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A Little of This and That and A Lot of Everything at the Gift Fair I needed strength and a pair of comfortable shoes to make it through every aisle at the latest New York International Gift Fair (Jacob Javits Center and the New York Piers, August 13-18). Not that I minded with all the gorgeous apparel, room décor, toys and great accessories for kids. As I wander trade exhibitions, I always have my eye out for who's working with the newest colors and which designers are offering the freshest products. At the Gift Fair, I saw a little of every trend - items with a vintage aesthetic, a coolly modern vibe and playful pieces in tones as bright as a box of crayons. As far as color goes, chocolate brown makes an appearance in everything from apparel to kids' desk sets.
APPAREL LITTLE RAGGIO Designer: Ana Colagrassi Sizes: 1-6 years Wholesale prices: Dress, $115; shoes, $22-$30 Buyers turn to Little Raggio for gorgeous, butter soft suede, fine leather and faux-fur footwear. This season Colagrassi has added tiny dresses and skirts in deliciously soft chamois with details like lace inserts and smocking.
Outstanding Piece: The puff-sleeved, chamois dress in soft gold with lace inserts. Understated yet so special. (Also available in beige, cream, red, gray/blue and leaf green.) Tel: 203-625-9689 E-mail: contact@littleraggio.com
TEA Designer: Emily Meyer Sizes: XS-6 years Wholesale prices: $8-$59 Meyer takes a break from her Asian aesthetic for a short romp in Woodstock.
Outstanding Piece: The Catalina dress in cocoa colored cotton. The turquoise and rose-colored embroidery really pops and the eyelet ruffled hem and sleeves add innocent charm. Tel: 415-621-9400 E-mail: info@teacollection.com
JEWELRY CAROLYN FORSMAN JEWELRY Designer: Carolyn Forsman Sizes: 5-13 Wholesale Price: $7.50 You can count on Forsman's jewelry for being on-trend and innovative, that's why so many museum gift shops carry her goods.
Outstanding Piece: Don't know if someone's being straight with you? Ask them to wear an "On the Level" ring and you'll have your answer soon enough. Glows in the dark, too. Tel: 800-442-7621 Email: hello@carolynforsman.com
SHOES AND SLIPPERS GOODY GOODY Designer: Laura Holmes Sizes: Infant: NB-24 months; Child: XS (24 months to 4 years); XL(teen 1-3) Wholesale Prices: all slippers $14.50 Slippers as art? Why not if they're crafted from the richest brocades, covered in jewels and abloom with velvet roses.
Outstanding Pieces: It takes just one pair of Goody Goody slippers to start a lifelong shoe fetish. Don't say you weren't warned. (The slippers come in adult sizes for the already addicted.) Tel: 510-237-7994, 212-481-4491 Email: info@goodygoodyshoes.com
BURP CLOTHS, BLANKETS AND BEDDING SERENA & LILY Designer: Serena Dugan Wholesale Prices: 3-pc. sheet, bumper and skirt set $210-$285. Some children are born into a world of privilege, others can fake it with a crib outfitted in the team's fine, classic crib and twin bedding.
Outstanding Set: The Lucy. The simple apple green and dusty pink striped sheet and bed skirt will fit comfortably in a country or modern nursery. Little touches like elegant initials and contrasting piping along the bumper give the set Park Avenue élan. (Also available in soft yellow and lilac.) Tel: 415-331-4364, Ext. 2 E-mail: sales@serenaandlily.com
JACK RABBIT CREATIONS Designer: Erica Lancaster Wholesale Prices: Blankets: $18-$20; hat and sweater sets (NB-12 months; $25). Lancaster's collection offers softly colored plush toys, games, dishes, blankets and even hat and sweater sets.
Outstanding Pieces: Girls can snuggle up with a cozy fleece blanket appliquéd with "Fifi the Poodle" in soft tones of pink; boys can relax with "Jack the Dog" in sky blue and apple green. For every child there are funky, two-toned polka dots in pink and orange or unisex lime and aqua. Rolled up with a silk bow, the blankets make ideal gifts. Tel: 404-876-4225 E-mail: info@jackrabbitcreations.com
SIMPLE PLEASURES Designer: Tina Woodruff Wholesale Prices: Contact manufacturer for information Woodruff's collection includes fine knit, solid colored blankets with coordinating tiny dresses and cover-ups for children. There's a women's line, too.
Outstanding Pieces: The only embellishment on the all-over pleated cotton "waffle knit" blanket is the deep ruffled border for flair. The matching knit dress finishes the look. Tel: 615-895-5553 E-mail: tina@simplepleasurescotton.com
ROOM DÉCOR DOMESTIC ELEMENT Designer: Jessica Smith Wholesale Prices: Pillows: $43-$65 Smith likes to take familiar textiles that we no longer look at with curiosity - such as toiles, the two-toned line drawings that depict pastoral scenes of maidens frolicking with sheep - and adds motifs such as trucks and unicorns that force us to refocus.
Outstanding Pieces: The hand-printed pillows with truck motifs are sure to please a little boy. Tel: 215-715-0092 E-mail: jessica@domesticelement.com
MAXIMAL ART THE JOHN WIND SIGNATURE COMPANY Designer: John Wind Wholesale Prices: $22-$49.50 Well-known collagist John Wind combines his favorite hobby - scouring flea markets here and abroad - with his love of object making.
Outstanding Pieces: In his new "John Wind Signature Collection," he embellishes gold picture frames with Austrian, Venetian and Czech glass beads to create a vintage feeling. Perfect for a girl's dresser. Tel: 800-573-3308 email: info@maximalart.com
ZID ZID KIDS Designer: Julie Klear Wholesale Prices: $14 up to $164 for a painted table and three "nesting stools" Clean graphics and straight from the rainbow colors define Julie Klear's collection of pillows, wall hangings and table-and-stool sets.
Outstanding Piece: Cleaning up toys will stop being a chore when kids stow their odds and ends in Klear's multi-pocketed wall hanging appliquéd with amiable animal motifs. Tel: 800-600-3458 E-mail: moulay@zidzid.com
TOYS BABY TAKE OUT Designer: Laura Marshall Wholesale Price: $24 You know how much you love to gobble up pigs in a blanket, those unhealthy little hotdogs wrapped in pastry you find at weddings and Bar Mitzvahs? Now kids can enjoy them without the fat and cholesterol.
Outstanding Piece: Marshall's squishy soft piglets wrapped in brightly colored blankets are (almost) cute enough to eat. E-mail: orders@babytakeout.com Ph: (626) 458-1486
DESIGN LEGACY Designer: Kelly O'Neal Wholesale Prices: Dogs: $12 O'Neal won't mind if you say he's stuck in a 1950's time warp. His wall décor, pillows and toys are right out of that era.
Outstanding Pieces: Someone with a sense of humor writes "Poodles rule," "Who woofs ya baby" and "Me woof you long time!" on Design Legacy's all-cotton pillows shaped like miniature poodles and dachshunds. Fun. Tel: 214-748-5118 E-mail: sherrihavas@legacytrading.com
JUDY GEAGLEY BY HAND Designer: Judy Geagley Wholesale Prices: Bears: $18-$89; Hand crafted doll cradles: $49.50 Look at one of Judy Geagley's hand-crafted teddy bears made from recycled clothing, quilts and fur coats, and you'll be transported to a world where apple pies cooled on the windowsill and men played fiddles on the porch.
Outstanding Piece: The "Old Quilt" bear. Each 17" bear is made from old cotton quilts so no two are alike. Geagley even crafts tiny wood cradles for kids to rock their "babies." Tel: 606-798-3901 E-Mail: judyskc@hotmail.com
MISCELLANEOUS KISS THAT FROG Designer: Kiss That Frog design team Valises: Set of 2 large cases: $16.50; 3 smaller pieces: $15.50 Kiss that Frog offers all sorts of unique accessories for kids' rooms.
Outstanding Pieces: The brightly colored, hard-paper valises are great for storage, room displays, gift boxes and make ideal overnight cases for sleepover parties. Tel: 510-524-7611, Ext. 205 E-mail: maryanne@kissthatfrog.com
SARUT GROUP Designer: Sarut design team Wholesale prices for hairbrushes: small $7, large $8. With a collection that encompasses jewelry, umbrellas, and rainbow-hued tables and chairs, to mention just a few, the Sarut Group has the kids' gift market covered.
Outstanding Pieces: Sarut's hairbrushes with whimsical painted animal motifs on one side and wildly toned bristles on the other, just might appear at a kids next "show and tell." Tel: 800-345-6404 E-mail: nyc@sarut.com
URBAN BABY DESIGNS Designer: Lisa Malcic Size: one size fits all; Wholesale price: $4.50-$6.50 for a set of five
Outstanding Product: When God created Adam, he should of thought up the "Pee-pee Tee-pee," too. Pop one of the little all-cotton cones on an infant boy during diaper changing to avoid getting splashed. A little laundry bag is sold separately, or the Tee-pees and washing sack can be purchased as a gift set. Tel: 800-276-9221 E-mail: info@urbanbabydesigns.com
WRY BABY Designer: David Sopp Sizes: Clothing: NB-12 months; Wholesale prices: $10-$16, Wheel of Responsibility $60 a doz. Wry Baby specializes in irreverent T-shirts with phrases like "I eat dirt," instructional bibs and infant handling kits.
Outstanding Piece: Hang "The Wheel of Responsibility" in a baby's nursery and parents will never forget whose turn it is to change junior. Tel: 415-550-8880 E-mail: wholesale@wrybaby.com |
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