Charlotte Kewley is better known on social media as ‘The Little Stylist’. With over a decade of experience styling shoots for kids and baby brands, her Instagram account shares her all of her amazing childrenswear finds. We love Charlotte’s beautiful style, so we were excited to see that the mama-of-three has launched a mama gift box called ‘The New Baby Box‘. Scroll down to find out more and get her top tips for dressing little ones.

Charlotte Kewley aka The Little Stylist on what it’s like to be a childrenswear stylist

How did you become a childrenswear stylist? 

I began as a stylist and fashion editor for teen and women’s magazines, then freelanced with celebrities and for brands. While pregnant with my first child, I injured my back and couldn’t shoot for a few months… During that time, an editor friend invited me to edit the fashion pages for a parenting magazine. I fell in love with baby and childrenswear, and after my second child, I decided to focus solely on kids’ fashion.

How do you dress your own children? 

Well. the older two (10 and 8) are more opinionated now. But I think they have good taste. They mainly choose their own clothes… from the selection I show them. Though they want Nike trainers and my daughter Nike Pro leggings. My three-year-old, Cece is is usually very much in keeping with my ‘The Little Stylist’ aesthetic, which is pretty much effortlessly stylish, a little playful – often wearing dresses & looks from my favourite small kidswear brands. However, I’m not strict; she’s been known to leave the house in an Elsa dress!

Where are your go-to places to shop for childrenswear? 

Some favourites are Apolina, Nights by Wilder, Little Cotton Clothes, Organic Zoo, Faune, Bobo Choses. My son loves Mini Rodini. I love stores with a great selection of independent brands like Baboushkini, Scout & Co, Luna & Curious and Word Store London too. I also adore the new Petite Sezane collection. I do increasingly shop preloved too, I have favourite kidswear sellers and small kids vintage stores I follow on Instagram. And Vinted… 

What are your favourite childrenswear trends at the moment?

I love the seventies and western vibes… I often find my favourite kids and women’s trends overlap. I see SO many girls’ clothes I wish came in my size and vice versa.

Little ones grow so fast, do you have any tips for eco-friendly childrenswear shopping? 

I’ve been trying out Or Collective kids rental and rotation service for the last few months and it’s fab. Premium baby & kids brands you can rent and swap by the month. Such a great idea. And an affordable way to wear these brands.  Then there are SO many amazing preloved and vintage kids stores and websites now (as well as Vinted). I buy a lot of vintage and preloved for my own kids now… I had my eye on a beautiful girls Doen patchwork dress for years and eventually got my hands on a preloved one earlier this month. The thrill in eventually finding it in a suitable size! Though I’m sure I do get more excited about kidswear than most…

Tell us more about The New Baby Box and what inspired you to launch it? 

I’d long planned to launch a product, focusing on my unique selling point of curating edits of lovely things and presenting them in a thoughtful way. 

The Little Stylist began with baby and while many baby hampers exist, I wanted to create a beautiful, modern, considered gift that new parents would enjoy opening, while also supporting my favourite independent baby brands that produce these lovely items. The brands and the box all have a sustainable, design focus which is important.  As is the fact they’re fully wrapped and can be sent directly to the recipient to make the gifting process as easy as possible. Because we’re all busy right.

How do you juggle being a busy mama-of-three with running your blog, social media, and business? 

It’s exhausting isn’t it. I still style shoots too so it can be a lot. I manage school drop-offs and pickups and make sure I always attend sports days etc which is important to me. My youngest is in nursery three days a week, going full-time next September… I’m trying not to look at my phone too much when she’s with me but it’s hard. I often work evenings and I rarely truly switch off. However, I love what I do—it’s both my passion and my job, and most of the time, it’s fun! I think it’s hard either way – parenting full time, working full time, trying to run your own thing whilst being there for the them all the time. It’s stressful and I sometimes get massive overwhelm. I cry! Then get over it and crack on. I think we all (parents) feel the same right?!

What are the best new baby gifts you received when you had your kids? 

One of my favourite things in our house is a Moppet ABC tapestry I was gifted for Cece. It’s so special, I adore it. Beautiful baby clothes… knitwear, booties, bonnets. I gifted myself a Wunderlang heritage knit cardigan for Cece too. And beautiful things for me – flowers, delicious treats in wonderful packaging. I think receiving special things in beautiful packages can really just make those, often hard, early days special. This is the reaction I’m aiming for with The New Baby Box!

And finally, what shopping advice would you give to new mamas-to-be? 

There’s a lot of baby clothes & brands out there, it can be overwhelming. With The Little Stylist I try to pull together the best bits, from independent brands + the high street. I do a weekly edit of Friday Finds showcasing these. The aim with them is to take the effort of trawling all the shops and sites so check those out. 

Also, find some preloved sellers (easiest on Instagram but try Vinted too) whose kids style you like and have kids a little older than yours then keep an eye out on what they’re selling as its outgrown, chances are you’ll like it and can buy at a fraction of the original price. 

With thanks to Charlotte Kewley aka The Little Stylist.

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