We are excited to share April's inspirations for creating her son, Henry's, wardrobe. April is a successful entrepreneur as the co-owner of the very popular motel chain, The June Motel, and has a captivating Netflix show, Motel Makeover. As a successful business owner and new mother, we all want to know how you manage to find the time to stock Henry's closet and keep him looking so stylish!  

What inspirations do you use to find Henry’s style? 

A lot comes down to the colors I gravitate towards and surround myself with. I started designing his nursery and naturally found myself using neutrals and warm tones. It organically influenced the clothes I was choosing for him when I started building his wardrobe before he was born. Now I try to compliment his features using colors; he has beautiful bright blue eyes and I want to find tones that highlight that.  Some colors help pull them out more than others and over time I have been able to narrow down the best. We love creams, soft browns, and blues.

As a busy family, how do you handle Henry’s wardrobes?

My motto is quality over quantity. I don’t think it is helpful to open his closet and be overwhelmed with options. I now know what looks good on him and have a handful of those pieces, like one-piece outfits or sets. I first buy higher-end core clothes and build around those by adding staples.

How have online kids clothing stores helped you in building his wardrobe?

When we are in Canada, we live in a rural county and there aren’t any kids clothing stores where we can shop. Shopping online is my only option. But I feel less overwhelmed with online shopping because I can browse at my own leisure and put together his outfits more methodically.

Has your children’s style changed after different milestones?

Right now, he is still little and I want to make sure the stuff he wears is soft and cuddly. I think his outfits will definitely change once he starts doing more, like a button shirt with jeans and a sweater. I think it is nice to pull out your child’s personality and curate around that. I often wonderhow much his personality spills over to hisclothes and how much he just plays into what I’ve created for him. It will be fun when he is older and will have opinions on the items he wants to wear.

Spending time in Arizona, Canada, and Europe, how have these different locations, cultures, and vibes influenced Henry’s clothing and lifestyle?

A lot comes down to climate. Henry was born in Arizona and when we came back to Ontario it was the summer. It meant we only needed warm weather clothes, which was so nice. Though, I love a layered look on kids, with a nice shirt and sweater overtop.

We like to head South during the Canadian winter months. We have a lot of traveling coming up over this winter. We are flying to Calgary, to our home in Arizona, vacationing in Mexico, back to Arizona, and finally ending in Ontario in March.

It is a lot of climates over a short period of time and he will move up in clothing sizes. So, I will have to do some strategic packing! Calgary can be very cold in the winter and we will need lots of warm layers. I’ll have to pack some warm weather clothes as well for  Arizona and Mexico– lots of sets, onesies, and bathing suits.

We also gravitate to his European roots and have this old-world base to his style with a touch of a new-world attitude. It would be like a collared shirt with a cool set of shoes- preppy but new.

How much does having a lot of your life online impact the way you dress Henry?

There is this element of wanting everything to be beautiful, especially while filming our Netflix show, Motel Makeover, where everything we were doing was going to be on view for the public.

Even when redoing our cottage, or now our house, I was sharing the journey online. I was very aware of how my space was curated. I think this subconsciously spilled over to Henry. I am still constantly curating. Not in a vain way, I have always liked putting together my space in a beautiful way, but there is this added pressure for there to be this specific perfection. We will see how life changes with a growing child and how that will change our space and what we share online.

At Meems we are building the best online children's clothing store. How does that help you as a parent?  

After moving my shopping habits online, I prefer to buy everything there. I wish there was a single store that offers all the high-end pieces and low-end staples I need to complete Henry’s closet. It would save me so much time and effort. I believe in that mission and am excited to tell other parents about MEEMS! 

Christine Russell Janis writes about life as a mom of four kids, living abroad, and travel on her life & style website ashadeofrose.com. You can also follow on social media @a.shade.of.rose.