It has been a while since we’ve written about dollhouses (you can have a look at other more minimal versions here and here) but this one by Louis Vuitton was way too adorable to pass up.

Image | Jason Maydew

There's something about the eye-catching and fun colours of these Super Heroic Sneakers and their overall playfulness that really appeals to us. Rather than being miniature versions of adult sneakers, these shoes have been specifically designed by former Nike global design director Jason Maydew with a child's foot and needs in mind. These include traction on the soles for added grip, a dual-density midsole for shock absorption and support, a rubber outsole for stability and an adjustable strap that does away with the need for laces and moulds the shoe to the foot to ensure feet of differing widths are given optimal support.

A final fun touch: the shoes which are available in three different colour combinations come packaged with a superhero-inspired cape backpack in a tube that makes sound effects when opened.

Here is one last look back at some of our most popular posts. With a strong focus on design and not fashion, click on the name of each post to revisit the original entry. Thanks for a great year and see you in 2018.

10. This Little Piggy
9. Tactile Time
8. Zero Sum Game
7. Bermuda Beer
6. Gucci Kids SS2017 Collection
5. Margherita Missoni x Pottery Barn Kids
4. Hold Tight
3. Bamboo Bottle
2. Light Stick
1. The Pink House

Our interest was piqued when earlier this year it was announced that Givenchy would join the clutch of design houses that have been expanding their offering to the offspring of its customers with the creation of a line of clothes for children. The 130-piece largely black-and-white streetwear-inspired collection includes items that look stylish but are not overly delicate including oversized slogan knitwear, hoodies and leggings, denim jeans and bomber jackets as well as selection of couture looks for special occasions. Envisioned as a natural and organic progression for the house, Givenchy views its children's line as an extrapolation of its main line and a way to dress the next generation of its customers. As a way of reinforcing this ethos, the models were styled in oversized, adult pieces as well as clothes from the new line.

The collection arrives in stores this month.

We have always been drawn to structural fashion so the simple, origami-like folds and unadorned clothes of the Paper Planes collection from Spanish children's clothes brand Annice particularly called to us. It was not much of a surprise that the new kids fashion brand was launched by a pair of architects. With its clean and minimalist designs the clothes still exhibit a fluidity and ease of wear that will appeal to kids and grownups alike.

This collaboration between French fashion designer JC de Castelbajac Paris and Portugese children's wear brand Wolf + Rita features the primary colours and basic prints that are characteristic of JC de Castelbajac on the simple silhouettes of Wolf + Rita. The capsule collection includes dresses, rompers, tops, trousers and swimwear in sizes from three months to ten years. It is divided into three categories: "Dans la Forêt", a dreamlike world featuring children and animals in colourful camouflage, "Camo Animoux" where birds and animals are depicted in simple black sketches on a white background, and a group of mono-coloured pieces in primary colours on which disembodied arms have been placed.

For the last few seasons, Gucci has been pushing forced whimsy to mixed reviews. But one area the style actually works quite well is with their children's line. Here, the clothes were adorned with tigers, bees, three-headed hydra and embroidered cocker spaniel dog appliqués. The boy's line focused on circus themes and dragons. And if you're wondering who'd spend more than $1,000 on a child's dress, click here.

Firstview

We're not sure we were on board with the models in cages, but even the hardest of hearts would find it impossible not to melt with the mummy-and-me versions of these shoes from Sophia Webster.

Shoes are my weakness, so who knows what I would have done if AKID had been around when I was growing up?  With perfectly on point versions of the latest styles but in smaller sizes, AKID fulfils its promise to keep their customers looking fresh.   

We've written about Marimekko collaborations here on five separate occasions, so it was pretty much inevitable that they would get around to collaborating with Target eventually.  The Finnish design house has been announced as Target's next joint venture which is scheduled to launch on April 17.   The limited-edition collection, which is intended to create the feeling of an eternal summer and carefree outdoor living by offering items that bring people together and encourage them to play, will feature more than 200 printed pieces including entertaining essentials, outdoor furniture, pool and beach gear and swimwear for women and girls.  The best part?  Most items in the line will retail at less than $50.

Image  |  island*atelier

We love these graphic children's shoes from Threadz.

We couldn't pass on featuring this quirky, tongue-in-cheek collection for our Mini Mini Style Block.  Caroline Bosmans' A/W 2015 collection is called All About the Birds and this influence can be seen in the copious use of feathers and avian prints.  

Up next in the Mini Mini Style Block, we wanted to highlight the textural, graphic designs of Belgian Ine de haes. With a preponderance of 3D drapery and knitwear the clean, minimalist clothes are anything but dull and boring.

We were hoping to do another Mini Boutique Week - our first since 2011 - but will have to put that off for another time.  Until then here's a Mini Mini Style Block starting with Kindish, the recently launched kids' label by Swiss company Stadlandkind.  This monochromatic offering is not extravagant by any means but is made up of stylish takes on the clothes children actually wear and want to wear including a number of non-gender specific t-shirts and trousers that are perfect for girls and boys.

We've been long time proponents of simple, minimalistic clothes for kids, so the 'DemiCouture' branch of Lithuanian label Mummymoon falls right within our wheelhouse.  They offer distinctive, minimalistic handcrafted clothing with timeless style for children aged from 6 months to 14 years.

French brand Petit Bateau is doing a capsule collection with French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, a designer who is well known for his bright, colourful designs and Pop Art influences. The collection will be made up of twelve items for both children and adults all rendered in primary colours, including a bright yellow rain poncho with clear panelling and t-shirts with whimsical illustrations inspired by de Castelbajac's grandson Balthazar.

Stella Jean has produced children's wear for the first time as part of Kid’s Evolution, the new project realized by Pitti Immagine in collaboration with Vogue Bambini.  The project is the brainchild of Alessandro Enriquez and brings a selection of designers to Pitti Bimbo to try their hands for the very first time at collections for children.  Other designers involved in the collaboration include Benedetta Bruzziches, Anitaliantheory, SuperDuper Hats, Vivetta and Studiopretzel.

Stella Jean's collection for Pitti Bimbo 79 features her trademark cultural references.  The children are dressed in brightly coloured cotton using wax prints which mix well with striped fabrics.  The collection has a retro feel and is inspired in part by the holiday atmosphere found in 1960s Forte dei Marmi.

We are loving the new Bobo Choses' Spring/Summer 2015 Collection entitled 'Guess Who’s Coming for Breakfast' which mixes monster stories with bright, tropical prints and colours.

We are obsessed with star prints at the moment, so it should come as no surprise that we are coveting most of the items from this line of sweet - but not saccharine - girls' clothes from La Petite Princesse d'Annika out of Korea. From head to toe, the celestial bodies can be found on shoes, tracksuits and  even accessories.

Margherita Maccapani Missoni Amos continues in her family's footsteps with the debut of the Margherita Kids Collection, her new contemporary collection of clothes for babies and girls aged up to 7. 

Missoni Amos mixes colours, textures and - of course - prints to produce an easy and fun collection with a whimsical and child-friendly take on the 60’s.  The clothes include shift and flutter-sleeve pinafore dresses with back wrap detailing made from washed linen, quilted jerseys and colour-blocked sweaters in soft cotton.  The fabrics were chosen for comfort and include classic prints such as seersucker, stripes and dots and Balinese-Batik inspired prints which are combined with brightly coloured contrast piping, braided tassel trims.   Missoni Amos' namesake flower makes an appearance as a daisy print in different colour treatments for boys and girls and on screen printed t-shirts.  

The collection is available as of today, March 7 in the US at select Nordstrom stores and nordstrom.com, worldwide on yoox.com and also at Margheritakids.com.