he was just a bun in the oven, and no one ever seemed too busy to smile and pause for some really good conversation.
Cheers to good old Fort Greene, and the streets we love strolling on so much that we named the coats in our Fall/Winter 09 collection after them.