It’s Tuesday, the day I share another of my favourite ladies on Instagram. Today’s choice is the fabulous baby and kids fashion stylist and editor Charlotte Kewley. Charlotte writes the blog The Little Stylist where she shares with us her carefully curated edit of children’s essentials. This is both from the high street and from fabulous independent brands she is loving. Charlotte has contributed to magazines including Smallish, Baby London, Little London & Absolutely Mama. Her choices are always classic, always chic, but she mixes it up with a little bit of coolness.
Tell me a bit about yourself
I live with my husband and our two children (Isabella, 4 and Jesse, 2) in East London.
But I’m actually Northern.
I’m a baby & kidswear stylist. I style shoots for magazines, brands etc. I started my career as a womenswear stylist & fashion editor working on magazines…
I set up The Little Stylist early in 2018 but it was originally called another name – so it’s only existed as The Little Stylist for around a year. I started it because I wanted somewhere to share all my great finds – bargains and artisan buys. I hope it might help parents save time when shopping for their kids – by bringing all the best bits together in one place.
Where did your love of children’s fashion come from? I always love all your choices and wonder where you get your inspiration from?
I’ve always loved fashion and styling in general. But when I first started doing some shopping pages and styling work for a parenting magazine whilst pregnant I fell in love with baby & kidswear. I kept discovering more and more amazing brands. And I mean, they’re all so beautiful. Not to mention creative, stylish, cool… and they just keep launching. Many by super talented women (often mothers). They’re original and the stories behind them are often inspiring too. That said I completely love the high street (you just have to know what you’re looking for) and the odd designer purchase – I’d say I choose these wisely.
I get inspiration everywhere… from brands, TV, movies, my kids, instagram. I guess there are a few styles I always favour – a muted palette seems to be a bit of a thing. I love a ruffle. And a popcorn knit! Good knitwear, beautiful embroidery. A bohemian, nostalgic vibe. But there are always exceptions. I just like what I like!
Your Instagram has grown so well in a year why do you think this is? Any tips or tricks?
Do you think? I don’t feel like it has at all! I’m so rubbish at it. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I never know if I’m doing the right thing. I feel like I need a lesson in how to do it well… I just know that I like it to look pretty! And be inclusive and approachable and hopefully helpful. I don’t care how many followers I have I just wish I could use web links in stories so that people can swipe up to go directly to products I show! That would be helpful. But I think you need 10,000 for that? Is that even right?
Where are your favourite places to buy children’s fashion from and why?
God this is such a hard question. I literally have a new obsession every week. I could write a book on the subject…
I guess there are a few places I always buy certain things from… each season I buy a new Apolina dress for my daughter. And Nights by Wilder pyjamas for both kids.
I love Olivier Baby & Kids for timeless, effortlessly stylish pieces, especially in summer. Their summer hats are my favourites.
On the high street I love Zara. Who doesn’t? The H&M Conscious Collection is lovely for little ones. Arket & Cos are a must for great quality, affordable essentials.
Then some of the other smaller, independent brands I love at the moment are Gooseberry Fool (beautiful crochet pieces at really affordable prices) and Pippins for jeans.
I’m intrigued by peoples morning routines and how they set themselves up for the day. What is your breakfast/morning routine?
Well I can’t remember the last time I woke up naturally. There’s a lot of bed hopping during the night in our house but we’re always woken by 6am. We count 5.30am as ‘good’ which is telling of how early my kids can wake…
My husband and I tag team in the mornings – one gets ready whilst the other watches/feeds the kids.
The first thing I do is make myself a decent coffee (we invested in a machine) and porridge with berries and agave. Then I shower and attempt to pull myself together (how pulled together I actually look depends on what I’m doing that day).
I then get the kids ready.
My eldest is in reception and my youngest goes to nursery 3 days a week. So on those days I do the drops then work… either from home, on a shoot, or having meetings. I’m lucky that my mum and mother-in-law both help out regularly too. My mum is amazing – my parents live up north but she comes every few week and stays a few days to help out – usually if I have a big shoot on or something. When she stays she looks after us all and life is SO much easier.
In the last 5 years what new belief, habit or behaviour has most improved your life?
I always feel guilty doing anything for myself now I’m a mother. Apart from working. I love working. But I often feel like that’s my ‘thing’ for myself. A hobby as well as a job. And I don’t have time for other things because I should always be doing one of the two – looking after my children/doing things for them or working. Silly I know! But a few months after having my eldest I started mindfulness yoga one evening a week. I love it, it gives me some headspace and I sleep SO well afterwards. It’s my me-time. And the one evening a week I don’t look at my laptop! (I often end up working in the evenings as I spend more time looking after the kids and doing pick-ups during the day – as every freelance parent I know does – not complaining – I like having that flexibility and know I’m lucky to be able to work around my kids the majority of the time!)
If you could put one book in the high school curriculum what would it be and why?
I love it. I wanted to call my daughter Scout but it was vetoed by my husband.
What impact do you want to have on the world?
Wow that’s a big one. I guess to make it a more positive place. By being more positive in myself and my actions which will helpfully rub off on to my children… often easier said than done! I really should listen to my own advice.
What do you wish you could tell your younger self?
A lot. Don’t sweat the small stuff being the main one I guess.
I wish I could tell my pre-kids self to travel more, have more lie-ins and read more books because I really don’t think I appreciated those luxuries enough at the time.
Also, I would slap myself for ever saying I was tired pre-children!!
You can find The Little Stylist on Instagram here.
