I remember the first time I saw MilK Magazine. It was about four years ago and I was in my local coffee shop – that incidentally has an incredible collection of international magazines. Something caught my eye on the very top shelf and so I climbed a ladder to fetch it. I was so intrigued by this giant and imaginative kids fashion magazine full of Tim Walker-esque kids photography and distinctive and unusual styling. It was like W Magazine but for kids fashion. It quickly became one of my favorite kids magazines and as a kids photographer I have been inspired by it ever since.

MilK Magazine Summer 2011

So when I was traveling to Paris I couldn’t help but want to reach out to MilK and meet them – even briefly. They were really lovely and accommodating. Sophie Carré, (their Social Media Manager  aka online extraordinaire) invited me to their offices one bright and sunny morning in Paris. I arrived just as they were putting the final touches on the latest Summer issue. There was a flurry of movement around the office and I documented just a glimpse of their morning. Everyone was incredibly sweet and pleasant despite their deadline. Once I got home to San Francisco I followed up with a few questions to Sophie:

arriving bright and early to the MilK offices, Paris

MilK is across the street from the Arc de Triomph and around the corner from Colette

(MK: Modern Kids, SC: Sophie Carré)

MK: Sophie, thank you for letting me drop-in on MilK! It was great to meet you and everyone else. I have a few quick questions for you.
SC: Thanks for coming, it was lovely to have you here!

recent issues and a vintage kids bench

MK: How many people work for MilK?

SC: We’re a small team of 12 people. The founder are Isis-Colombe Combréas and Karel Balas. We’re an independent title. You can meet everybody online, here.

MK: How long does your team typically work on a single issue? And how far in advance are you working?

SC: As our normal issue comes out four times a year, it takes us three months to make one single magazine. But we’ve also got two special editions. The MilK Deco, (presenting families interiors and lifestyle) and also the Kids Collections comes out twice a year and presents the upcoming fashion collections.

the conference room

issues on display

MK: When does your final layout get chosen? And how does the cover get chosen? You have so much lovely photography that it must be difficult!

SC: Choosing the cover is always a big dilemna. We usually pick pictures from the fashion stories. The graphic team makes a graphic layout and the battle starts. We all argue throughout the day why this image is better than another one and why the look of this kid works on that picture, but not on another one…we also discuss about the titles and so on. We finally lay down all the choices and we have and vote! In the end, Isis and Karel choose their favourite (although sometimes we manage to convince them, but it’s a hard task)!

the design team hard at work

MK: What’s your favorite part about working for Milk?

SC: Working at MilK is a lot of fun. We’re a small team so we have to be versatile and adaptive.  Within one day, I can interview someone, help my coworkers on a fashion shoot, write an article about a toy, put articles online or prepare a newsletter. We also meet many people. Working in the field of kids fashion is extremely pleasant. I think that people are more relaxed and simple than in the women’s industry.

the advertising office

MK: Your photography and styling is always so creative. Who leads the Creative Direction & Photography for Milk?

SC: Thank you! The founders of MilK are behind it. Isis and her husband Karel are very creative people. We also support them often with our ideas.

Isis in her office

a table in Isis' office

MK: Where do you get your inspiration for your shoots?

SC: It really depends; it can be an exhibition, a photograph, an artist, etc. Also some photographers come to us with an idea they want to shoot. We also have the chance to preview all the kids collections. So some trends inspire us about themes and colours for the shoots.

MK: Where do your photographers come from or do you shoot in-house?

SC: Karel, our Creative Director, is also a photographer. Louise, is part of the graphic design team but also photographs family interiors. Otherwise we work with free-lance photographers for fashion stories and other features.

the design team

MK: We’re seeing quite a few online kids magazines in the US and elsewhere. Do you have any thoughts on online magazines vs. print?

SC: We’ve also got an online version of the magazine, here. Publishing a real magazine is costly much more complicated than a webzine. A magazine needs distribution systems, so it’s a lot more complicated. That’s one reason why it’s easier to make online magazines.

Sophie at work

laying out the magazine

MK: Do you have any favorite kids blogs in Europe or elsewhere that we should know about?

SC: I can spend so many times on so many beautiful blogs, so it’s complicated to list just a few. At the moment, I visit:

Little-Elf

Fine Little Day

Jojos Room

olivelse (She’s the talented creator of the brand Olivelse and makes amazing photos.)

Hare Tokidoki Haru (everyday’s beautiful pictures from a japanese family)

Pirouette Blog (She is a “correspondent ” for MilK and has a great blog)

Bozaround (She is also a “correspondent” and focuses her blog on her world tour with her kids and husband.)

MK: Do you have any favorite new kids products you’d like to share?

SC: There is also too many just to name a few! For two seasons we have given away prices (fashion, decoration, toy…) at the Playtime fair. The next one will happen this weekend, I can’t wait for it!

MK: Why do European kids always seem so stylish?

SC: That’s a good questions. I have the feeling that Europe is less focused on sports in comparison to America. So Sportswear is not considered an everyday wear. We also have influences from many countries and cultures; Scandinavians and their great designers – the king of simplicity, England and it’s classical yet crazy style. The Belgians are fond of patterns and colour. Italians are exuberant with logos but also have a great knowledge of quality and fabrics. Therefore it’s easier to be stylish thanks to all the influences of designers and their creativity.

the editorial staff, Sophie and Isis

MK: What’s your favorite kid’s activity in Paris?

SC: Most of the Parisian Museums have kids programs and activities. For example Le Palais de Tokyo will soon have an 600 M2 area for kids.

MK: We would love to see Milk come to the US. Do you have any plans to visit us or expand the brand here? I’d love to host you in San Francisco!

SC: It would be great ! Maybe we should seriously think about it…

Thanks again to Isis, Sophie and the rest of the MilK Magazine team for being so sweet. It was great to meet all of you!

You can see the most recent issue of MilK Magazine online, here. And be sure to visit them on Twitter and Facebook.

xo,

Sarah

p.s. I was on a big film kick in Europe so everything was shot on film…and shot wide open because I got tired of using the tripod.

I love this photo series by Phillip Toledano which chronicles his daughter Loulou‘s first few months of life. Experience it here.

Stella McCartney for Kids Spring/Summer 2011

other fun stuff:

Did you know that ING Direct has an online Kids Savings Account? Get your kids thinking about money early. Here.

I love those marshmallow peeps you can find this time of year but hand-piped and homemade sounds even better. Here.

These are beautiful little diy animal cards. Here.

p.s.

If you’re in San Francisco or planning a trip this is a great list of stores to visit via Lucky Magazine. Go here.

Just bought the Wallpaper City Guide for Paris. It got terrible reviews but I’m a sucker for the great design. Do you have a favorite city guide for Paris? Lemme know!

This past weekend my friend Lauren and I hosted a vintage circus-themed baby shower for our dear friends Tara and Matt in Santa Barbara.

Lauren and I are not huge fans of the traditional games and gift-opening that happens at baby showers (sorry!). And we knew that Tara and Matt simply wanted to catch up with their friends before life turned upside-down for them so we kept the decorations on the lighter side, skipped the games and gift-opening, and focused on food and drink. Thankfully, we had a gorgeous California day to celebrate.

We were also on a budget so we used props we found around our houses, bought a few things online and at the local thrift store, and prepared the cupcakes and food ourselves. Credits and resources below!

Tara is there on the left and my partner in crime in the middle photo. She looks a little tipsy!

We got the idea for the tickets and candy jars on another blog but can’t seem to find the link right now. I’ll look and post as soon as I have it. The backdrop was created by using my studio lightstands (a good trick for the photographers out there). This could have also doubled as a photo booth. The burlap was inexpensive and purchased at JoAnn fabrics for 2.99 a yard (on sale). The yellow linen tablecloth was picked up a few days before at a thrift store for $10. The green-stripped fabric was from ikea and was a tiny splurge at $7.99/yard. We already owned the wine boxes, tables, and vintage soda crates. We saw the mint-green, vintage ice cooler in my garage as we were loading the car and tossed it in at the last minute. Flowers were purchased that morning at the Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market. We asked Tara’s mom and aunt to pick them out for us. Lauren bought all of the candy at Powells Sweet Shoppe in Oakland.

Lauren also made two delicious types of cupcakes in jars. We found the idea via pinterest and thought they would have a longer shelf-life and stay moist instead of drying out while sitting outside. They were a big hit – to say the least. I’ll post her recipe for Buttermilk Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Curd and Meringue and Bittersweet Graham Cracker S’mores Cupcakes if anyone is interested. The little tags were found here on Etsy. She also found the perfect, 8 oz jars for the cupcakes. Lauren, can you post a comment and let us know where you found them? We also made some Olive Oil and Truffle Salt Popcorn but it got eaten so quickly I don’t have any images – oh well! We made a very big charcuterie and cheese plate, had many delicious wines because most of the guests worked in the wine industry, and kept the rest of the food as easy as possible; roasted salmon with herbs and a variety of sausages.

Lauren and I had a ton of fun and were surprised to pulled this off inexpensively. Tara’s mom and aunt were a huge help to us both setting up, contributing to our food budget, and cleaning afterwards! Thanks also to Tara and Matt for letting us invade their house. We’re so excited for you both!

Finally, what do you think about baby showers games and setting aside time during the party to open gifts? Did we do a baby shower faux pas by excluding them? Please let us know below.

Image on the left by Greg Miller and to the right one of my all-time favorite photographers, Alec Soth.

Last night I experienced the Martha Stewart ipad app and was really surprised how different the experience was compared to other magazines and periodicals with apps. I was continually delighted by the experience and I find it interesting that I was surprised. I suppose it’s because other apps have fallen short of expectations.

Here are a few reasons why it succeeds:

•  The designers have taken full advantage of this new medium.They thought to themselves “how do we want users to experience us through this medium – how can we enhance their experience” rather than simply translating their original content out to secondary platforms.

• The interface is very clean and easy to use. That always seems easy in retrospect but it’s actually quite difficult to pull this off. I can barely remember the ads or other distractions (this might not be a plus from their perspective).

• It included a bunch of ipad only functions that kept me engaged and thoroughly enhanced my experience of the content (e.g. stop-motion animations, extra video features, etc.).

• Finally, the intimacy of the ipad felt even stronger than the actual magazine. Probably a combination of the backlit screen which enhanced the imagery, the animations, and the lack of distractions creates a really positive feeling.

I believe the designers really celebrated the fact that they could bring the same content their readers in a new and fun way. More apps should work like that. P.s. I felt this way even after I spent $3.99 to view the content. I subscribe to the magazine on top of this.

On the other side of the coin and I hate to say it but the NY Times actually falls short for me on the app experience. Much like Martha Stewart I experience the Times on three platoforms (print, web, and app). Specifically, I get the Sunday paper, read it online everyday, and have the app. My favorite experience is still the Sunday paper. The website takes 2nd place, and the app a definite last place. It’s basically a diluted version of the website and doesn’t allow me to experience the content any differently than I would reading the online version. Most often I flip back to the homepage and avoid the app altogether.

I hope I didn’t bore you too much with this post. I’ve been really interested in the topic of online magazines and apps related to user experience. There are so many new online magazines. I want them to succeed but so often the experience of using them falls short. I hope more companies and magazine start-ups pay more attention to the user experience. At the end of the day, it’s about transforming content that celebrates a new technology. Bravo to Martha Stewart & Co for getting this right.

More great stuff from Martha Stewart in anticipation of Easter:

I adore this bunny, pictured below.

Make these super-cute bunny ears for your kids.

My old friend from college Jen Murphy was on Martha Stewart last year demonstrating how to make her pom-pom bunnies.

My husband just sent me the link to a fabulous project there called The Loog Guitar. This is a great product that kids will love. One of the best things you can do for children is encourage them to be curious and learn for themselves. This product not only allows you to put it together with your child (thereby giving them more ownership compared to buying one off the shelf) but it also introduces music to them in a way that makes it easy to get started. I love it and I’m glad to see they have surpassed the money they needed to fund it. Bravo!