DVF on the high street! Diane von Furstenberg's bold, beautiful collection for Gap Kids launches today… (and you can see the collection here)
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Diana von Furstenberg's much-anticipated collection for Gap Kids has finally hit the UK. Launching into stores across the country and online today, the bold, bright and beautiful collection of childrenswear brings the essence of DVF to the high street.
Comprising all of the colourful prints and bold tones the New York-based designer has made her signature, the collection of clothing for tots and tweens is pure Diane von Furstenberg – something that will appeal to the adults who will be buying the clothing as much as the children who will wear it.
The vibrant, springlike collection, which is created for babies through to 14-year-olds, has at its heart DVF's vintage prints – predominantly the instantly recognisable hibiscus print and leaf motif, as well as
her signature house print made up of her initials woven through with
bold hearts.
Empowering: Diane von Furstenberg's colourful collection goes on sale at Gap stores across the UK today
Colours are paintbox-bright, with
juicy orange and yellow sitting next to leafy greens, pops of bright
blue and splashes of vivid red.
It's packed with summer wardrobe
essentials including T-shirt dresses, vests and shorts, capris, leggings
and swimwear. Accessories, including sunglasses, espadrilles and
sandals.
For mothers and the little ones, vintage prints appear on all-in-ones and rompers, as well as rattles and chic diaper bags.
'The collection captures the essence of a little girl's dream wardrobe, as imagined by an icon of American women's fashion,' Gap said of the collection.
'Diane, alongside the design team at Gap, has created a collection true to her unique style, while her experiences as a mother and grandmother have informed designs that will delight girls and their mothers alike.'
Vibrant: the collection is chock full of juicy brights and bold prints from the DVF archive
The designer revealed that her intention with the collection was to celebrate 'life and colour', and to empower little girls with clothes that allow them freedom of expression.
She explains: 'I
wanted to go to the core of what the brand is and take print, and make
them fun print and things that little girls would like.'
'A little girl, the minute she is born, she already is the woman she will be,' she said.
'So to empower a little girl is to empower the woman she will become.'
That translates as comfortable,
easy-to-wear clothes that allow girls to 'playfully experiment with her
evolving style and individuality', with everything from girlish dresses
to 'rough and tumble' essentials.
The collection
will see her follow in the footsteps of Stella McCartney who created
two sellout lines for Gap last year before launching her own
childrenswear range.
In a statement announcing the
collaboration last summer, Diane von Furstenberg cited her role as a 'proud
mother and grandmother' as her inspiration to branch out.
Art Peck, president of Gap for North
America, described the designer and CFDA President as 'a true American
fashion icon and inspiration to women around the world.'
He said: 'I'm looking forward to
offering our customers an exciting collection that applies her signature
approach to print, optimistic colour and femininity.'
THE GAP COLLECTION
Pint-sized fashion: Diane von Furstenberg will launch her collection for
Gap Kids and babyGap in stores and online in the UK tomorrow, and in the U.S., Canada and
Asia
The bold prints that are Diane von Furstenberg's trademark run through the collection
Mini must-haves: The line launches on March 15 and includes babywear, and girlswear for ages two to 14
Mini-me: Ms von Furstenberg's aim was to empower the girls she was designing for
Primary instinct: The collection features bright colours and a bold, graphic pebble-inspired print
A blazer with fun patches suits kids of all ages, while a wrap dress is a cute take on a DVF classic
The bold pebble print runs throughout the collection in various colourways, on a T-shirt dress, 24.95, and a baby's towelling romper, 17.95
Nature-inspired prints are dear to Diane von Furstenberg's heart, she has said in the past – and here they are used to great effect in wrap rompers – cute takes on the DVF classic wrap – at 29.95
Comfortable canvas espadrilles worked in cute printed fabrics are 29.95
Capri leggings, 9.95, are also available in a variety of other DVF prints
Baby shoes with a difference: The flip flops, 14.95, are practical as well as pretty while the baby shoes, 12.95, will stay on thanks to the elastic
Putting the fun into functional, the floppy sunhat, 24.95, and DVF hi-tops, 29.95, essentials in every child's wardrobe, are given a print makeover
Left, a sturdy canvas nappy bag is worked over with the pebble print, complete with matching mat, 79.95, while right, a cute preppy blazer gets the DVF treatment with signature print lining and playful patches
Mood boards: The collection extends to footwear too, also bearing that same bright pebble print
FEMAIL VERDICT: BRIGHT AND COLOURFUL, THE ESSENCE OF DVF
It's fun, it's colourful – it's a world away from the preppy neutrals that are Gap's bread and butter.
This is exactly what a children's range should be: Bright, bold, playful.
Nothing about it takes itself too seriously – this is about kids having fun in clothes that allow them the freedom to do so.
It's springlike, charming – but with that designer edge that means kids want to wear it, and crucially, their parents want to buy it.
I love the signature DVF heart print – on the little sneakers and the baby rompers it works perfectly.
Diane von Furstenberg said she wanted the collection to 'empower' little girls.
And true, parents will be pleased
that the clothes are practical, and comfortable too.
The espawdrilles
have sensible straps to keep them on the child's feet, the dresses are easy-on and free from fussy fixtures or ties. Liberating for both child and parent, then.
The collaboration makes perfect sense. It demonstrates succinctly just why high street stores enter into such projects. Diane von Furstenberg gives Gap a major injection of cool, and of colour – without the store having to rethink its entire design aesthetic.
The kids collaborations at Gap have been resoundingly successful – we loved the Stella McCartney collaboration – and this one is set to be a hit too.
DEBORAH ARTHURS
The DVF Loves Gap collection launches in the UK today, 28 March. For more information and to watch the video, visit Gap.com