Ok so here we are again...our 7th Spring/Summer collection launch and possibly the biggest collection EVER!
Every time we get to unpacking the samples at the photoshoot my team scream 'how big is the line this year! Make it end...!' lol - NEVER!
As we have grown and grown its important to make sure the hottest parts of our customer base are catered for as much as our not so hot territories so that means the offer we have gets bigger to cope with the broader demand.
It basically means there's LOTS of lovely stuff for you to choose from...and to help you decide, as always, below is the lookbook.
Just click and enjoy the pics and videos:
This year we went back to Virginia Beach where we have a fabulous following of amazing parents that travel far and wide to be part of the fun.
One massive thing this part of the world has going for it vs California in June is the weather - no June gloom here...instead we have wall to wall sunshine and blue skies but my GOODNESS is it hot!
Us sun-deprived, pale Brits struggled JUST a little bit with the heat - it's one thing to sit on a beach with a cocktail and cool off in the sea every now and again...but to be running around after lively excited kids who think they're on a beach playdate...AND take good pics and videos AND keep that going for 5-6hrs...well...we are hoping you feel our pain. Ha ha .
Virginia Beach is a truly gorgeous location for a shoot - lots of amazing beaches and locations that lend themselves to a Spring/Summer photoshoot.
They have piers, beaches, dunes, beautiful beach front properties, marinas and harbors!
The first big thing is to get the entire team to the shoot location - it makes it all the more lovely when we all come together - as a team - in one spot. The American and UK team - all in one place! Lovely !
Of course we also add in some of the amazing families to OUR little family - you may see some familiar places in the pic below - not just our work team but the lovely Morgan and Young with their little ones who are at nearly EVERY photoshoot - but also flying in from Texas we have the adorable Celeste who owns a boutique in Fort Worth (Lindsey Paige) and her daughter Megan and grandson who came and joined us for the shoot...like stalker fans these people are (and we love them for it!)
The majority of the lookbook is shot on the beach - its the perfect backdrop for our colours and themes and you would THINK it's an easy affair - show a child the sand and the sea and they will naturally just smile and make our jobs easy right?
ohhhh nooooo if only it were that easy...the amount of coaxing that goes into getting that perfect shot is beyond belief....and if you want to get a GROUP shot....well that's a whole new ball game and takes an army to get those little ones all looking and smiling at the EXACT same time... look at this troop of merry warriors below. And what warriors we have...our amazing team of photographers/ child whisperers always manage to get fab pics and videos.
We have Daisy running around like a crazy thing capturing videos of everything and everyone....Josh and Madigan taking tonnes of fab pics, Tracey breaking her back getting down low to catch the baby smiling while I am doing my best to get groups of sometimes 5 or 6 kids to all smile and look in one direction at the same time.
And there's the lovely Liz who is on her hands and knees handing out all of those perfectly steamed piles of clothes that she KNOWS she will have to steam again at the end of the day.
Not only did the beach deliver - especially the boardwalk (if only to stop us from burning in the soaring sunshine) - but we also popped over to Cape Charles to get some nautical themed pics. When you find the perfect location to shoot you just KNOW the pics are going to be good - what you do not expect is a beautiful 1954 Tancook Schooner called 'Windsong'.
The owners Corey and Bronwyn offer sailing charters and sailing lessons on this wonderful boat and saw we were taking pics - in fairness they couldn't miss the hoard of kids and parents - so after chatting they loved what we were doing SO much they happily stayed on and let us use the boat as a backdrop and feature of our pics...and what a backdrop!
Corey even let off a cannon and displayed his other side as pirate - delighted to learn that our free bedtime book this season is all about pirates! The kids LOVED it. (ok ok - the inner child in us loved it too!)
If you love boats - and pirates - or just want a fab day out or want to learn how to sail then follow them at @schoonerwindsong and tell them we sent you!
Cape Charles is a wonderful location for a shoot and a vacation - we all wanted to just stay and soak up the place - it has a wonderful lighthouse, incredible seafood, the cutest of little streets with stores and restaurants and huge huge stretches of beaches and dunes...
What we did NOT bargain on was the heat - I've mentioned already this was a 'hot shoot' but it was BLISTERINGLY hot and the one afternoon we spent on the beach might be one of the hottest, most uncomfortable shoots we have done.... literally sweating and praying for the day to be over... (and that was the kids lol)
And if it wasn't hot then it was windy...REALLY windy - which in one respect helped with the heat but I think we all returned to the UK with tans that can only be achieved after a month in the Caribbean - not helpful when attempting to get sympathy from all the family and friends that are told we are exhausted and have been working hard!
NOT complaining about blue skies and sunshine though - once the samples arrive and that stress is over - the only things you have to worry about are getting models and the weather....so yay for the amazing weather!
But we did want some different locations that were not just beach - and if you look at blogs after this you will see we have really broken this years collection into three drops. ALL available to you now but grouped by print or color palette.
So whilst the marina was a beautiful backdrop to all things nautical, I had in my head a yacht or boat cruise that meant into the more classic coastal palette you might see in vintage Ralph Lauren that lean into the look of preppy yesteryear.
Well - we had a whole new level of luck this shoot as one of the parents had some very lovely friends who owned a boat that they were happy for us to play with all day which led to some truly fabulous pics as the boys all took turns to play Captain!
But the best luck of all - as always - is the parents and the boys....
How can we stop them all from growing and come back year after year...?
We absolutely grow close to many of the families and the entire shoot ends up becoming a huge playdate for kids and adults! I'm never sure work should be THIS much fun...but the end result of course is what we present to you either here, in our lookbooks or on social media.
The clothes of COURSE are fabulous but what we would we do without the boys - we get great individual pics but we also get amazing group pics - which are REALLY tough to get - but they all like each other and it shows in their smiles...
So thank you, thank you ...to everyone
To Michele who is the grand organizer of the shoots and does an epic job of corralling us all
To Jen Madigan for the thankless and hideous task of organizing the models and ensuring they know where to come and when (and my goodness that is an ever changing beast of a calendar!)
To Madigan who despite coming to Virginia to shoot Vignette as well as Me & Henry - ended up almost solely photographing Me & Henry as the girls sampels were running late.
To Liz who honestly did whatever we needed - from steaming to organizing - to outfitting to managing the parents and kids.
To my sister Tracey, nephew Josh and the lovely Daisy who support me in EVERYTHING Me & Henry - but especially on the shoot for capturing wonderful moments and smiles.
But also to my mum and dad who are back at home holding the fort in the office, managing the inventory and AFTER the shoot they have the lovely task of naming thousands and thousands of photos and videos so that we can catalogue them and find them six months later.
Thank you parents, thank you boys, thank you Virginia!
Here's to a wonderful season - and hopefully a lot of very happy shopping!
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