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

boys, boys, boys

It seems there is an eternal struggle within mom's of boys, between the feeling that boys always wear tshirts and jeans and therefore it doesn't make sense to spend money on their clothes, and the desire to find a different, cute wardrobe for their sons.  Even while exercising fiscal restraint, it is absolutely possible to find wonderful clothes for your little man.  

The reality is, that with some exceptions, the more interesting part of your son's wardrobe will most likely be his shirts.  Take a good pair of dark jeans from Gap, Old Navy, or perhaps Tea Collection, add a great tshirt, and I guarantee you will receive complements galore on your stylish boy.  Some terrific brands for boys include Kingsley, Mini Fine, Appaman and Glug.  (As an aside, O.D.C.Y. was a short-lived fantastic skate punk inspired line.  As far as I can tell, it is now defunct, but a few styles are available at a steep discount at www.theboysstore.com.  If I were you, I would rush there and snap up a couple of things.)

I am a huge fan of Kingsley.  Simply put, their shirts are impossibly cool.  I'm pretty sure no one messes with a boy in Kingsley.  The prices, however, tend to be pretty steep.  If you can swing $40+ for a t-shirt, by all means go for it.  But if not, it's absolutely worth searching around for a shirt or two on sale, or picking up a couple at clearance at the end of a season.   A number of styles are currently on sale at www.shopjuicebox.com  including the "wuz dat" tshirt on sale for $27 available in sizes 4, 5 & 6.  Looking ahead to fall, www.tuttibella.com has a fantastic "king of rock" long sleeved tshirt available now in a number of sizes for $25.99.  Several other cute fall styles are available at www.pureboyclothes.com.  And www.sonsanddaughters.com has a number of shirts both long and short sleeved on sale.  Be advised that Kingsley runs REALLY small, so order a size up.

Mini Fine tshirts are slightly less edgy and less expensive (somewhere between $20 and $30 at full price), but extremely wry.  Www.tuttibella.com has a fairly broad selection.  The shirt with Pigpen (you remember, from the Peanuts) that says "conserve water stay dirty" is absolutely adorable.  If you're in the market for something less commercial, Glug and Appaman are worth a look.  Both offer simple and original graphic designs with themes that appeal to young boys like animals and transportation for around $30.  Appaman's bulldog and motorcycle shirts have become classics.  (Their retro windbreakers and track suits are also absolutely precious!)  This season Glug is offering some great robot shirts.  However classic Glug styles, their animal and bug tshirts - the spider, ant and tiger - are particularly charming.  See www.appaman.com and www.glugbaby.com respectively for a list of retailers.  But if you go right now to www.theredballoon.com you might still be able to grab the red ant, eagle or spider tshirt for just $15!

Suggested stores:

The Boys Store - www.theboysstore.com (Appaman, ODCY)

Petit Patapon - www.petitpatapon.com

Juice Box - www.shopjuicebox.com (Kingsley, Mini Fine)

The Red Balloon - www.theredballoon.com (Glug)

Tuttibella - www.tuttibella.com (Kingsley, Mini Fine)

Pure Boy Clothes - www.pureboyclothes.com (Kingsley)

Sons + Daughters - www.sonsanddaughtersinc.com (Appaman, Kingsley)

Little Fashions  Boutique - www.littlefashionsboutique.com (Mini Fine, Appaman)

Little Boy Chic - www.littleboychic.com (Appaman, Kingsley, Mini Fine, Monster Republic)

Small Concept - www.smallconcept.com (Appaman, Kingsley, Monster Republic)

Moxie Kids - www.moxiekidsonline.com (Appaman, Glug)