living the high life -- with tropical style

The unseasonably brutal temperatures that hit the northeast -- even my energizer bunny of an 11 year old son refused to go outside, declaring that it is too hot -- have made me unable to resist talking about Wati.  

Wati is at her strongest with her spring/summer collection, and it always brings to a perpetual resort getaway or a Mexican siesta.  The fabrics are compulsively light, floral and colorful.  Perhaps Wati's most distinguishing feature is the wonderful embroidery which gives the clothing a little extra something.  And for frustrated mothers of tween girls everywhere, the collection goes up to a size 12 (and the sizing is fairly generous).  Every girl needs the Talia dress in a couple of colors - it is an easy, light and pretty dress, in a flowing cut that every girl can wear.  It is comfortable enough for everyday, but nice enough for a party.  And it retails for just $44.95.  Wati also offers a simple dress with spaghetti straps, the Suzanne dress, in a grey flower print and an orange polka dot print that my daughter just lives on on hot days.  Again, the price is right, just $40.  

This season the collection includes a cute plaid shorts in a couple of lengths and some great floral skirts, which you can pair either with Wati's tops or with some simple t-shirts.  Some of the most beautiful tops Wati designs are her tunics.  They are easy, fashionable, flattering, and work with shorts, jeans, leggings, or even on their own.  Once you get your daughter started on Wati, I think you'll find you want the whole collection.  While most of the colors in the collection are sweet pastels -- light blues, bright oranges, pinks and yellows, lavender and white -- the tunics can have an edgier feel just by paring them with the right bottom or shoe.  In these clothes, your budding preteen can be, on alternating days, both a sweet little girl and much more grown up and hip, with just the slightest tweek of her outfit.

Check out the entire collection at www.watidesign.com.  The offer a list of local retailers or you can contact them to find out who carries the styles you're interested in.  You can find the Talia dress and the Suzanne beach dress online at www.trendytogs.com, as well as the Juliet and Sofia skirts and the Molly pink plaid shorts.  They are also available at www.cutelittleclothes.com, at www.honeysandheroes.com and at www.MyLilDarlingsBoutique.com currently for 20% off with code SAVE20. 

not so basic basics - jeans

the building blocks of a wardrobe (part 2)

Jeans.  Jeans.  Jeans.  Such a wardrobe staple, yet I think many of us are tired of our children wearing them every day.  Hopefully, but stocking your

child's closet with the right pieces, you might see another pair of pants, shorts, a skirt, or even a dress sometimes.  But the reality is that your child will want to wear jeans.  So you might as well make sure

the right couple of pairs are there so that he or she still looks clean, put together, and even stylish.

As much as I obsess about my own jeans, and am willing to indulge, I don't think it's worth spending a fortune on your child's jeans.  Gap, Old Navy, H&M, Zara and Boden all offer stylish and flattering jeans at pocket-friendly prices (online at www.gap.com, www.oldnavy.com, www.bodenusa.com and in stores).  If you can't resist going the boutique-line route, I highly recommend Tea Collection (www.teacollection.com). 

So many washes.  So many embellishments.  Where to begin?  For starters, I think it's worth sticking with a dark wash and avoiding embroidery or other embellishments.  That way you have jeans that always look clean, put together, and match everything in your child's closet.  If your daughter has been blessed with long legs, embrace the skinny jean trend.  At 6, 8, 10 or 14, a girl can really rock this look.  The Gap has a good looking dark rinse pair for $29.50.  

Mini Boden's slim fit jeans flatter a variety of figures, and are available in several fun colors.  They are $36, but Boden is frequently running 4 for the price of 3 or 15% off offers.  If a slim cut doesn't work for your child, try a flared leg.  They are stylish, fun and flattering.  Ironically, classic cut jeans don't tend to do any little girl a favor.

For boys, a dark wash is still a good idea - or a so-called "dirty" or distressed wash -  but generally a wide cut is best.  As the mother of an excessively skinny boy, I am all too familiar with the tendency to try to by narrow cut jeans.  Suffice to say, not a good idea.  It is definitely worth buying Gap or Old Navy slim fit jeans, with an adjustable waist, but in loose cut or carpenter jeans, he will be totally cool.  Stock up at Old Navy on Boys' Loose Fit Jeans in a slim fit in Nelson (a dark wash) at $14, and Boys' Painter Jeans in a slim fit in Astro (dark dirty wash) for $16.50.

Another slightly out of the box jean for spring, in a cut that promises to fit almost any child, comes from Tea Collection.  The girls' Sora Denim Digger Pant is adorable, perfect for spring, and on sale at www.teacollection.com for $39.50.  Tea also offers a full length version in the Sora Denim Slim Fit Pant which is not so terribly slim that most kids can't wear it. Unfortunately, Tea only runs through size 8 (although their size 8 is reasonably generous).  For boys, Tea's Sora Denim Relaxed Fit Pants and Sora Denim Regular Fit Pants are adorable and wear nicely.

Buying Options:

Gap and Old Navy jeans can be found online and in stores.  With combined flat rate shipping, I find it tends to be worth it to just order a bunch of pairs in several sizes and see what fits.

Mini Boden can be found online at www.bodenusa.com.  They are frequently offering free shipping free returns promotions.

H&M and Zara can currently only be found in stores.  If you haven't already visited their children's departments, I highly recommend making a habit of it.

Tea Collection is available in boutiques and on their site at www.teacollection.com.  

As of this writing, the following sales were available -

www.cocotierkids.com - Boys' Sora Denim $35

www.thekiddiecloset.com - Girls' Sora Denim Slim Fit $38

www.thesillywagon.com - Boys' Sora Denim $34.77 (sizes 2-8)

www.madeleineboutique.com - Boys' and Girls' Sora Denim $25.20

www.teacollection.com - Girls' Sora Denim Digger Pant $39.50

not so basic basics

the building blocks of a wardrobe (part 1)

If you haven’t finished compiling your children’s wardrobes for spring, there are some great finds

 to be had.  Check in every Wednesday as we help you navigate the world of children’s fashion.  It’s like having a personal stylist.

Don’t want your kid to look just like everyone else?  But don’t want to break the bank on clothes that are likely to last 6 months either?  The key is mixing affordable basics with a few standout pieces.  The result can be a distinctive and personal style at the right price.

For those of you who hadn’t noticed yet, JCrew has become fashionable again.  And their crewcuts division can be a terrific resource for some quality basics at a range of prices.  The item not to be missed this season is the Chelsea tee for girls available in a number of bright

but sophisticated colors.  And now they’re just $9.50 each.  Crewcuts also has some adorable tank tops.  If your child likes to mix it up a bit, Junk Food tees are another great option. 

 

Once a strictly boutique brand, Junk Food now produces a line of kids tees with retro graphics for the Gap.  And if you’re quick, they’re on sale for another 10 hours at www.hautelook.com.  So you can indulge in a special skirt or pair of printed trousers, and with a couple of basic tops to match, you know you’ll get your money’s worth.

 

she's a real spring chicken

If you haven't finished compiling your children's wardrobes for spring, there are some great finds to be had.  Check in every Wednesday as we help you to navigate the world of children's fashion.  It's like having your own personal stylist.

For stylish little girls, nothing beats leggings and a dress for transitional spring attire.  Pink Chicken has some of the cutest dresses around (www.pinkchicken.com for stores).  The line offers leggings too, so she can put on that sleeveless dress she’s dying to wear now, and it will carry her into summer.  While Pink Chicken dresses are ideal for the under 4 set, add not just leggings, but a great pair of boots, and maybe even a thermal top underneath on cool days, and the outfit has just the edge your tween needs (while still being entirely age appropriate).

Who can resist the Sasha dress in the big tulip print?  White cotton is covered in giant tulips in gorgeous shades of lavender and peach and tied in the back with a fabulous bow.   Gap’s paisley leggings, just $12.50 or two for $20, in white with gold dots, look like they were made to go with this dress.  My daughter throws a natural waffle knit shirt underneath on cold days (Indera Mills’ basic thermal shirt and pant set available at www.essentialapparel.com for $9 works perfectly - and can act as long underwear or pajamas in the winter).  Pair it with cowboy boots, or even black biker boots, and she’ll be the coolest kid on the block.

Suggested stores:

www.chichibean.com - an extensive collection of Pink Chicken spring dresses through size 6

www.mybeautifulsophia.com - a couple of styles of Pink Chicken in sizes 2-6 are currently on sale 

juicekidscouture.com - carries some Pink Chicken styles all the way through size 8

www.gap.com - for great leggings at the right price

Girls' boots should be their own topic, but as of this writing www.endless.com had a few styles of Geox boots on clearance.  Frye and Dr. Marden can be pricey, but they're classics!  And www.cavenders.com is a great spot for cowboy boots.