ready for a swim? (part 2: boys)

It is certainly easier to find boys' swimwear that is suitable and provides coverage than it is to find girls'.  But by the same token, it can be harder to find boys' swimwear that is particularly cute and stands out from the crowd.  Gap and Old Navy are generally reliable and affordable, as is H&M, but you may have difficulty distinguishing your son from every other boy on the beach in his Gap swimsuit.

If you want your son to stand out, Charlie Rocket offers some fun swim trunks that are widely available in children's boutiques and online.  These can be paired with a t-shirt and your son is ready to go.  But I'm a big fan of the boys' board shorts paired with a rashguard top.  Let's face it, surfer and skate punk style is entirely on trend right now, so you can cover your son from neck to knee while he looks impossibly hip.  

Chasing Fireflies (available by catalog and online at www.chasing-fireflies.com) has some cute and unusual boys swim trunks and tops, but most of them are quite pricey.  If price is not a major impediment, I encourage you to check out the site (the eyes see swim trunks, pictured below, are $44 and are really too stinkin' cute).  Personally, I find that sometimes boys' swimwear is worth a little extra money since it's likely to last for a couple of seasons.

For a more moderate sum, Garnet Hill and Mini Boden are perfect.  Chances are you're not putting a fitted swimsuit on your older son, but for a toddler, Mini Boden's surf suit is absolutely adorable, and for $48 you get both the bottom and the top (and Boden is currently offering an additional 25% off).  While you're at it, why not get their towelling throw-on, simultaneously cute and edgy in a skull print. For an older child, Boden's rash vest ($26) and panel boarders ($28) come in three coordinated color ways.  Garnet Hill carries a very classic and handsome rashguard and swimtrunk set by Sun Busters (the top is currently on sale for $24 and the trunks are $29).  Or match the blue rashguard top with Speedo's graphic flame board shorts on sale at Garnet Hill for the low low price of $14.  But my absolute favorite of the boys' swimwear this season (available at Garnet Hill for $58 for the set) is the Cabana Life striped ship swim set.  The picture (above) does not do it justice.  With a zipper down the front of the rashguard top, sophisticated and very wearable colors, and a terrific graphic of a ship on the side of the leg, this set is truly fabulous.  In fact, although my youngest has plenty of hand-me-down swimwear for this summer, I think I have to cave in and buy it right now. 

all aboard with j. crew

I can't get over what great clothes J. Crew has been offering lately, and crewcuts is no exception.  Yes, it's a good resource for some high quality basic tees in interesting colors.  But visiting their swimsuit collection, I found a number of pieces there right now that I can't resist.  It's a little more subdued than some of the boutique collections, but is a great addition to any girl's wardrobe.

The knits are particularly wearable - both comfortable and affordable.  There are some terrific little jersey dresses for summer, and at $45 for the cotton flamenco dress, $42 for the stripe jersey halter dress and at $32 for the ruffle-neck shift dress, you can't go wrong.  Finish off the flamenco dress with the watercolor floral cardigan and you have a truly special outfit for any occassion.

For $29.50, the jersey ruffle skirt is one of my all time favorite pieces, comfortable, too stinkin' cute, and you can be sure she'll gladly put it on every day.  Pair it with any t-shirt, or top it with the short-sleeve cotton cardigan for a more polished party look.  Many of the t-shirts have subtle metallic embellishments, not too tacky but guaranteed to make them her favorites.  The sunflower tee features a little tulle skirt detail that is irresistible.

There are a couple of splurges at crewcuts this season that I find worth the money.  Personally I have never been a big fan of birkenstock style shoes, finding them too clunky to be cute, but when I found a fun floral pair broke down, and found they are every bit as comfortable as advertised.  J. Crew's nubuck sandals for girls with a flower embellishment have made them downright stylish.  By and large, the boys' collection is what you would expect.  It's cute and preppy, but by and large nothing out of the ordinary.  But the boys' utility jacket is so grown up and adorable, and looks even better on.  And your daughter can wear it too.  Paired with a girly skirt, it adds just the right casual and funky element.  Ok, it's $75, but if you can get at least two kids to wear it, I say go for it.

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)

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