(More) Kids Lines We Love
Logic dictates that throwing down for children’s clothing is wildly impractical—they grow up so fast! That said, we’ve yet to meet a parent (or uncle, aunt, grandparent, etc.) who hasn’t fallen for the siren song of a tiny, so-cute-it-hurts outfit. Below, the new—or just new to us—baby and kid lines on our radar. (More kid stuff, here, for tips on keeping little threads in the game longer, read this and for watching your wallet, use buybuy Baby coupons.)
Subscription boxes are nothing new, though what sets Little Starters apart is the brilliant move to start at size 0-3 all the way up to 4 years. Boxes are sent monthly or seasonally and you get seven days to pick the keepers and send back the rest. Also unique to Little Starters, design themes change regularly (all revolve around California—LA this month, Palm Springs the next), the pieces all mix and match with ease, and price-wise, hover around $12 a pop.
PAINTED STRIPE SLOUCH PANT, $12.50 SHORT SLEEVE LS STAR DRESS, $17.50
Designed and produced right here in LA, a chunk of the proceeds from every chambray romper, jersey onesie, and bloomer goes to support children’s charities in Vietnam—an homage to designer Mimi Swain’s parents, who immigrated from District Mot in Saigon back in the ‘80s.
Other than 12|12’s incredibly admirable philanthropic get/give mission, what keeps goop mamas coming back for more adorably minimalist snap-front onesies after every growth spurt is the longevity of the organic cotton and spot-on sizing—so many lines out there are all over the place in that department.
3 Pack of Short Sleeve Tees, $70 ORGANIC CAMI ONESIE BABY SET, $64
This brand new UK line is in the business of getting girls on the female empowerment train at a young age via thoughtfully placed girl-power messaging: “girl gang” embroidery on the collar of a sweet little dress, boss-lady socks, and so on. And it’s all done in a black-and-white palette—something you don’t see very often in the little-girl clothing space.
Barcelona-based The Animals Observatory’s ‘70s throwback terrycloth stripes, faux-retro logo tees, and color-blocked knits are as close to high fashion as it gets for the tween-and-under set.
Blue Koala Romper, $76 Beige Mantis Cardigan, $131 Blue Sport Frog Tank Top, $44
Another awesome kids brand out of Barcelona, Tiny Cottons churns out the kind of beautifully designed, but not too precious pieces that adults really get behind and kids love to wear—lots of geometric prints, pastels, and easy separates. Their recent Puma collaboration is cute to the max.
logo pant knit, $63 color block sweater knit, $78 scissors sl body, $35
Women-run fashion collective, Doen, does boho-chic really, really well—and the same can be said of Yearling, their mini-me capsule collection: vintage-inspired yet totally wearable silhouettes (tunics and pajama-style pants for boys, lovely, breezy dresses for girls) done in the prettiest fabrics and neutral prints.
OF AWESOME
Our love for Rockets is well documented. The product of their recent team-up with stripe-happy La Ligne is a matching pair of perfect, wear-forever t-shirts: one for mom, on for kiddo.
AVEC AWESOME TEE (For Kids), $24 Avec Awesome Tee (for Mom), $48
Onesies—especially those that stand the test of daily trips to the washing machine—are a new parent’s best friend. This hilariously named brand makes them in two styles (short- and long-sleeved) and in a rainbow of quirky prints, all out of super-soft GOTS-certified cotton.
CAN’T TOUCH THIS Short-Sleeve Bodysuit, $12 SHARING IS CARING Long-Sleeve Bodysuit, $14 I LOVE YOU MORE THAN BREAD Long-sleeve Bodysuit, $12
This Milanese women’s line and it’s teeny offshoot are inspired by founder-slash-magazine-writer, J.J. Martin’s vintage- and print-happy personal style. Get the Piccola DoubleJ dress for little girls, which comes in three micro florals, at Bergdorf’s or on the La DoubleJ site starting May 6th.
Galletti Cap-Sleeve Dress, White Pattern, $305 Kaleidoscope Cap-Sleeve Dress, Purple Pattern, _PRICE_
So it’s obviously not a clothing line, but anyone who’s ever had to mop up a kid mess can certainly appreciate these multi-functional mats—they are designed to look like real rugs rather than cartoony play mats and can handle everything from baby food to paint to all manner of accident.
Photo by @Rubiascollective
While it’s near to impossible to mess up inherently adorable kids swimwear, Marysia’s junior line, Bumby, is the best of the best. The pint-sized bikinis, maillots, and rash guards boast the big-girl line’s signature scalloped edges and comfy, stretchy fabrics.
BUMBY BOY SHORTS, $99 BUMBY PALM SPRINGS TOP, $75 BUMBY PALM SPRINGS BOTTOM, $54 BUMBY RASH GUARD, $99
A new E-shop to browse
Friends, moms, and former Vogue editors Luisana Mendoza Roccia and Sylvana Durrett teamed up to launched Maisonette, a one-stop shop for all things littles: there are niche clothing brands like Hello Simone, Bobo Choses, and Winter Water Factory as well as a carefully edited selection of kids’ furniture, home decor, and toys. Particularly clutch for your baby shower needs: Austin-based de Buci boxed sets, which are thoughtfully assembled with new parents in mind.
Oldie But Goodie
Courtesy of Serena & Lily
Serena and Lily has been the pinnacle of colorful, prepster-cool textiles for over a decade, and their kids offering—the rattan hanging chairs and storage baskets in particular add design-y function to a little one’s room—is just as on-point. We’re also big on the made-to-last bedding for babies through tweens: it strikes a really good balance between cute and grown-up approved.
coming soon
Courtesy of Givenchy
Slated for a summer drop, Givenchy’s first ever kids offering—covering boys, girls, and babies—is expected to be a scaled-down version of the big-people line. Judging from the sneak peek above, it’s going to be epic.
