Design Inspiration - High Summer Collection

Nothing conjures up the excitement of summer as a convertible car, preferably a classic car in a pastel shade! With our photoshoots, we want them to look stylised and fun, like stills from a movie, and our models are always happy to ‘take a ride in my car!’

Pastel blue skies, pink sunsets and contrasting palm trees all evoke memories of exotic travel and inspire our prints, whether for dresses, shirts or our favourite styles, matching swimsuits, vintage-inspired of course, and fun to wear for adventures by the sea.

We head to the beach for our photoshoots, usually on the south coast on England, and we keep our fingers crossed for sunshine, as although we would like to conjure up the excitement of destinations further afield (Miami, Beverly Hills, Palm Beach and other exciting-sounding tropical climes) it is not always as warm as we would like, which means our photo days are always ‘weather permitting’!

Whether it is tear-sheets ripped out of magazines (I love the pink/black combo) or photos snapped on my phone (usually for Instagram or my vast library of archives) palm trees, blue skies and seascapes always make their way printed onto fabric in some form or other in our summer collections. All shades of blue, all shades of pink, the occasional touch of green and sunshine yellow, and of course pink flamingos are an all-time favourite of mine for summer design inspiration!

Since Queen Victoria made the sailor suit fashionable for her children, the nautical look is a classic one for babies and children and a look that I love for summer! As do our customers, as these outfits are perennial favourites and one that we come back to year after year. Whether for girls, boys or babies, sailor suits have been around for many years and are a sweet look for portraits and photography.

Is it just me, or is everyone as fascinated by the beauty of the natural world under the sea, whether that is fish, sealife, crustaceans, coral or seaweed, in all their beautiful and vibrant colours. I always look to design a print representing sea life: jelly fish, seahorse, starfish are all of wonder to me and the children that wear these styles are equally captivated