What do we wear when the weather turns cooler—and how do we make our wardrobe functional and fun all year round? Kids grow so quickly – and we want to get the most out of their wardrobe. Importantly, it’s good to remember that you can utilise many of your summer pieces right through winter with a bit of thought and some clever styling.

Here are a few tips to help your wardrobe morph seamlessly and stylishly from summer to winter:

1. A favourite summer dress can dance happily through the seasons with a few clever additions—always taking into account fabric and design,  simply add a coloured or striped long sleeved tee and some tights for a cool weather pick-me-up!

2. Boots can be a cute addition to any dress, skirt or shorts—they keep legs warm below the knee and leave the wearer looking positively hip!

3. The current trend for bright denim can work equally well in summer and winter—who doesn’t love a great pop of colour on a grey winters day? Wear jeans with a rolled cuff in the summertime and rock some socks and boots in the winter.

4. A lightweight knit is a an absolute must— increase the warmth without the bulk and keep it roomy so it can accommodate layers.

5. While a jacket or coat is an absolute essential (cape-style, tailored, hoodie, fur-lined, trench—the list goes on!), a sleeveless vest can also work wonders for eliminating bulk and maximising warmth.

6. A fabulous extra is a fur stole or scarf—hopelessly chic, deliciously warm and just the perfect amount of fashionable zing!

A few hints and tips—I hope you find this helpful!

Yours in style, Treen.x

I was fully prepared to have the world as we knew it thrown into a spin during Term 1. I waited with baited breath for the before-school angst and afternoons of tears and tantrums as we adjusted to our shiny new five day routine. Instead, my diligent little kindy student sauntered home from school and declared that she wanted to attend school every day of the week, including weekends, thank you very much!

Crisis averted on the attendance front—for now!

Next on my list was the lunchbox thing—how to come up with new and inventive ways to tantalise the taste-buds of my ravenous 5 year old, day in, day out. Solution? Cheese & vegemite sandwiches. Fruit of some description. A snack. Done! If she’s happily consuming this fine array of food then why over-think it? Gourmet fare? You can wait!

Which brings me to my third point—homework. I don’t recall the moment in my life when I was first able to read, but the penny has dropped for our little school girl and she is inching closer and closer to the day when she will be liberated simply by being able to read and write. We might not always feel like doing our reading of an evening but when you sit down together and realise that the letters and words are starting to take form, now that’s something to covet!

And finally, I was assured that my youngest daughter would be pining for her older sister and missing her terribly and this is simply not true! Quite the opposite in fact – Miss C is adoring her “mummy” days and doesn’t seem perturbed by this shift in schedule at all.

My daughter has embraced this whole school mish-mash with utter enthusiasm and current devotion. I am under no preconceptions that she will continue this trend throughout her schooling life but for the moment my crash-and-burn first term from hell has been anything but!

Life is about constant change – at times we’d love it to just tick along in a familiar and non-challenging way but this is undeniably impossible. And how uninteresting life would be if we weren’t expected to create and embrace the inevitable ebb and flow. Having my firstborn start school this year was a new challenge for our family, and through some marvellous stroke of luck it has been surprisingly smooth. Not without chaos, but relatively seamless nevertheless.

How has your experience been? Have you sauntered through this first term of school – or have you hit a few roadblocks that have left you a little shaken? For us, I think it has been about managing our expectations – I was filled with a certain dread that all would be chaos, so perhaps from that anything would appear as smooth as silk!

Your relatively-unruffled-school-mum-so-far, Treen.x

From designers and stylists to key media and VIP guests, the who’s who of kids fashion sipped champagne and enjoyed a hands-on sneak peak at the trends to watch for the upcoming winter months.

Ten of our best local and international designers showcased the key trends for winter with a spine-tingling array of fashion for kids.

Beautiful organics from Gaia and Kids Eco Style; pop bright colours and retro-inspired prints from the likes of Oobi, Little Horn, Minti and Milky; knitted accessories from snug-as-a-bug Acorn; rock n roll style from urban hipsters Rock Your Baby; and awe-inspiring party frocks featuring hand-sewn beading and layers of tulle from covetable labels Tutu Du Monde and Mischka Aoki.

A delightful afternoon of fabulous fashion, delectable canapés and the ultimate goodie bags. Summer days may still be upon us but have no doubts, when the weather turns cooler the offerings for kids this Winter 2012 are something to covet.

Check out all the pics from the event  – https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.10150557940369022.386294.34034779021&type=3

Love, the Style Babies.x