Belleville Boys

One of the most delightful things about having Belleville is how many lovely boys have come into my life. Of course there are mothers with great fashion sense who come to buy special things for their boys, but more and more I'm getting young boys in AS customers, boys specifically asking for a trip to Belleville. Some come for the street wise pieces from Rock Your Baby, who thankfully have children growing up themselves so the sizes ranges are going up! Some come for the classic, beautiful quality pieces from SUDO and then of course there are those that just love the Electric Boy T's (nothing says carefree youth as well as one of their T's). And with SUDO adding to the shoe range (along with my staples of Scruffy Dog & Yunginz) you can dress your boy from head to toe is gorgeousness. But nothing is as lovely as having an 8 year old boy come in with his pocket money saved to purchase his SUDO grey wool duffel coat. I didn't want to charge him. So with each season my range for boys increases and by next summer it should be equal ratio with both Polka and Chalk & Cheese coming soon to Belleville (both with great boys ranges).

Red Wagon comes to Belleville

I do love receiving parcels at Belleville and especially if they are unusual sizes. How excited I was when in came friendly Mr Delivery-Guy with a very large flatpack - I knew it could only be one thing - the first of my Red Wagon deliveries. It's going to be hard to sell these babies because of course I want to keep them for myself - but no doubt I'll be ordering lots for customers over the next few weeks so there'll be a wonderful array for me to sigh over.

Red Wagon beckons back to the carefree scenes of 1950's childhood. Stunningly beautiful on 75cm round high quality (ready to hang) canvases, these virtual storybook pages will become a focal piece in any room. 10 images to choose from and available to order from Belleville.

Peace Street

Whimisical, wearable and fun, the Peace Street label is designed with imagination and practicality in equal doses. Each peice has been designed to be unique, expressive, good quality and reasonably priced. From fairytale skirts with tulle and net detailing, pure cotton Mexican inspired dresses, fashion forward hand embroidered separates to tiny Japanese printed shoes they have drawn inspiration from everywhere; nature, old movies and favourite songs so that mum or dad can join in the fun.

Paperwings

Paperwings is all about Celebrating Childhood and enhancing the lives of children by creating products that positively influence the way they look, feel, play and experience their environment. All pieces are designed to be ‘every day favourites’ - lovingly worn out rather than outgrown. Jason Gibaud and Michelle Fallon provide the artistic vision and technical expertise behind their unique label. The inherent beauty and function of Paper Wings collections reflects Jason and Michelle’s success in costume design, feature film production and their combined experience in architecture & interior design. The joy of raising their own children, Vevette and Esther, is also key to the practicality, comfort and great fun inherent in all the pieces.

Belleville - the beginning

Belleville is a kids boutique with a difference.

Moving back to Brisbane with a small child who loved dressing up as much as I did, I soon realised there was a real need for a kids boutique that stocked interesting, unique, good quality clothes and shoes. Particularly those designed and made by Australians. I was over shopping online only to find that my daughter would not wear the purchases, or that they did not meet my own expectations, size or quality. And so Belleville was born, naturally stocking my favourite Australian kids labels: Paperwings, Peace Street, Sudo, Rock Your Baby, Hunter & Scout, Miatom, Z & Me, Raglab, No-one You Know for fashion. Walnut, Chook Leaf and Scruffy Dog shoes. Accessories by Ky Curran, jewellery by Karen Lila Yost (the only non Australian label, but too beautiful to not have) and artwork by Amy Alexander.

Kids of all ages are welcome to enjoy the store, make art, ride the tricycle around the store, have a tea party or a fashion parade with the clothes. It’s all about what they want really. My daughter Sanja works at Belleville on Saturdays, comes with me to trade shows and helps choose the stock. She also “test drives” a lot of what is purchased to ensure comfort and wear. Her feedback and that of other children and parents helps Belleville grow into the store I dream it being.

Belleville caters for both boys and girls - newborns to teenagers with a splash of women’s wear for older girls and women.