Check out our blogs for great advice and information from the people who know best, whether it's our network of experts or our very own team.
March 8, 2010
Cool and classic styling at a great price defines one of my “under 5″ apparel lines of choice, Toobydoo. And these latest wave dresses with creative colors, simple lines and asymmetrical cuts have me asking “do they come in ladies sizes too?” Toobydoo … how do you do it?!
February 16, 2010
Sometimes a product comes along that we just can’t do justice to in our product copy, and the Orbit G2 is one of them. There’s a lot to love about this upgraded, next generation stroller and/or travel system (which is a car seat and stroller that work together). So I just wanted to take a minute to talk about its innovative design.
Like all travel systems, the big advantage is that there’s an infant seat that goes from car seat to stroller and back again without you ever having to wake your sleeping baby. But the big plus with the Orbit is that the seat swivels at 360 degrees. First of all, that means you can dock it into the car seat base from almost any angle. Which means it’s a lot easier to wrangle it into place without having to have it perfectly perpendicular to your body. (That’s bound to save a lot of headaches, not to mention backaches!)
Secondly, once it’s docked, you can also swivel the seat with your child in it, which opens up all sorts of possibilities for interacting with your child. Anyone who’s ever been in a crowded Starbucks has seen those moms with their strollers wedged in to whatever sliver of floor space they can find. And that often means the mom or dad can’t actually see their child, since there’s never enough room to position the stroller facing them. But with the Orbit G2, you can swivel the seat so that the baby is facing you, no matter how the stroller base is positioned.
The swiveling seat is why we loved the original Orbit to start with, but the newly upgraded G2 edition is packed with features, making it even better. In addition to swiveling, the seat also reclines when it’s on its stroller base, all in one easy motion. Plus, the fabrics and foams are safe, hypoallergenic, and certified Oeko-Tex Standard 100. (A healthy car seat? Who knew?) Plus it’s got things like four-wheel suspension that make this stroller a great choice for anyone who wants a fully loaded ride.
January 28, 2010
Like a lot of moms, weekends around my house are family time. That means that Saturdays and Sundays are not days to be fussing with my appearance. I’d rather just get out the door and get to the park or the farmers’ market than spend a lot of time in front of a mirror. So in honor of weekend time, I wanted to mention what I consider my survival kit that lets me focus on what’s really important.
You know those days when you really don’t want to bother with makeup? You can save yourself the time and effort with a great cover-up. Those are days when I just throw on my ColeHaan Aviator sunglasses (above) in lieu of mascara. I love them so much I even wore them for my picture for my profile in Cookie Magazine (although I didn’t actually skip the makeup that day).
Another great shortcut that I swear by is my Kiehl’s Tinted Lip Gloss. Not only is it great for moisturizing dry lips in winter, but it has a little color so you can forego the lipstick, too.
And of course, if you’re trying to get out of the house, you don’t necessarily want to stop and do your hair. My solution? A quick ponytail with my Nike baseball cap and I’m out the door! (Mine is black, which is currently out of stock, but here’s a cute purple one.)
Use the comments section below to share your shortcuts!
December 6, 2009
“From rose to burgundy, accessories head toward the fiery end of the color spectrum…” Styling by Andrew Lutjens, Wall Street Journal Magazine.
I love this quote! And this trend call out is so right. And speaking of color trends, as we continue to see the market “warm up” with reds of all hues this holiday season, didn’t purple come and go quickly? Of course, I’ll never say that I told you so. But my vote sure lays with the lovely warmth of Fall/Winter 2009/2010 reds. And what a great way to kick off the new decade!
My big question? What new “reds” will be in baby products by Spring???
October 19, 2009
Susan Lazar is back. Well, actually she was never gone. A well-known (and very well respected) women’s fashion designer, Susan has been spending most of her time in recent years designing the lovely Egg Baby line. Our giggle customers’ favorite for years now has been her adorable cable hat & bootie sets. But now she’s also back at women’s clothing, and debuting her first-ever maternity line.
As a fabulous designer of women’s fashion, Susan is known for her amazing silhouettes, gorgeous fabrics, and perfect colors. And now, she’s bringing all those same qualities to her maternity line. She’s always been known for clothes that flatter, and her new debut doesn’t disappoint.
The best part? Susan has managed to bring a Garanimals-like security to making sure your look is flawless! Her 4-Piece Maternity Starter Kit is a must-have to get you through your pregnancy in style. You absolutely cannot get it wrong, and every piece builds with just about anything else you can add to your maternity wardrobe. The colors are right on, the cuts flattering, and the pieces are all truly essentials.
Kudos to Susan Lazar for bringing her best to maternity – and welcome back to women’s fashion! We missed you.
October 13, 2009
So we all know that there are color trends. But the popularity of purple right now is going beyond “purple trend” and is more like “purple crazy.” Don’t get me wrong, I personally love the color purple. In fact, my favorite dress of all-time is a beautiful plum wrap dress I bought in Germany 5 years ago that I still put into rotation each winter. But this current purple craze has gone a bit overboard.
I just came back from a few weeks of shopping the market in the US and Europe and purple was everywhere, from strollers to bags to bedding to bibs. But what I couldn’t help but notice was the number of head-to-toe purple outfits grown women were wearing!
My favorite (and oh, how I wish I had snagged a photo – darn!) was the one I saw walking the streets of Milan, Italy, before catching a train to Genova. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m usually a huge fan of the fashion I see in France and Italy. Key pieces, great forms, and subtle accents. Classy, sophisticated, grown-up.
But here I was in Milan (and yes, I forgive every nation a fashion disaster) watching a woman in a literal head-to-toe purple ensemble. And here’s the best part: it was all different shades of purple. Silk lavender pumps, eggplant hosiery, a skinny purple skirt with matching shirt – all very form fitting (which thankfully was the part she could pull off) and a plum looking scarf. Yep, I mean it. Purple crazy.
A fabulous purple leather bag – absolutely. An amazing plum scarf – for sure. After all, they say purple is a color for every type. But whether it’s purple, plum, lavender, eggplant, lilac, violet, wine, amethyst or mauve, my pick is just to not make it head-to-toe. (And if you do, forgive me if I whip out my camera phone and snap a picture of you!)
September 27, 2009
Finding the perfect bag always reminds me of the Three Little Bears: “This bag’s too big. This bag’s too small.” And occasionally, if you’re lucky, you’ll find one that’s “just right.”
So many totes are close but just don’t quite work for one reason or another. But my Orla Kiely vintage fabric tote is definitely just right for me.
Unlike movie stars, most of us don’t change our bags to match our outfits every day. So my tote sees lots of use as the perfect solution for juggling work and motherhood in NYC. It’s a stylish workhorse with a little bit of a sense of humor that’s just my style.
These bags come in gorgeous colors (mine is kelly green), and I love their eclectic sensibilities. Orla Kiely uses daring combinations of patterns and colors that few other designers can pull off so stylishly.
Her brown & orange leaf pattern has become close to mainstream among stylish NY women. And while I’ve always admired the look and feel of her designs, my vintage fabric tote was my first. I had no idea that I would love her practical sensibilities just as much as her design aesthetic!
My Orla Kiely is my “just right”…I just wish I could buy another one exactly like it!!
August 30, 2009
How much do I love the Alma Crib? I found a reason to buy one even though our only child is heading into the second grade this fall!
Now, as my husband will be the first to tell you, a second grader doesn’t need a crib. Nor does he need most of the baby products that end up in our house in the name of product testing (never mind all the in-depth reviews, product tests and consumer reviews that we do for every product.) But the super-compact Alma takes up hardly any space, and it folds when not in use, so we can pull it out whenever we have visitors with a baby in tow. And what better excuse than a little bit of good, old-fashioned hospitality!?
Alas, my good intentions have been put on hold. Even as the founder of giggle, I’ve had to wait for the back-ordered inventory to arrive so my order could be shipped. (Well, to be honest, our head of merchandising politely asked me to please hold off on my personal order until our inventory could catch up with the great demand! Okay, okay…)
So what’s all the fuss about? If you haven’t seen this great crib from bloom, check it out now. Could it be any cuter? (Sure, maybe it would look great in other cool colors someday, but you didn’t hear that from me.) It’s wonderfully petite, perfect for grandma’s house, a second home, or a city apartment where the baby’s room is a converted closet. It’s also amazingly easy to set up and put away — easier than a lot of popular travel cribs, in fact! And it’s beautifully made (hats off to bloom, who is really doing a nice job on so many fronts!)
I have to confess, I was a little hesitant about the concept when I first looked at it with Simon, one of the founders of bloom. Of course I loved how it looked right away. But while European parents tend to take bassinets and cradles more seriously as a long-term sleep option, American parents typically think of them more romantically as a nice-to-have but not an essential. Would our customers think of this as just another temporary solution? Or would the fact that it’s designed for use up to 24 months make it more like a miniature crib designed for use when a full-sized crib just isn’t as practical?
In the end, I voted with my love affair. I knew our customers would have the same instant attraction to the smart design and equally smart looks. And with fewer and fewer of us owning (or even wanting to own) huge houses with three-car garages, I knew the concept of space economy would translate. Much to my delight (and to bloom’s delight I’m sure!) that was definitely the case, and the Alma has been a huge hit.
So, after two months of waiting, while every Alma Crib we got in stock immediately went to a waiting customer, my Alma is finally shipping next week. Just in time for Labor Day weekend, when we’ll have a baby visiting — the perfect excuse to add a baby product to our home!
August 10, 2009
One of the best parts of my job is shopping the market to stay on top of new parent product trends. In addition to spending a lot of my time meeting with manufacturers, parent entrepreneurs and distributors to see their latest and greatest innovations, I also shop the markets throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
And when I say “shop the markets” – believe me that’s what I mean. We don’t just spend time at trade shows talking to manufacturers; we spend a lot of time speaking with and observing parents in our stores and throughout the world. In fact, some of our best “giggle finds” have come from strolling a park in a new city and observing parents and their kids in the playground or at a coffee shop! This, of course, is all in addition to being the mother of one and “aunti ali” to 15 (– and growing!) nieces and nephews. (Translation: I get lots of sister, sister-in-law, grandmother and even stay-at-home dad advice about what we’re missing at giggle!)
While many of our product finds do make it to our shelves, for a whole host of reasons, many we love never do. And some products that do end up on our shelves sometimes surprise us – in a variety of ways! So, in addition to sharing with you a weekly “A” List of the products I think do something completely new or fabulous – regardless if they’ll be a best-seller, a giggle “pick” or not — I will also share with you some of the “behind the scenes” scoop about trends we saw, liked/didn’t like and sometimes simply misjudged!
This column is all about sharing. So of course, dialogue is welcomed! So post questions anytime. If not before, I promise to get back to questions every week. I look forward to sharing my “A” List with you…Thanks for joining me!
Ali Wing is more than just the founder of giggle — she's an advocate for today's new parents. By offering smarter solutions, providing information and building a parenting community, Ali has made giggle a resource destination... Bio »
