Sweet little Jane

It was a disaster.

I am not sure how we ended up in the bedroom, girls bouncing on the bed, it wasn’t in the plan. mostly things don’t go to plan.

Sweet Jane is not as sweet as the name may imply, my children are not as sweet as their names imply either. Primrose & Coco are my little muses, they are strong-willed, sweet, busy, opinionated little things, they are the reason for so many choices and certainly for this new adventure.

I have never really explained why I have named this range Sweet Jane so here it is. Firstly my middle name, like many millions of other girls is Jane. Sweet is not how I would be described but the song Sweet Jane from the Velvet Underground was a song I listened to many moons ago so to me the two little words go hand in hand. 

Sweet Jane is for little girls aged 1-7 years, it is not complicated or over designed, it is simple, sweet and wearable.

While trying to photograph the girls being little angels I realised that they are not, and actually most children are not, so instead of trying to make them sit and play nicely I let them bounce on the bed, each other and me. This is what kids do right? and if the clothes can’t be worn in these kind of situations when can they be worn?

I am not one for saving clothes for ‘good’. Clothes come home from childcare covered in paint but clothes are to be worn, life is to be lived and if clothing creates boundaries they do not belong in the wardrobe.

So here is my promise… Sweet Jane is  for running and jumping, painting and cooking, partying and going out for coffee, sleeping and resting. Sweet Jane is for every occasion, every situation and every little girl (1-7 years, so not evvveeery).

I am currently on the look out for any lovely children or gift stores that may be interested in picking up a sweet new clothing label…living in Gisborne I don’t get out much.

This collection is trans-seasonal so will available for purchase from October and pre-orders taken soonish x

(once I have had the range photographed by a professional, with possibly better models)

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Coco in everyday blouse in marigold & Primrose also in the everyday blouse in the everyday blouse in milk

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Coco in the everyday blouse in violet & Primrose in the gathering dress in violet

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Coco in everyday blouse in marigold & Primrose also in the everyday blouse in the everyday blouse in milk

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Chelsea x

wear. autumn

my coat is at the dry-cleaners, new gumboots ordered for the girls. autumn has arrived.

so coat is sorted. an old Karen Walker grey wool coat I have had for years. classic simple and warm, it will do. but what will I wear beneath it. oddly for someone who makes clothes I have very little time or inclination to make my own so I never seem to have much to wear. I have a vision of what I would like to look like. it’s never going to happen. firstly I can’t diet, I actually completely forgot to go to yoga last night. so exercise doesn’t help much either and as much as I wish I was a  jean wearer it isn’t happening, not this winter anyway. this body has given me two children so I can accept it has its flaws. 

I need to run after the girls, do the washing etc then go to work so yoga pants and sandshoes are not ideal. no heels, nothing too tight, it can’t be white or cream or actually any colour, hands, faces you know the story. black is pretty much my only option. easy wash, easy wear & tidy are the requirements. oh yeah and since we are heading into winter warm would be great too, at least I will be well hidden.

every winter it is the same. black boots, black stockings, black dress, jersey, coat, scarf and occasionally a hat. so it shouldn’t be too hard, at least I have a method. for once though I wish I could mix it up a little. 

funny when I consider my clothing style it couldn’t be more different from the store. quality is important but I wear mostly black where the store is filled with light and pale objects. weird.

ok, so there are too many images below but all of them have something I love. 

all images and sources can be found over at pinterest.

Sweet Jane Petite by Chelsea Thorpe

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Simple easy clothing for you and your little one .

For a while now I have been dabbling in children’s clothing inspired of course by my own children. In another life I designed woman’s clothing (I still make wedding dresses) but since having children and opening the store it has been put on the back burner.

I have now created a small range of simple sweet clothing for your little one (age 1-6). I am using fabrics that I have always loved, I believe children are allowed to wear beautiful fabrics too!. Linen, cotton, lace and silk all transformed into clothing for a special occasion or wearing everyday…you choose.

Often I get asked to create adult versions of my children’s clothing so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to launch a small capsule woman’s range to accompany Sweet Jane Petite.

This is just a little taste of more to come and I any welcome feedback!

 The range will of course be available in our store and on our online store from November.

For wholesale enquiries please email info@thefamilycompany.co.nz

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Special day lace t-shirt.

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Special day lace t-shirt & Everyday linen rompers.

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Coffee with mummy silk cotton blouse & Play linen pants.

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Coffee with mummy silk cotton blouse.

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You look pretty linen and cotton lace dress.

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Coffee with mummy silk cotton dress & Helping Mummy pinafore.

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Everyday linen smock.

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The beautiful model is my daughter Primrose

The lovely photos are taken by my friend Leigh from Lovely Snapshot

Chelsea x

 

Wait for me…

The weeks just seem to slip by and I am am forever trying to catch up.

So here are some images from the week that was. (in the store). Somehow we muddle through at home, are we coming are we going? nothing seems to get done. The mountain of washing is still sitting there from last weekend. It’s not just a hill, it’s a serious mountain range. It is spilling over our bed onto the floor and  pushing itself up into the corners of the room. Two little girls, a husband and a store… no wonder life is busy!

I have already missed a week of portraits of the girls so I have made a promise to myself to try and make it the only one this year and try and be a better blogger (and a better housekeeper).