The Brooklyn Papers / Greg Mango

Child's play: Valencia Ayala models this Pretty "N" Pink dress ($42.95) available at the Children's Emporium in Cobble Hill.

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Sit outside of Dizzy’s in Park Slope and watch the fashion parade stroll by. Yes, in Park Slope. Bald heads? Yes. Pigtails? Of course. Nose rings and tattoos? Well, maybe on the parents.

The offspring of fashionable Brooklynites - little fashionistas and fashionmeisters who would rather wear a simple Pampers than a pair of OshKosh B’gosh overalls - have turned our neighborhood sidewalks and playgrounds into kiddie-chic catwalks.

Where do the parents of little Emma and Zachary shop for cutting-edge kids’ clothes? Savvy Brooklyn parents know that they can skip the long train ride into Manhattan. Right in our neighborhoods are great children’s boutiques, discount designer outlets and even resale shops with stylish clothing that would please the most discriminating toddler.

Fifth Avenue in Park Slope has a little of everything that’s trendy: restaurants, hip women’s clothing shops and enough vintage emporiums to outfit any Yves Saint Laurent-style wannabe. What the avenue lacked, until recently, were children’s clothing stores with merchandise that had all the panache of the areas women’s stores - without the high-price sticker shock.

Enter Andy Refol. Two years ago Refol opened Go Fish, a loft-like shop where closeouts of popular-brand children’s clothing and new, or slightly used, better children’s wear is sold. Word of mouth has attracted customers from as far as Long Island, Manhattan and the furthest neighborhoods of Brooklyn. The "little bit of everything" in Refol’s merchandise mix includes such necessities as better-brand strollers and car seats at a fraction of the retail price.

Refol describes her clients as ranging from "the mom on a budget who needs to clothe five children affordably" to the "Park Slope mother who looks for a reasonable price on stylish clothing." With roughly 800 people bringing in merchandise for resale, Refol is able to stock her shop with goods that don’t have that hand-me-down feel. The merchandise on display looks fresh and stain-free, and the styles hanging in the store are recognizable to shoppers who usually buy at full-retail prices.

Combing the racks, I spotted a gently used dress from the Gap for $10, a used McClarin stroller for $40 and a new baby swing for $30.

Not far from Go Fish, on Fifth Avenue, is Ivka, a store and design room that sells the Ivka line of sophisticated children’s sportswear.

No sign marks the store’s place on the avenue, but a big picture window used to display designer Tanya Amari’s ensembles draws customers inside. The front of the shop has an industrial feeling with a wooden floor and racks holding samples of Amari’s spring and summer 2002 collection. While not all of the sizes manufactured are hanging, they take special orders for sizes 12 months to 10 years, and custom sizing is available.

The Ivka collection appeals to Prada-loving moms who appreciate clean lines and understated prints. Amari’s pieces employ menswear-style striped shirting and simple solids in 100-percent Pima cottons, linens and terry cloth - but masculine they’re not. Mixing neutrals like grays and creams, with dusty pink, light, soft blues and a shot of red give the pieces a feminine spin. Simple touches like a small ruffle around the collar of a blouse or delicate buttons add to the charm.

Beside a simple sundress in a sunny yellow with a delicate blue dot, there are button-down blouses with a tiny, ruffled puff sleeve, well-cut pants and a miniskirt pieced from swatches of menswear striped cotton that closes with a diagonal zipper.

Prices for the line start at $15 for a simple terry T-shirt and go up to $75 for the sundress.

Although the store is open weekdays, owner Uri Amari suggests calling before you visit, so Tanya will be in residence to answer questions and assist with sizing.

Walk into Fidgets on Seventh Avenue in Park Slope and you’re met with a riot of bright colors and a warm welcome from proprietor Lisa Maldonado-Morhbi, who opened her tiny shop 10 years ago.

For her customers, who she describes as "parents who look for stylish clothing that are durable and easy to clean," she stocks popular lines like Zutano, G. Willikers, Mulberribush and So Fun! - all machine washable, and cheerful looking in tones of bright orange, bright pink and lime green.

Prices for sportswear range from $15 for a T-shirt up to $50 for a better dress. "Tweens" (age 8-12 years) will be pleased with the selection of tank tops, bell-bottoms and hip slip dresses.

A block west of trendy Smith Street in Cobble Hill is the Children’s Emporium a discount designer shop that sells everything from socks to raincoats, all at 30-70 percent off the retail price. Be warned. Shopping in the Children’s Emporium can become an addiction.

Proprietor Solomon Panitz wants his store to be both "an off-price shop and a boutique selling beautiful items." With labels like Charabia, Naff Naff and Stamp, and a shoe department with European lines that rival the selection at better shoe stores in the area, the Children’s Emporium has become a destination stop for "smart shoppers who must buy discounted goods, or the big spender who gets a thrill from a bargain," commented Panitz.

Sizes range from layette up to 16, with well-edited selections of everything from pajamas, sportswear, socks, tights, boy’s suits, special occasion dresses, rainwear and great bathing suits. A one-piece Gottex bathing suit, in a lovely turquoise print, sells for $45 at full retail. At the Children’s Emporium, the price is $28.

If you are already a bargain hunter then you’ve been to Bay Ridge’s Century 21. For those new to the discount-shopping arena, make a beeline now to this mecca for designer discounts. Each week brings new shipments of current-season designer goods for children of all ages. One visit may yield amazing bargains on clothing that your little one can’t be without, and on other visits, you may leave empty-handed. With discounts of up to 50 percent on labels like DKNY, Calvin Klein, Charabia and Guess, you owe it to yourself to take a look.

Besides a large, well-stocked layette department, there are infant and toddler areas and a department just for boys with items sized 4 through 20. A girls department with many recognizable designer labels carries sizes 4 to 14. If you need a pretty nightgown for a little girl, you’ll find it in sleepwear along with an extensive selection of tights, socks and underwear.

No self-respecting Brooklyn parent should let their child be without a "718" T-shirt. Smith Street’s Refinery, owned by designer Suzanne Bagdade and husband Andrew Raible, carries the T-shirt in gray, light blue and white with the area code boldly printed in bright orange or red.

Children’s sizes start at six months and go to 16 years. Adult sizes are also available. Give one T-shirt as a gift for a little girl and one for her mom, and you’ll put a new spin on mother-daughter dressing. Priced from $15 to $16 for children and $19 to $23 for the mom’s T-shirts.

Shopping guide

Century 21 (472 86th St. between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Bay Ridge) is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 am to 8 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 9:30 pm; and Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm. For information, call (718) 748-3266.

Children’s Emporium (293 Court St. between Degraw and Douglass streets in Cobble Hill) is open Monday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 5:30 pm; and Sunday, noon to 4 pm. For information, call (718) 875-8508.

Fidgets (169 Seventh Ave. between Garfield Place and First Street in Park Slope) is open Monday-Friday, 10 am to 6:30 pm; Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm; and Sunday, noon to 5 pm. For information, call (718) 788-2002.

Go Fish (260 Fifth Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield Place in Park Slope) is open Monday-Thursday, 10 am to 7 pm; Friday-Saturday, 10 am to 8 pm; and Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm. For information, call (718) 622-8237.

Ivka (162 Fifth Ave. between Degraw and Douglass streets in Park Slope) is open Tuesday-Friday, noon to 7 pm. The store is closed on weekends. For information, call (718) 230-0404.

Refinery (254 Smith St. between Degraw and Douglass streets in Cobble Hill) is open Tuesday-Saturday, 11 am to 7 pm; Sunday, noon to 6 pm. Closed Monday. The store is "dog friendly." For information, call (718) 643-7861.

©2002 Community Newspaper Group