FALL GIRL STYLE

It's not secret that the Arizona winters are mild. You can usually expect the lows to be in the 50's or 60's and the highs to be in the 70's or 80's. Dressing your kids comfortably for the weather is important, but it also takes some planning when it comes to 20 degree changes throughout the day. The key is layering. 

Elle's outfit usually goes something like this: Jeggings or leggings paired with a long sleeve t-shirt, sweatshirt over it (sometimes) and then a jacket or puffer vest on top. She also loves to wear tunics or dresses over leggings. Buying a heavy winter jacket isn't necessary in Arizona unless you are going to travel up North and hit the slopes.

That said, having coordinating layers can be a challenge. So, when you find a piece of outerwear like this reversible puffer vest by Appaman you snatch it up as fast as you can. It's fuzzy white one side and a lovely fall merlot on the other. It's not devoid of color, and yet it's neutral.

Denim, of course, is the most neutral fabric and color we can own too. So, in addition to those jeggings or jeans you buy for your kiddo, think about a denim dress like this or shirt too. Any color of leggings or pattern of leggings can go under them.

Pink is Elle's favorite color, and I love this dusty pink long-sleeve shirt for her because she is happy to wear it and the neutral hue goes with a lot of the clothes she already has. Elle has become more vocal about what colors and styles she wants to wear. Pink and purple are her favorites right now, so when I find a pretty top that we both like it's like I've scored a goal.

Bringing them all together I can create multiple outfits.

1. Dress over leggings with the puffer vest
2. Long-sleeve shirt underneath the dress with leggings
3. Long-sleeve shirt over dress with leggings (that way it looks like a top and a skirt
4. Jeggings with shirt and vest

You can find more stylish fall and winter wear on Appaman.com. All of the clothes in these photos except for the black leggings are from Appaman.

Photos by Rennai Hoefer; product provided by Appaman

Peek Kids Store Event - Come on out!

I'm SUPER DUPER excited to be hosting a fun little back to school party with Peek Kids next Thursday, August 15th from 10:30 to 12:30. Their clothes are ridiculously cute. I love them because they aren't overly cheesy like some kid clothing and they are made with soft cottons. If you come out to the event you can enjoy 15% off your purchase, come refreshments and get some stylist assistance from me. I'd love to meet you! You can check out some of  my Peek picks on my Mini Me Pinterest board. Can't wait to see you there! Please RSVP by calling 623-223-8998.

Featured in La Petite Magazine

One thing that I had yet to do this year was style kids' clothing. I'm excited to say that I've already gotten a chance to do it twice, and it's a whole different game when your models are five.

La Petite Magazine is a children's magazine that features artistic photography and clothing, and I was happy to meet the creator of the magazine, Rachelle a super stylish mom, at the Altitude Summit this past January. I told her I wanted to try my hand at styling kiddos, and from there I asked my friend Kym Ventola (who also shot that Savers shoot I posted the other day) if she would be interested. She too is one fashionable mom, and I knew it was in the shoot's best interest to work with people that know kids.

Of course, in my world, the most important part of a fashion shoot is the clothing, so Esp. No. 1 was kind enough to lend all of the clothes for the shoot. This California clothing line is pretty awesome because everything they sell is androgynous. Their colored denim is fabulous. It comes in every color you can think of!

We photographed Caden and Camryn, two adorable five year-olds, in the desert of Arizona. We depicted them as best friends having a little adventure together. Since the magazine tends to publish things that are a bit more avant-garde and the clothing company is androgynous, I wanted to make their outfits a bit more fashion forward than commercial. And yet, I also made sure the kids liked them and wanted to play in them.

The hair was done by Matty G from The Spot Salon in Phoenix and the makeup was done by Linda Wagner. With this wonderful team of people the shoot went smoothly and was a blast! Definitely check out the latest issue of La Petite, and if you would like the photographer's perspective of the shoot, click here to read her blog post.