Designer Clothes | My Mills Baby

Choosing beachwear for the little man in your household can be tricky. The high street is packed out with neon slogan tees and cotton shorts which can look a little like pyjamas and aren’t very breathable under the glare of the sun. Equally, if a tee gets grubby, mixing another with bright shorts often looks uncoordinated.

The trick to getting toddler style right, is choosing miniature outfits that dad would wear. Jean or canvas bermuda shorts that stop below the knee will protect against the sun and are more hardwearing than a cotton mix - wear them long in the cooler evenings, and roll them up in the afternoon heat. They also look seriously cool with just about any tee making mixing and matching much easier. A few good quality pairs will see you through the entire summer so it’s worth making the investment now the weather is picking up.

Here are my favourite boys Bermudas from Melijoe, (Europe’s leading online designer emporium for children’s wear):

Left to right: Armani Junior white linen £74.03 / Burberry stone-washed blue stretch denim £74.79 / Timberland striped denim £52.13 / Scotch & Soda chino twill £52.88 / American Outfitters stone-washed denim £54.39 / Timberland twill £44.57 / Paul Smiith Junior electric blue cotton twill £60.44 / Replay&Sons stone-washed denim £56.66 / Pepe Jeans stone-washed blue £45.00 / Moschino yellow cotton and lyocell twill £77.06 / Petrol chino bermudas with elasticated braces £33.24 / American Outfitters beige Stretch cotton twill £50.62 / Tommy Hilfiger cotton £48.35 / Ralph Lauren Striped seersucker £41.55 / Aston Martin stone-washed blue £52.88 / Boss poplin bermudas £49.10

Teaming these with polo tops will ensure a classic look suitable for both day and night. Keeping logos and insignia small won’t irritate your little one when they’re on the move, and will ensure you can cross-match brands. Bright colours also mean you can better spot your little tearaway on a packed out beach, and will better reflect the sun. Ralph Lauren get it so right when it comes to polos but this little lot from the Melijoe Boys SS15 collection are equally cool for chilling out on the beach:

Left to right: 3 Pommes cotton piqué polo £22.66 / Moshino cotton piqué polo (yellow) £55.15 / Hackett cotton piqué polo £45.33 / Lacoste cotton piqué polo £46.08 / Ralph Lauren cotton piqué polo (green) £49.10 / Tommy Hilfiger cotton piqué polo £37.02 / Ralph Lauren cotton piqué polo (yellow) £49.10 / Hackett cotton piqué polo £58.17 / Armani Junior cotton piqué polo £50.62

For those of you who prefer a smart casual look, you won’t go far wrong with a loose cotton shirt. This is the best possible way of ensuring the air can still circulate around your little guy’s chest, and has the added bonus you can simply undo the buttons if they’re sweating too profusely, or even pop on a cheap white tee underneath for a more grown-up look.

Left to right: Petrol stone-washed oxford cotton shirt £26.59 / Tommy Hilfiger short-sleeved shirt (turquoise and red checks) £38.68 / Levi’s printed cotton poplin shirt (dark blue) £45.33 / Tommy Hilfiger short-sleeved shirt (navy and turquoise checks) £38.68 / John Galliano Kids light denim shirt £94.43 / Pepe Jeans striped poplin shirt £42.00 / Burberry denim shirt £86.88 / Guess blue and red checked shirt £32.03 / Scotch & Soda fancy poplin shirt £39.28

Finally you can add a healthy dose of your child’s own personality through their choice of accessories. Let your child choose and you’re bound to end up with a bright, vibrant and irrevocably fun hat or pair of sunnies to make their outfits pop. Caps are fab for active and style-conscious kids, whilst panama hats teamed with shirts works every time and shelter delicate skin from the harmful rays.

Left to right: Archimede sunglasses £7.55 / Souris Mini panama hat £16.62 / Ralph Lauren cotton twill cap (orange) £22.66 / Stella McCartney printed cap £30.00 / Petrol bi-material cap £9.07 / Tommy Hilfiger yellow gabardine cap £14.00 / John Galliano Kids bi-material cap £39.00 / Scotch & Soda raffia panama hat £35.00 / Little Eleven stone-washed blue cap £18.00 / DSquared2 military style camouflage cap £46.00 / Boss cotton twill cap £29.46 / Petrol cotton twill cap £9.07 / DSquared2 panama hat £70.00 / Lacoste cotton twill cap (green) £27.20 / GF Ferre cotton twill cap £31.73 / Archimede sunglasses (red) £7.55

To check out Melijoe Boys SS15 collection for yourself, head to melijoe.com/uk where you’ll find children’s wear from 0-16 years from all Europe’s top fashion houses. With clothes, shoes, swimwear and accessories you’re bound to find the perfect outfit for your little dude. Also on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

When the PPI scandal reared its head a few years back, I didn’t pay much attention. When Craig casually mentioned 2 years ago he was submitting a few claims, I didn’t pay much attention. When he rang me a week ago from work and told me that some of his loan-providers had agreed his insurance was indeed mis-sold, I paid a huge amount of attention. The pay-out is enough to cover our visa applications and moving costs for Oz. and a few treats.

All of a sudden, the fact that he hadn’t got around to booking our September summer holiday was forgiven. What was originally a £1000 budget has now doubled and he’s promised me a holiday of a lifetime. Given our year didn’t get off to the best of starts, I figure we deserve some time to ourselves and couldn’t be any more excited. He’s whispered several locations to me now, from Mauritius to the Maldives, the thing with my Craig is that he loves to surprise me.

Given we’re not restricted by school holiday’s, a healthy budget can go a long way. I won’t send you all into a jealous rage by droning on about the holiday (not least because I don’t know what it is!), but I can tell you I’ve got a matter of weeks to put the perfect summer wardrobe together.

Yes, my beautiful, charismatic, funny, charming and handsome (he reads this blog!) Craig has pledged me £800 to stop me panicking about what to wear. The single condition is almost laughable in its absurdity - I can’t get to the day before the holiday and break down in tears that my sarong doesn’t match my swimsuit. He wants an easy life and no hysterics. I have to promise I’ll have my shopping done before we board the plane… no exceptions.

Heidi Klein: Dark Orange Cancun Swimsuit (£195), Heidi Klein Raffia Santa Caterina Bag (£185), and David Szeto Tangerine Belted Rossodo Dress (£244)

So without a destination to research and obsess about, I have my own little project to get stuck into. I have to fill an entire suitcase with the ultimate summer wardrobe. We’re talking figure-flattering designer swimwear, sky-scraper heels, and effortless dresses that look just as stunning down the beach as they do in a high-end restaurant.

Having stumbled upon luxury fashion site Avenue 32 this evening, I’m confident that I’ll find the key pieces I’ll need to fit in with the jet-setting elite. I figure this search is going to a quality over quantity hunt. I’d rather plump for some budget-busting treats than buy-it-cheap-and-stack-it-high for my once in a lifetime holiday. They’ll be plenty of time for mumsy attire when I’ve got a handful of mini-me’s trailing behind me.

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