Yesterday was an exciting day for team Belle Enfant. We got an early morning flight to Charles de Gaulle airport for a day trip to Paris.

First stop was the children’s trade show Playtime. We felt enthused and inspired by the great selection of brands on show. We observed bold use of colour; hot coral, cobalt, flashes of neon pink and lime. Key trends in knitwear involved lurex, nep yarns and dip dying to create multi coloured finishes with textural interest coming from crochet knits. Woven dresses with broderie insert detailing. Cool cotton and paper touch silk for high summer.

Particular highlights were the fairytale pieces from Wovenplay, a collection featuring shimmer fabrics and jewel incrusted accessories. Beautiful leather satchels at April Showers and primary coloured preppy pieces at Miller. We also loved Atsuyo et Akiko’s modern interpretation of a British classic, neon trimmed Winnie the Pooh cushions.

After spending the morning at Playtime we got the Metro in to central Paris for a late lunch at Le Comptoir du Relais where we ate delicious salads and gorged on French cheese.

We just had time for a quick browse around the shops in Saint-Germain before heading to the airport to catch our flight back to London, laden down with macaroons from Laduree for the journey home.

 

Today we visited the childrenswear trade show Bubble which is held at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. It was inspiring to see all the exhibitor’s Spring/Summer 13 collections.

Afterwards we met our resident photographer at Ottolenghi to discuss our forthcoming photo shoot and indulge in some tea time treats. The cakes looked beautiful and tasted delicious.

This afternoon we have been wrapping parcels and celebrating the launch of Belle Enfant with some yummy Lola’s cupcakes.