The Baby Doll trend and River Island’s first homewares collection.
The trend for high street fashion brands releasing their own homewares collection continue.
Last week, River Island revealed their first homewares collection, and it was an honour to be asked to be part of that launch.
River Island picked 3 key looks for their new collection: Electric Opulence, New Nordic and Baby Doll.
They rented a Georgian house in London’s Soho Square over 3 days for the launch, and each room was styled in one of the key looks.
I was asked to give a workshop for the launch party.
My brief was to talk about the Baby Doll Trend, and how I would style it for Instagram at home.
The Baby Doll look is one that is inextricably linked and influenced by fashion. This goes as far back as the 1960s, and then made popular again in the 1990s.
Twiggy ( a famous model and singer in the 1960s) typified the Baby Doll look with her pretty pink A-line Mary Quant dress and Mary-Jane shoes.
Fast forward to now, the Babydoll look is usually a floaty, above the knee dress with an empire waistline. The dresses are usually in pastel hues of pink and pale blues.
Some people describe the look as ‘girly’ but I call it ‘girl power’, because it is a liberating look, away from the restrictive corsetry and hemlines of the past.
Whilst writing my talk for the workshop, I’ve come to the realisation that my home’s aesthetic was indeed very Baby Doll. 
So, what does a Baby Doll interior look like?
I see it as : An explosion of pretty pastels, especially pinks and blues; Lots of fun prints and patterns; Faux fur and a mix of whimsical textures and Sparkles
The new River Island Homewares collection have all the above elements.
You can see bursts of pinks, fun animal print patterns on the throw, sparkly sequin cushions and a mix of textures.
What I love about the collection is its flexibility and that each piece can also be used to style the other 2 looks.
Those who attended my workshop, would have heard me say “throw away the colour wheel “ and “there’s no such thing as colour clash”.
I truly believe in what I preach. This can be seen in my images. 
Want to know how I do it? My solution is to divide a room into 3 sections : foreground, mid ground and background. Then set yourself free with colours.
The key is to use small doses of colours but that are present in all three sections of the room. 
By doing this, it creates consistency and flow. Go ahead and give it a try.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the tip and how I’ve styled the Baby Doll look. I’d love to hear what you think is your favourite piece.I love the pouffe, how about you?
The River Island homewares Collection is now available online and in stores. If I were you, I’d get down there soon to snap up your favourites.
Have a lovely day.
( All photography and styling are by Geraldine Tan, editor of Little Big Bell. This is a paid partnership post with River Island homewares, but all opinions are my own).