Caramel London, the childrenswear brand founded by Eva Karayiannis in 1999, just launched a multiseason collection with Zara that includes childrenswear, womenswear, and accessories. I first learned about Caramel through my most discerning and stylish mom friends, one a professor at FIT and another a designer at Ralph Lauren. Known for its focus on material and craftsmanship, the brand evokes an old-world sensibility with muted, washed colors, and a lot of florals, paisleys, and stripes. Many of the pieces are gender-neutral. The overall aesthetic has always struck me as rural-chic, something your children would wear while frolicking in a field of flowers, headscarf and all. The clothing is beautiful but expensive. I once bought a yellow checked shirt with a ruffled collar on sale for my older son when he was a baby, even though it was technically for girls, because it was the only thing left in his size.
The collaboration makes Caramel much more accessible, with prices ranging from $9.90 to $69.90 for children and $29.90 to $169 for women. I got a chance to preview the collection ahead of the launch and also talk to Karayiannis. The first thing I noticed was how nice the cottons, linens, and blended viscose and lyocell pieces felt. Karayiannis explained to me that fabric is always one of her starting points. “I care enormously about texture, softness, weight, and how something feels when it is worn,” she says. “I wanted the pieces to feel a sort of worn-softness from the beginning, almost as though they had already belonged to someone for a long time. I think that sense of ease is very important to Caramel.” Here’s what I tried — plus everything else I’m excited about.
