Dressing For The Holidays

As far as I'm concerned, there are two kinds of holiday attire kids need, both equally important.  We tend to worry about making sure kids have nice holiday clothes -- i.e., party clothes -- which is great and needs to be addressed.  But perhaps more importantly, for the winter holidays it seems to me to be crucial to have some really good pajamas to hang around the house all snugly in.  The fact of the matter is, the Gap pjs are quite cute, and you can never go wrong with a good pair of plaid flannel pajamas, but if you want something a little different, there are a myriad of great options out there.  Here are just a few.
(In a strange turn, I think pajamas may be one of the few contexts in which the boys' options may just be cuter than the girls'.  That's nice for a change, no?)

My personal favorites:
1.  Garnet Hill reindeer pjs
2.  Garnet Hill striped pjs
3.  Mini Boden skull set
4.  Mini Boden birdie set
5.  crewcuts boys' striped long johns
6.  crewcuts red union suit
7.  Tea boys' koi pajamas
8.  Tea girls' hummingbird pajamas

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.