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

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.