10 Piece Winter Wardrobe for Toddler Girls

A ten piece wardrobe for winter for older girls (approx sizes 5-12).  All items can be found in the Children's Fashion Stylist Amazon store.

Boys - not just Gap jeans anymore

I don't have anything against Gap jeans.  In fact, I've been really impressed with the cut on the 1969 jeans.  They're very cute.  But you don't need me to tell you how to go to the Gap or Old Navy and buy your son some jeans.  That's the uniform.  I can't count the number of times, on the other hand, that I've heard moms and store owners complain that there are no cute pants out there for boys besides this uniform.  It's something of a mantra among moms.  While it's true that the options for boys are more limited than those for girls, I still feel like there are some fun options out there.

I'm all for getting truly funky with boys' pants, but I'll save that for the next post.  The reality is, parents tend to be more conservative when shopping for their sons.  So let's start with the basics.  Color has become the watchword for basics of all sorts recently, and boys pants are no exception.  If you feel most comfortable with your little man in jeans or cords, you can still play with color.  I am blown away by the amazing and rich colors of cords available.

My absolute favorite pants for boys are Appaman's carpenter cords.  The corduroy is phenomenally soft, the cut is adorable, and the green ... come on ... shut the front door.  The more teal green of JCrew's slim fit cords is also really nice, without being too out there for a boy to feel comfortable in them.  If your budget doesn't allow for $42-46 cords, my favorite fall back, as always, is Zara.  Zara's 5-pocket cords have a great fit, and are only $29.90.  I don't love the fit of H&M's cords quite as much as Zara's, but they're even less expensive and the colors are really fun.

Who says color is only for cords?  If you -- or your son -- are feeling a little more daring, Zara also has twill trousers in some pretty great colors.  The blue is an incredible shade.  For a break from Gap jeans, Zara is a terrific resource for jeans in general.  The slim cut jeans are particularly cute.  Lately my littlest one has not been a big fan of skinny jeans, but if your child will wear them, Zara's jeans are absolutely rock star!  Not to be forgotten, I've seen a big resurgence among the boys lately of good old Levi's.  For something really out there - and it's all the rage with the teen boys - Levi's has skinny jeans in absolutely outrageous colors (think bright purple).

So step away from the Gap -- there really are other choices out there.

10 Piece Winter Wardrobe for Girls

A ten piece wardrobe for winter for older girls (approx sizes 5-12).  All items can be found in the Children's Fashion Stylist Amazon store. 

Note:  When discussing my recommendations and the clothing possibilities available on the market, I include all the brands that I think may be of interest, and any stores where they can easily be found.  However, since our Amazon store does not have the capability of showing pairings or outfit suggestions, I will also include on the blog suggested wardrobes using merchandise from the store.

Not So Everyday Everyday Dresses - Kit + Lili

As brands go, I have discussed a lot of European brands without mentioning any American brands.  I do love the European clothes, but there are some great little American lines out there that deserve mention and should be in every (in this case) little girl's closet.

Kit + Lili does basic, and does it extremely well.  But with a twist, since what Kit + Lili is really about is bold, brightly colored, fun and splashy prints.  They're a little reminiscent of Marimekko prints, but more current.  The prints, and particularly the colors, this season are wonderful.  Kit + Lili has picked the most exquisite shades of purple and lavender.  Just delicious.

Although Kit + Lili has some cute tops, skirts, etc., the real standout category in this collection is the dresses.  So great.  So easy.  Comfortable, simple dresses that are easy to wear but look truly special.  The Emi Dress might be my favorite.  It is so simple.  Just a solid jersey dress.  But in unusual and very wearable colors and with a beautiful cut.

So many of the print dresses are cute that I really just want a closet full.  I want the Natalie Dress in grape flora, the Chiara Dress in violet lattice, the Hanna Dress in silver pansy, the Lucie Dress in pink pansy and the Jane Dress in ink big circles ... just for starters.  To get a feel for the choice, the entire collection can be viewed (and purchased) on Kit + Lili's website.

This season Kit + Lili has some great contenders in the special dress department too.  All of the dresses can really be worn as everyday dresses (paired with Kit + Lili leggings) or as fancy dresses with some tights, dress shoes and combed hair.  But I'm in love with metallic silver and metallic bronze dresses.  Girls will go gaga for them.  But the simple and understated design keeps them from being flashy or kitschy.  The ideal party dress.

Items from the current collection are available at Kit + Lili, Garnet Hill, Chasing Fireflies, Twinkle Star and Little Luna Blue.  Some past season items can be found on Arte Bebe, Lil Swanky and The Pajama Squid.

Four Funky Flavors

Just ran across a fun collection I hadn't seen before at Ollypop.  I had forgotten how great that site is!  They carry the most beautiful clothes.

Children's Fashion Stylist Store

Exciting News!  In addition to providing links to boutiques that carry the products we suggest, you also have the option of shopping our recommendations all in one place.  The "Children's Fashion Stylist on Amazon" box at the right brings you to our Amazon store.  Here we have gathered all of our favorites from Amazon in one place so that you don't have to go hunting.  Obviously Amazon does not carry everything we love, so it is definitely worth visiting the stores and boutiques mentioned in the blog as well as visiting us on Amazon.  Happy Shopping!

Bold, bold, bold and fabulous - Agatha Ruiz de la Prada

I have to begin this post with a caveat: this is going to be a REALLY annoying post. I love Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. I love all of her products. But above all, I love her girls' clothing. There's really nothing else like it. Therefore I simply can't resist talking about. Even though it is extremely difficult to find in the United States (even online here). Sorry. Her children's shoes are adorable and those can be found various places (including Zappos, Amazon and Naturino Los Gatos). But the clothes are trickier. So first - a plea. If you have a boutique you love, ask them to carry this line! If not, anytime youhave a friend or family member going to Europe, make sure you hand over a shopping list.

Agatha Ruiz de la Prada is a Spanish designer. At this point her empire includes everything from office supplies to washing machines. But her clothing is at the core. Bright colors. Simple bold designs. Certain basic shapes like hearts, stars and clouds. These are the mainstays of the design. This season, she also uses a lot of owls. I have to admit, I have a thing for owls, and these are as cute as any I've ever seen. The sweatshirts are absolutely irresistible.

You can find the collection on a number of international websites. Check out Agatharuizdelaprada.com. Also, Modekids.at and Poppydoll.co.uk have most of the current season items. Closer to home, some past season items are on sale at Smug Baby, YOOX, Babyme.cc and Caramel Sucre. And there is a small company store in Manhattan at 466 Greenwich Street in Tribeca.

Not So Basic Pants for Girls

The bottom line is that Gap, Old Navy, Target, Kohls, are probably going to be your cheapest resources for a cute pair of jeans. And paired with a great shirt from Catimini, these pants are more than sufficient and will look adorable. But if you want to move beyond jeans to some nicely fitting pants, in great colors, that be can coordinated specifically with the special tops you've found for your daughter, there are some fun choices out there.Skinny jeans, slim cords - there are amazing vibrantly colored choices available. If you're reluctant to try the brightly colored pants that are on trend right now in your own wardrobe,embrace it in your daughter's wardrobe. That's the great thing about dressing kids after all. Perhaps the richest colors can be found at J.Crew. The twill pants, made by JBrand, come in the most fabulously outrageous purple, but at $100 ... maybe you want to wait until they go on sale. The various styles of J.Crew cords are half that, at prices around $40 or $50 depending on the style.

If you prefer to shop the smaller boutique brands, Appaman makes a great pair of pants. If you're willing to pay $64 for pants, you cannot miss with these. (Prices quoted are from the Appaman website. The price may vary slightly with other vendors.) If you're not, you may still be able to find some from last winter on sale. Tea Collection's Skinny Cord Cargos, $45, are also lovely. The purple is a beautiful subtle shade, and the olive green go with just about everything.

Both Tea Collection and Appaman can be purchased directly on the manufacturers' websites. Some other good resources are Cute Little Clothes, Lil Swanky, Psychobaby, and Pacifier.

But for inexpensive options that are stylish and fit well, one should never forget about Zara. Fortunately, Zara has recently launched online shopping. The colors this season are not as daring as the pants

from J.Crew, but you can still find a solid selection of colors. Purple seems to be the color of the season, and you can't go wrong with Zara's Elasticated Twill Trousers in purple. $29.90. So cute.

Coming up: basic bottoms for boys

Ooo, La La, let's have fun - tops from Catimini

Another great choice for colorful, fun, completely indulgent European childrenswear, is the french company Catimini. Without question, Catimini has some beautiful dresses and outfits, but this season I think the standout elements in their collections are the shirts and sweaters. If your kid slikes jeans or cords and a tshirt, and you don't like the more sophisticated, mini-me trend in childrenswear, Catimini has tops that will make a wardrobe feel truly special.

Personally I love some of the more sophisticated lines for kids, but I do think that one of the fun things about dressing children is that you can have fun with kids' clothes in a way that is sometimes hard to do with adult clothes. Catimini plays with bright, vibrant, gorgeous colors and patterns.

Many of my favorite pieces, shown here, are hard to find in the U.S., but if you hunt for Catimini, you're sure to find other great options. I think the charcoal peasant blouse (shown below), paired with just some regular jeans, is absolutely darling.

Another good thing about some of these European lines that are less focussed on trend and sophistication, and more on color, pattern and exuberance, is that the pieces are more timeless. I have saved all of my daughter's Catimini outfits imagining that she might hand them down to her own daughter. It seems to me that it's okay to buy trendy things for kids since, chances are, they will outgrow them after a season anyway. But the big benefit of these lines, is that you can generally buy last season's collection just as happily as you would purchase this seasons collection. If $78 for a blouse for your daughter makes you balk, the prices for past season clothes may be more palatable.

If you like buying online, selections from this season's collections are available at Izzy and Ash, Addy's Closet, Forest and Zoe, Everything but the Princess, Mon Petit Child, Zandino and Little Luna Blue. Forest and Zoe has a fairly solid selection of Catimini boys' clothes. Addy's Closet also has a terrific selection of spring/summer items on sale, as do Zandino and A Child's Closet. In fact, when I checked A Child's Closet, they were selling a beautiful white summer dress that originally retailed for $109, for $39.99. In addition to having summer merchandise, Little Luna Blue still has a few pieces left from last winter's collections. And Comfy Kid is even offering a slight discount on some current season pieces.

Coming up: where to go for basic bottoms