Shops We Love: Advice From A Caterpillar

When she was pregnant with her daughter, Emily Dyer took a trip to Paris with her mom, Susan, and sister, Elizabeth. Uninterested in bubblegum-pink walls and plastic toys, the trio was inspired by the city’s design-minded shops for kids — the antithesis of toy-store chains. “We loved the magic, the visuals and the ethereal quality of the spaces,” says Emily. So the family opened Advice From A Caterpillar, named for the fifth chapter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The shop’s apparel caters to six-year-olds and younger, with toys delighting babies and older kids, too. Carefully chosen housewares include bedding, tableware and furniture. A playful modernity guides the stylish collections: a handcrafted wood radio from New York’s Areaware has iPod connectivity; a felt tea set comes with mini cups of faux cappuccino, complete with swirls of milk foam; and Belgium’s Egmont lamps in mushroom, fawn and kitten shapes evoke childhood fairy tales.