MISSONIFASHIONFOCUS

SUMMERBAKING

STYLE

BLOSSOMWORLD

A/WLOOKBOOK

JULY’12

IDEAS

GET REESE WITHERSPOON’S

GET A SNEAKPEEK AT OURNEW STYLES

ISSUE

Who’s given birth this month?

On Blossom stocked brand Missoni

Get creative in the kitchen with our Rainbow Cupcakes

Practical advice from Blossom World

How to look classic and casual like Reese Witherspoon

Take a sneak peek at our new look-book

FEATURES

In This Month’s...

JULY 2012

NEW ARRIVALS

FASHION FOCUS

SWEET TREATS

HOW TO PICK A BABY NAME

MATERNITY STYLE

A/W STYLE UPDATE

JUST FOR KIDSIntroducing Magic World iPad

JUNE BUGS Blossom’s

THIS MONTH’S

CELEBRITYARRIVALS

May was a busy month for new celebrity mums such as Jessica Simpson, Alyson Hannigan, Shilpa Shetty and ultra yummy mummy Alessandra Ambrosio. June was an equally eventful month, with some of our ultimate stylecrushes giving birth to our latest little celebrity arrivals. This month congratulate some of our favourite new mamas.

Throughout her pregnancy, Molly Sims has wowed us with her maternity style and enviable wardrobe; owning the red carpet with catwalk inspired dresses that both extenuated and flat-tered her blooming figure. Although initially expressing con-cerns about giving birth and breastfeeding, when the big day finally arrived Simms described the birth of her son Brooks Alan Stuber, as ‘the happiest day of her life’. We’ll miss keeping up to date with Molly’s maternity style but couldn’t be happier for the ecstatic actress and the new addition to her family

On June 21st, Victoria Secret model Lily Aldridge and King’s of Leon frontman welcomed baby girl Dixie Pearl into the world. Photos of the glamorous couple’s first child have yet be released but we can guarantee that with her combination of gorgeously cool genes, Dixie is already a stunning little style rocker.

Here in the Blossom office we are religious followers of US TV drama Grey’s Anatomy so were delighted to hear that in June Jessica Capshaw (who plays Arizona Robbins) and Christo-pher Gavigan would be expecting their third child. Although 35-year-old Capshaw had only just given birth 14 months ago to her second child, on June 20th the the actress and her husband welcomed Poppi James into their lives. Not only did we admire Capshaw’s chic maternity style during her pregnancy but the fact that she had to act an entire Grey’s Antomy series hiding her ever-growing bump as directors couldn’t write the pregnancy into the script!

June’s first celebrity baby arrival was second child of TV broad-caster Chris Evans and his wife Natasha Shishmanian. Despite the smooth birth of Eli Alfred Michael’s birth on June 1st, Ev-ans himself experienced some drama during the labour when he had to rush back to London via helicopter as his wife went into hospital as soon as the presenter had arrived at Hay Festival where he was set to report for BBC Radio 2.

We’re hoping that baby Eli grows up with his father’s cheeky sense of humour. Soon after Eli’s birth Evans tweeted, “Eli Alfred Michael Evans says hi ! Can’t wait to join you all out there… It’s gonna be one hell of a weekend !! Pint!”

JUNE BUGS THIS MONTH’S

MissoniFashion Focus

BLOSSOM WORLD’S

Missoni represents a unique style in ready-to-wear knit classics, most notable for their signature geometric patterns in kaleidoscopic colours. What started off as a tiny workshop belonging to a newly-wed couple has fast become the leading global trend-setter for knit-wear. The label was born in 1953 when founders Tai and Rosita started producing their signature crocheted knits. In the late sixties the brand shot to fame with their first collection and the company was later credited for the resurgance in the popularity of knitwear in the boho chic period of the seventies. The Missoni’s are famous for bringing a striking sense of imagination to their creations, separating and lifting them from the old-fashioned connotations of traditional hand knit-ted items Now under the creative leadership of the couple’s daughter Angela, Missoni continue to grow in the luxury market whilst still keeping their strong visual identity.

Here at Blossom we’re excited to exclusively reveal a new style from M Missoni that will be in-store as of this month.

This knitted shift dress in three exquisite colours is the perfect addition to any a/w wardrobe and will take you through those tricky trans-seasonal periods. A Missoni piece is perennial and is designed to be mixed with a particular season’s trends and colours whilst in itself remaining above sartorial drift, making this dress the per-fect investment piece this season. Designed to be worn at both work and play, this dress en-capsulates the heart of Missoni – a modern and wearable garment with a vintage twist.

FashionBlossom

REESEWITHERSPOON

Maternity Style

Since the news broke that she’s expecting her third child, Reese Witherspoon has flaunted her growing baby bump with a casual-meets-classic style. The 36-year old actress has kept her cool during her pregnancy, opting for wearable and comfortable maternity looks.

Having kept relatively quiet about her pregnancy until last month, Reese is now embracing being a mum-to-be with an enviable maternity style. Casual day dresses with oversized sunglasses, chic ballet flats, and stylish handbags are Reese’s hallmarks for day looks, but she ups-the-ante by dressing her bump in glam evening dresses for the red carpet.

Empire lined frocks are perfect for flattering beourgoning bumps, and Reese is often spotted sporting this shape. Get the look with this Seychelles Maternity Dress.

LOOKGet the

BLOSSOM SEYCHELLES DRESS £175

EMPRIRE LINE DRESSES FLATTER BUMPS

As sad as we are to say admit that summer is almost over (did it re-ally start?), we’re extremely ex-cited to bring you a first look at what’s in store for our AW12 ma-ternity collection. Starting from mid July we’ll be releasing spec-tacular garments and accessories from our favourite designers, top brands and in-house line.

Next season’s hot picks will in-clude the likes of M Missoni, See by Chloe, Amira Haroon, Paulina, Attesa, Peaks of London, Mother’s En Vogue and many, many more designer names.

Our designer denim bar has been updated to ensure you find your perfect-fit jean from all your fa-vourite denim brands such as True Religion, Citizens of Human-ity, James Jeans, Paige Union and 7 for all Mankind.

Blossom’s upcoming collection, designed by our buyer-extraor-dinaire Luella, re-imagines our best-selling basic pieces with sea-sonal trends; creating a stunning combination of comfort, luxury and style. In addition to introduc-ing the hottest textures and fab-rics to hit the catwalk, Blossom’s AW12 collection also focuses on warm autumnal palette of mo-chas, teal and deep plum to keep your wardrobe cutting-egdge and on trend.

Bringing high fashion to mater-nity, Blossom promises to be your one-stop shop this season. Take a sneak peak of our AW12 look-book!

A/WFashion Update

FashionBlossom

Rainbow

CA

KE

S

Makes: 16Total time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

White cake mix*Food coloring (red, blue, green, and yellow)Cupcake casesWhipped cream (optional)Smarties/Sprinkles for decoration (optional)

* If you have plenty of time we suggest you make your own cupcakes from scratch as there’s nothing better than home bakes. For a basic vanilla cup-cake recipe ‘good to know’ also provide an easy to follow recipe that your kids will be more than able to join in with!

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/340648/Basic-cupcake-recipe

Method1. Prepare your white cake mix, then divide the batter evenly among six small bowls. Dye each bowl of batter a rainbow color. Please see below for food colouring amounts:

Food colouring amounts:

Purple = 9 red and 6 blue drops

Blue = 12 drops blue

Green = 12 drops green

Yellow = 12 drops yellow

Orange = 12 yellow and 4 red drops

Red = 18 drops red

2. Line your muffin/cupcake tray with the cupcake cases.. Evenly distribute the purple batter among the cups, then the blue, and so on. As you go, gently spread each layer of batter with the back of a spoon to cover the color underneath.

3. Bake the cupcakes according to your recipe directions. Before serving, remove the paper wrapping, and if you like, top each cupcake with a whipped-cream cloud. Get your kids involved by getting them to add colourful decorations such as smart-ies or sugar sprinkles!

Sweet Treats

Throwing a kid’s party this month or fancy making some creative bites for your little ones? These Rainbow Cupcakes are not only deceptively simple to make but have that wow factor that we promise will bring aboutsummer smiles.

Choosing a name for your little arrival

can be one of the most difficult aspects of pregnancy. Perhaps you’ve stumbled on the perfect

name. Maybe you and your spouse decided a long time ago. Or maybe you’re like a lot of parents and have been wrestling with the deci-

sion for a long time. If you’ve pored over the baby books and are still drawing a blank over naming your child, follow our practical tips on how to solve this difficult

dilemma.

In the era of the celebrity, it seems that anything goes when naming your child. Over the past ten years we’ve seen a host of bizarre and wonderful names emerge from celebville.

From Romeo and Brooklyn, to Apple and Ivy Blue, it’s important to consider how unique you want your child’s name to be. Remember, fashionable names like Aston might look dated in

50 years, whereas traditional names like John and Mark are unlikely to wane in popularity.If you do want to choose something a little more off-the-wall, try to consider how the name would work

through school and later in life. The last thing you want is your carefully crafted name to become a burden to your child.

The next step is to make a shortlist of names that you and your partner are considering. Try to keep it as concise as possible to make cutting down to that all important one an easier task. You can find inspiration for names more traditionally in naming books. Our tip is to buy a stack of glossy maga-zines and pore through the articles highlighting any names that jump out at you. This will help you to clearly establish names that are popular now, and will be a much more enjoyable task than star-ing at a dull book of names for hours!

If you’re struggling, It’s also helpful to make a list of names you and your partner don’t like. Sometimes looking at the polar opposite can give you clarity and help you to

establish what you do want

Once you’ve settled on a shortlist, the next hurdle is how the first name and surname work together - because if ever there was the poten-

tial for disaster it is now. Cross off any names that you feel clash with your surname, and highlight any that

work well.

NAMEHow To

Your Child?

Blossom World is on hand to help...

SHOP

It’s then important to consider how the name would be shortened. It’s inevitable that friends and family will want to call your new arrival by a fond nickname. So if you love the name Jonathan but despise the name Jonny, it’s probably wise to look at something different as it’s something you won’t be able to control.

Also, make sure the first name and any middle names you’ve decided on work together. Write down different variants of the names you’ve narrowed down on your shortlist, including the middle and surnames and see which looks the best on paper. Speak the full names out loud, and go with what your instincts say sounds the best. Hope-fully you’ll have chosen a name which you and your partner love.

And remember, when you say you’re pregnant, baby names is the first thing people want to start chatting about. It’s a personal decision and one not to be made lightly, so don’t be discouraged by anyone else’s preferences. You want the name you choose to be meaningful, so make sure it’s comes straight from you and your spouse!

Introducing...

MAGIC TOWN

MAGIC TOWNLooking for a new and exciting way to keep children occupied this summer? Then treat your children toMagicTown, the latest kiddie craze in iPad apps.

MagicTownis the first virtual world based on popular picture book characters. In both the website and iPad app, children visit the big tree and houses in the town to discover stories, explore games and solve tricky puzzles. Fun and interactive, this new and innovative technology will keep little ones occupied on long car journeys and on rainy days in!

Readingis a really important exercise that children must develop on a regular basis, as it captures their imagination, sparks their creativity and engages them in critical thinking skills. However, most modern parents find it difficult to grab time every day to sit down and read with their kids. Not only does Magic Town bring families together, inspiring them to share stories, its also a tool that children can use on their own. Tried and tested on Blossom staff’s children, the colourful format and interac-tivitey will keep them interested for hours. Couple this with the fact that the more children play, the more stories they unlock, this app is a great learning tool that will encourage your children to learn.Max and Izzy areMagicTown guides. They welcome visitors and show them around. They introduce Louis the Storyteller, a wise old lion who has travelled around the world collecting stories. When Louis arrived inMagicTown, he planted his staff in the ground and up sprouted a tree bearing stories. Each time a child visitsMagicTown, Louis presents a new story of the day. It is up to the child to unleash the stories and bringMagicTown to life. The stories and games appear in character-based houses that populate theMagicTown landscape.

Available for both iPad and computer users,MagicTownis easy to use for even novice tech users. All users have access to 20 free stories, as well as a new, free story every day. And with a monthly subscription at the reasonable price of £7.99, it seems you can put a price on fun!

Visit www.magicworld.com for more information and to subscribe.