People don’t often associate baby registries with terms like tasteful or timeless. In fact, they rarely do: welcoming a child into this world changes your whole life. Most companies? They’re focused on providing the practical things required to do so. Good design is an afterthought.
Lifestyle web and e-commerce site Over The Moon, however, wants to find more of a modish middle ground with the launch of their new registry system. In the age where Sienna Miller debuts her baby bump in Schiaparelli Haute Couture, The Row has a children’s line, and Joseph Altuzarra is crafting cribs for West Elm, they believe there’s growing demand for maternity and baby items that are sensible yet simultaneously stylish. “So many retailers focus on babies from only a utilitarian perspective,” Over The Moon founder and Vogue contributing editor Alexandra Macon says. “It was important to us that we have that component of course, but we also wanted to find the elevated essentials worthy of this special milestone as well as gifts to be treasured throughout a lifetime.”
They have linens from Matouk, swaddles from Happiest Baby, and dresses from La Coqueta. (The latter is a favorite of the Princess of Wales, who often dressed her daughter Charlotte in their clothing.) Parents-to-be can browse heirloom frocks from Strasburg Children, or sleek baby food spoons and containers from French brand Béaba. There’s also a dedicated nursery section, which allows parents to design and build a whole world, from the Scalamandre wallpaper to the lighting.
Finally, Over The Moon also left room for experiences: here, you can register for everything, from your dream babymoon to cash. (No matter what you select, you can make sure thoughtful correspondence goes out with their thank you note manager.)
Macon explains that she was inspired by her own journey as a parent. Not only did she find the number of pretty-yet-practical baby items to be sparse, but she found herself overwhelmed by the number of random offerings out there. Plus, like many parents-to-be, she felt like she didn’t have time to sort through it all—or to undertake in-depth research on what exact crib sheet, pacifier, or baby carrier was best for her growing family. She just wanted someone who knew what they were doing to curate it for her.
Now, after her third child, she feels like she can be that person for others.
“It can be hard for people to determine which brands are the best brands in the market,” she says. “There are so many products to choose from, so we’ve narrowed that edit down and focused on ‘the best of the best’ to make it easier. For me, it’s always a mix of tried and true classics and more niche artisans. And we, of course, blended that mix with the knowledge of being a parent and what we know is necessary when it comes to those crazy first few months.” After all, new parenthood comes with enough challenges—why add making a quality registry one of them?
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