Mila Boujnah, 9 years old - New York, USA

Reading time: 4 min

What stays with you after you meet Mila is her contagious laugh. She is generous with her friendship; she is not scared to try new things and to involve others in her mini-social life. She likes sports, dancing and music, and even writes some of her own songs which she gladly performs for her family.  She has a younger sister, Uma, 5 years old. Cristina Villegas, mother of the two, is a native of Colombia who has lived in New York for 18 years.  Cristina is the owner of Yoya, Yoyashop and yoyanyc.com in New York in addition to being a children’s stylist and designer of the Yoya Collection.  She has also just launched, “Yoya For You” by CVB, an interiors consulting company, specializing in children’s bedrooms and playrooms. Yoya is the place where she finds inspiration and shares her own personal style with clients from around the world.  Her clients are always asking for adult versions of her clothes and she hasn’t ruled it out, but for now she’s staying in the kid’s world.

Mila

What do you want to be when you grow up Well, I want to be movie director because my friends brother can film and then does special affects and that is how I got the idea

What makes you laugh When my dad tickles me or when my friend yasmine makes funny faces

What makes you angry When i cant figure out a math problem. What makes me sad is when my friends dont include me in games

Your favorite film Avatar because the filming was done really well and the colors were bright and cool,  it was really creative

Your favorite animal A chinchilla because its soft and cute

A place that you would dream to visit I really want to go to Hollywood and meet all the actors

Your favorite outfit Well, I like to where my skinny jeans with my cashmere top with a scarf and a jean vest for fall. For summer jean shorts and black top with a light scarf

What is the piece your like the most from your wardrobe My jean vest because its casual and it goes with everything

The next item you would like to get I want to get A leather jacket from Phillip Lim, that i have been dying for.It is by far the coolest piece of the season (according to my mom!!!)

Cristina

Your favorite children’s brands I have access to a lot of great brands because of my job, but there are a few brands other than the YOYA collection, of course that I really love. Caramel Baby and Child, Antik Batik, Philip Lim, Imps and Elfs and Ketiketa are always favorites at Yoya.  For everyday basics Bonton is fabulous and Donna Wilson designs amazing decorative cushions and pillows

Your favorite children’s stores My favorite children store is YOYA , no doubt

What type of online consumer are you? I have to be honest, I don’t really shop a lot online for clothes. I love to have the full shopping experience. Online I buy books on Amazon, Etsy is a great source for vintage books and handmade things.   Ebay and 1stdibs.com are great market places that offer one of a kind antiques, midcentury-modern and vintage furniture, lighting, jewelry and fashion items

A website that inspires you With my busy schedule its hard to keep up with online sources, but some great sites I have come across are fashiongallery.com, sartorilaist.com, designsponge.com, thelittlefashionblog.com, theinklingblog.tumblr.com, fifi-lapin.blogspot.com, style-files.com and bloglovin.com which keeps track of your favorite blogs and alerts you when they are updated

The criteria you consider when you buy something for your children Because my daughters’ closet is busting with designs from Yoya, I would say that the number one criteria I consider while shopping for her is “Do they really need this?”

Last item you added to your child’s wardrobe The most recent item I picked out for my nine year old, was a Philip Lim fur leopard print zip up vest that she wears on dates with “momsi”

Most precious item you bought for your child Her first diamond studs

Best gift you gave for a child’s B-day I gifted the Bloom Alma crib for the birth of my first niece. The perfect piece for any small New York apartment

Items that are hard to find Good basics and bedding are probably the hardest things to come by when it comes to kids. I look all over trying to find soft and good quality bedding and basics

Favorite pieces in her wardrobe Mila’s style involves a lot of layering. She loves to use shorts over her leggings in the winter and finish the look with bright orange moon boots

The book on your bedside table I have a few different books on my bedside table, it really all depends on the mood. Paulo Coelho “amor”, “Antologia” Pablo Neruda, “The power of Self-Dependence” by Jorge Bucay, “The power of the now” Eckhart Tolle. I also keep a few interior design and fashion magazines

Where do you like to go for the summer holidays Every summer we visit family in Tunisia and spend our days on the beautiful Mediterranean. We also vacation a lot in Tulum, Mexico during the winter time