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Children’s clothes reflect trend in teen, adult wear

November 16th, 2011 Leave a comment Go to comments

Shopping for kids used to be more mundane. Slap corduroy pants and matching shirts on the boys, skirts and sweaters on the girls and you were done. But lately, babies wear Christian Dior knit jumpsuits, 4-year-olds run around in leggings and oversized shirts, and third- and fourth-graders don leather skirts and handmade sweaters for class.

Kids’ wear has become more sophisticated in recent years, with designs that reflect trends in teen and adult clothes, says Merry Simmons Klapp, owner of Merry Simmons at The Broadmoor.

“Instead of dressing for a child, designers are extending adult wear for children,” she says. “The warm-up suit and the sweat top have taken the place of dresses and sweaters.”

Parents still have the option of dressing children in the traditional styles, Klapp says. But though traditional clothes can be easier to mix and match, kids are asking for the trendier clothes.

“At a very tender age, kids are going to preschool and they’re very conscious of what other kids are wearing,” she says. “They want to wear what their friends wear.”

For boys, this means wearing baggy pants, oversized tops and plaid shirts under sweatshirts instead of the same style of corduroy pants and shirts in several earth tone colors, Klapp says.

Lisa Schaub, a representative for OshKosh B’Gosh Inc., says the women’s wear styles that kids’ wear reflects include peplum skirts and jackets, flared skirts and clothes with a feminine touch.

“There are sophisticated looks similar to adult styles, but they are changed,” she says. “Kids’ wear has a lot of things added to make it more detailed, unique; things that definitely say youth.”

Some of those details are seen in accessories such as big bows for girls’ hair, suspenders for boys and colorful patches on clothes for both.

Plaids and bright colors are popular this fall, and in Klapp’s store fleece has virtually taken over as the fabric of choice, she says.

The growing focus on designer clothes for kids comes from an increased interest in both fashion and children in the ’80s, Schaub says.

“The childrens’ wear market took off when baby boomers started having kids,” she says. “When I was a kid there wasn’t as much detail involved. As everyone became more fashion-conscious, it filtered down into the kids’ market.”

Ginny Wesley, who owns Mountain Moppets, 111 S. Tejon St., says parents often see kids’ fashions as part of their own clothing statements.

“It’s kind of an extension of your own ego,” she says. “I’m working with people who really enjoy dressing their kids.”

Parents also find dressing their children in the latest styles helps their children feel more confident with other kids, Wesley says.

“It just contributes to kids’ self-esteem if they’re dressed well. That’s what makes them feel good about themselves.”

Prices for designer clothes for preschool-age children range from $35 to $60. Costs increase as children get older, but parents get what they pay for, Klapp says.

“You pay for a name and you pay for quality and you pay for something that looks different than the rest,” she says. But “$60 dollars for a dress is extravagant; that’s for something really dressy.”

With more variety in children’s wear, shopping is more complex and sometimes more expensive, retailers say. But it’s also more fun.

“The clothes we’ve got for kids are more exciting than what we have for adults,” Wesley says. “Designers are doing a lot with layered looks and accessories and kids look cuter than anyone in them.”

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