Mamakaze! Attacking Life at Full Throttle

There’s a nip in the air, and while rosy baby cheeks are irresistible, we’ll soon be faced with wintry weather that requires some serious baby bundling. Mamakaze has scoured autumn’s offerings for adorable outerwear, and we’ve come back with 20 of our favorite coats and jackets for the upcoming snow season.

Whether you’re looking for something lightweight or heavy-duty, rough-and-tumble or prim and proper, we’ve picked an eye-pleasing assortment of cool-weather coverups that should have something for every baby. Our ‘06 baby outerwear preview features fashions to flatter little snowflakes of all shapes and sizes.

There are classic wool selections and trendy suede styles for both boys and girls. We found faux fur for the fashionistas, parkas and peacoats in a rainbow of colors, and Western wear for lil’ cowpokes.

We love the way this fall’s colors pick up the hue in our little one’s apple cheeks, and with a veritable cornucopia of colors, your little pumpkin is sure to look his or her best in one of this season’s cute and cozy cold-weather fashion finds. The weather outside may be frightful, but with these delightful coats and jackets, your wee ones will have nothing to worry about except whether they’ll be drinking cider or cocoa.

Everyone needs something a little extravagant — even babies. After purchasing for our first two precious children the finest in high chairs, strollers, cribs and clothes, we were worried that there would be nothing special left for the impending Babykaze. Of course, Mamakaze’s fears were groundless.

Fur has been big in the ’00s, and while we’re not a big fan of real animal hide, we love the luxe look of a faux fox or a counterfeit chinchilla. And who better to swathe in the warmth and luxury of faux fur than our bouncing new baby, due at the turn of the year?

We absolutely adore Brooks Pond’s faux mink carrier cover, which slides right over our regular soft baby carrier. Once the bundle’s in the Bjorn, we can cover those sweet little arms and legs in softest imitation mink, lined in super-snuggly ultrasuede. Presto! Baby’s riding in style while being protected from the elements.

If there’s one thing Mamakaze loves more than function, it’s fashion, and this carrier cover happens to embody both! There’s also a significantly cheaper but equally adorable faux-pony version for the budget-conscious mama.

Mamakaze found this glam, gorgeous gear online at our favorite splurge site, PoshTots.com.

Ideally, Totakaze would eat every meal at home. But Mamakaze often finds ourself out and about during lunchtime, feeding our wee one bananas and cheddar bunnies from our emergency diaper-bag stash. If playgroup wound down a bit later than usual, we used to be able to mollify our dear daughter with the smallest of snacks. As Totakaze’s appetite grows along with her ever-changing toddler body, however, we’ve discovered that we need an actual lunch bag for days when we’re going to be feeding her on the go.

But why settle for something that looks as if it should be carrying Papakaze’s CD collection rather than our little one’s chicken, peas and apples? Since Mamakaze is the one doing the shuttling, we reason, we ought to be able to carry whatever ridiculous girlie purselike lunch bag we like! And we’ve managed to find several fashionable insulated lunch totes that will be perfect for a day about town. (In fact, we’d take these bags with us even if we were leaving Totakaze behind!)

Our particular favorite is a cute orange neoprene tote (left) with separate sections for food and drink and an outer pocket for napkins — or, in Totakaze’s case, Wet Ones. It’s bright and modern and comes in a variety of fun colors, and the acrylic handles give it a sleek, stylish aesthetic. We found it at Target (online only) for $15.

With nighttime temperatures dipping as fall approaches, even hot-flashing pregnant mamas can get chilly at times. Mamakaze recently pulled out our Gap maternity Warmest Jacket, which we wore constantly while pregnant with Totakaze but is regrettably no longer available.

Luckily for newly-pregnant mamas, there are lots of warm — and better still, fashion-forward — outerwear options for moms-to-be.

A mama can never go wrong with Belly Basics, and their faux shearling coat at left is no exception. This double-breasted, winter-white number can be dressed up or down and the color is flattering for just about any skin tone — perfect for setting off that pregnant glow! We found it online for $198.

If you’re a repeat mama and laugh aloud at the idea of donning a pale hue when taking the tots out, fear not. The stores are filled with variety of maternity coats, jackets and vests to suit all styles — including the all-important “low maintenance.”

Whether you’re looking for a down parka, a light trench or something a little dressy, we’ve rifled through racks both real and virtual and come up with the cutest cold-weather threads. Below is an assortment of belly bundlers for all occasions, and budgets big and small.

We believe the famous song goes something like this: “A kiss on the hand may be quite continental, but diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” The lyrics are more than 50 years old, but we’re pretty sure most women agree that jewelry is pretty swell!

And while Mamakaze’s not such a material girl as to turn up our nose at, say, breakfast in bed or a sweet crayon-drawn card, we must agree that one the most delightful gifts a mama can receivem is something we can wear daily to remind us of our much-loved wee ones.

With charm jewelry being in vogue at the moment, along with many other of our fave ’80s fads, we think there’s nothing better to pair with our ankle boots and skinny jeans (well, as skinny as maternity jeans get!) than an uber-cool oxidized-finish charm bracelet made of three different sterling silver chains, with our babies’ names and birthdates insribed on simple hammered silver discs.

Mamakaze found this perfect gift — we’re thinking it’d be great for Christmas or perhaps as a little gift from Papakaze when our bun emerges from the oven — for $130 at Bliss Living, along with lots of other cool and elegant Mommy jewelry.

And lest we fail to instill an appreciation for good accessories in our young daughters, there’s plenty of bling for the babies there, too.

Wherein tiny tots get a head start on back-to-school fashions
Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Shopping for school clothes is one of the great joys of the fall season for shopaholic mamas and tykes, and just because a baby’s not in school yet is no reason to prevent him from looking like a class act. That’s why Mamakaze has spent the past month combing the stores and checking out the runway fashions to come up with a sampling of fall togs that make the grade.

Whether your tot’s tastes lean toward college prep or the school of rock, we found outfits for all budgets and sartorial styles. Mamakaze especially loves the rich, velvety European-inspired styles for girls and the new take on classic menswear for little boys! Not to be forgotten, hip-hop styles for the savvy urban tyke, floral crochet for the boho babe, and boys’ threads fresh from the skate park all found spots in our big binder of fall fashions.

It wouldn’t be a Mamakaze fashion preview without accessories, and we’ve chosen the cutest and comfiest footwear for each darling little outfit. Whether your budget is $15 or $115, baby will be putting his best foot forward in style-savvy shoes.

Check out our fall 2006 baby fashion preview for the hottest looks on the racks this season. They’re a little bit country, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll, and everywhere in between.

Daddies love babies, but they sure do hate diapers. (Unlike us mamas, who relish our every opportunity to get elbow-deep in poop!) And one thing they hate even more than diapers is the dreaded diaper bag. Even the most unisex of totes is treated as an affront to Papakaze’s masculinity.

We suspect that men simply have an innate distaste for carrying anything with a strap unless that bag has a rubber-to-fabric ratio of 1:1 and contains something containing several thousand dollars’ worth of microchippy goodness.

But the days of daddies shirking diaper duty with spurious claims that bags of any kind are some sort of testosterone Kryptonite are over. Thanks to Dad Gear, taking baby out no longer requires the toting of a purse-like object. Guys can play it close to the vest with, well, a vest. A diaper vest, to be exact.

Interior pockets stash diapers while maintaining a dad’s sleek silhouette, while travel wipes are easily accessible via a front zipper pocket. Extra pockets allow Papakaze to stash his stuff even when he’s wearing those sweatpants we hate, and deep side pockets are perfect for extra bottles. Even the changing pad is not forgotten; there’s a thin pad cleverly concealed in a pocket in the back of the diaper vest.

With diapering supplies concealed in such a clever, Bondlike gadget, that’s one less excuse for daddies come bottom-changing time. We think it’s a great gift for dads and dads-to-be. (And a great gift for the mama, too!)

Mamakaze found the Dad Gear diaper vest for $80 at Uncommon Goods.

Mamakaze can spot a trend from a mile away, and if we couldn’t, well, our subscriptions to no fewer than seven fashion magazines (and on top of that, three maternity magazines) would probably point those trends out to us in big, shiny lights.

One trend we’ve noticed over the past few years is the return of shirtdress and its cousin, the wrap dress. These dresses are tailored, yet casual. We can wear them to work; we can wear them to dinner. And now they’re available for mamas-to-be.

We spotted the first of these frocks on the rack of a local baby boutique. Once we started hunting around, we found maternity wrap dresses and shirtdresses in several styles for any budget. Whether you prefer cotton or an easy-care poly-spandex blend, solids or patterns, there’s a dress out there with your name on it. And since we love all things fashion, we were happy to do the shopping for you!

Our top pick is the Madrid dress from Chiarakruza’s spring collection. Comfy yet supremely stylish, this silky shirtdress glams it up with gleaming rhinestones. We’d rock this sexy number on an evening out with the girls. Mamakaze found this fashion-forward take on the classic shirtdress at chiarakruza.com for $99.

We also found a variety of takes on these classic styles in the online stores of several big retailers. We’re predicting that a lot of hot mamas are going to be hitting the scene in wraparound comfort this autumn.

There are few things that evoke the richness of autumn more than the color, texture and aroma of new leather. Now, it would be very naughty of Mamakaze to splurge on a pair of knee-high, butter-soft leather boots when we have a babe in arms and one on the way, wouldn’t it? However, we can’t think of a more responsible way of indulging our love of leather than to purchase a diaper bag, which will doubtless get much more use than even the most versatile pair of riding boots.

This fall, we’re loving the rich, buttery browns and the roomy, casual style of the latest leather diaper bags. Not only will they go perfectly with those boots that we are not, we repeat not going to buy, but these bags are versatile enough to tote with jeans and a T-shirt or carry while wearing a tweedy and autumnal suit.

Right now, we particularly adore the Suzy bag by Hammitt. Schlepped on the famous shoulders of Angelina Jolie, it’s no wonder this diaper bag is getting so much attention: It’s got storage to spare, and its stylish yet superlong straps make it a breeze to carry. We found this Italian leather beauty online for $595.

Of course, variety being the spice of life, Mamakaze has taken it upon ourself to amass an assortment of our very favorite leather diaper bags for fall. All of which are much, much more justifiable purchases than lovely leather boots.

Wherein we discover the most fabulous footwear for new walkers
Thursday, September 07, 2006

If, like Mamakaze, you obsessively pore over parenting books and magazines, chances are you know the criteria for a good beginner’s shoe. Doctors recommend a soft, breathable upper and as flexible a sole as possible. If, like Mamakaze, you spend a lot of time shoe shopping, you also know that this is easier said than done.

Totakaze has a variety of little shoes, each one with varying degrees of softness and sole flexibility. Sadly, much like with shoes in our own size, we’ve noticed that the comfort and functionality of the shoe are inversely proportional to the cuteness of said shoe. Thus, Mamakaze is ashamed to admit that there are shoes in our wee one’s closet that are neither very breathable or very bendy.

This past week, however, after flogging ourself for the umpteenth time for passing on our impractical-shoe habit to our toddler, we resolved to find the perfect baby shoe. It would be soft and breathable, flexible of sole, and utterly adorable. And find it we did!

See Kai Run is a shoe company for tiny feet based in our own Pacific Northwest, but their clientele include the likes of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. And Mamakaze found out firsthand why. Their shoes have delicious, butter-soft leather uppers and the most flexible sole Mamakaze has found short of suede-bottomed crib shoes. They also happen to be super-stylin’ and sold in a variety of colors to match any outfit. We love the quality construction and hip designs. Totakaze is walking proud in her new Mary Janes ($39), and their colorful cutouts coordinate with her every outfit! Plus, simple Velcro closures mean she’s already thisclose to putting on her own shoes.

We found See Kai Run baby shoes at our favorite local baby boutique, but for those who aren’t lucky enough to live near the birthplace of Mamakaze’s new favorite shoes, theyre’s also a wide selection available online at zappos.com.