We were directed to the mock shop where we were treated to coffee and cake before being introduced to the new range of Next children's clothing for next season. The kids were kept entertained with toys and by some lovely attentive ladies from Next who Freddy seemed very fond of!
I admit to getting broody looking at the beautiful girls' clothes for the SS12 range. Some lovely Peppa Pig character clothing caught my eye. Instead of the usual transfer on a T-Shirt, Next have come up with some distinctive pieces using images of Peppa printed into the fabric with a real retro feel. There are some gorgeous denim jumpsuits, smart blazers and the cutest pleated skirts in the range.
I absolutely loved this 2 pack of sleepsuits featuring a brilliant hippo design. They are really cute and not your usual pink/blue colour. I love how original they are.
The boys' range included a lot of sporty hoodies and polo shirts, preppy chinos and knitwear. I really liked the lightweight hoodies that came in lovely muted colours. This cardigan was really sweet. I love the turquoise and grey combo! Very Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl!
We were given the opportunity to discuss what we would like to see in store. I'd like to see more black garments in Next's boys' range. Some retro rock themed T-Shirts would be a great addition along with some skinny jeans in different colours. I love the mini-rockstar look and as I am the one who buys Freddy's clothes, having high street access to clothes like this would make me abuse my credit card in Next far too regularly!
Overall, Next have got the range spot on with many on-trend key pieces that will look great on kids next season. The colours and designs were fabulous. It was however the baby girls' clothing that really had me oohing and ahhing the most, so if you have a baby daughter be sure to check out Next's range. The clothes were just so scrummy!
After viewing the clothes we had the chance to have photos taken of our children in their Next outfits. Unfortunately Freddy had ditched his jumper by this point but he had a long sleeved white T-Shirt underneath and looked pretty cool. I can't wait to see the photos! Freddy couldn't resist a cupcake after posing for the photographer!
Following our fun in the Next shop, we made our way to a lovely restaurant to enjoy a three course meal. The children were again perfectly catered for with a kids' meal and some entertainment supplied by Jo Jingles. Freddy enjoyed playing with maracas, chasing bubbles and waving a tinsel pom pom along to the music! Every child was given a lovely rucksack which Fred wanted to wear continuously, even when in the highchair! It was a big hit!
It was a lovely (and noisy) lunch time which the children thoroughly enjoyed! The food was fabulous including an amazing mushroom risotto. We were all spoiled!! It was lovely seeing a few familiar faces and meeting some new bloggers too. The spoiling continued as we were presented with a grown up goodie bag on the way out.
Thanks to Next for putting on such an excellent event with the focus on the children. It was so nice to share the day with my little boy and have him so taken care of. Freddy had a lovely time and he and Tala slept soundly on the 2 hour journey back home!
