Fashion fun for small fry

When Dee Crawford became a mum to twin daughters, she was looking forward to twice the fun shopping for their clothes. But it was harder than she expected to find interesting, fun clothes that weren't expensive or on everyone else's children.
So she took matters into her own hands: although not a designer, she's a mum who knows what her daughters like to wear and how clothing works on young children. From there followed the birth of Bubble and Squeak, an online children's boutique that produces affordable clothes with a twist for boys and girls aged 1 to 5.
After sourcing a designer and manufacturer to work with, Dee has now produced two collections that are a bit different from the norm.
"The sea of pink and purple in clothing stores was overwhelming," she says. "I wanted clothing that was a bit funky and different; that expressed my daughters' 'big little personalities'. It also needed to tick the boxes of comfort, easy care and affordability.
"The clothes are made from a variety of fabrics in warm, fun colours, and I've added lots of subtle, intricate detailing like buttons, studs and embellishments to add interest and surprise to the pieces."
The theme of Bubble and Squeak's second collection - winter 2011 - is an Oriental one, with lots of mandarin collars, jackets with bell sleeves, rich hues of red and purple, and different textures running throughout.
What sets Bubble and Squeak apart is that each style is limited to 50 of each size, and everything can be mixed and matched for a number of different looks with very few pieces.
The designs are available almost exclusively online - a channel Dee prefers so she can have direct contact with her customers - but are also sold through parties that customers are able to host. Prices start at $10 for accessories.