Not long ago, parents purchased clothing
specifically designed to maximize their child’s cute quotient.
Little girls looked starched and adorable in smocked dresses
with puffed sleeves, and little boys got down and dirty in froufrou-free
denim overalls and T-shirts.
Today’s demanding children, not content to let their moms and
dads call the fashion shots, want clothing as stylish as their
parents’ attire, or, if the adults in their lives are fashion
challenged, as hip, and sexy as Brittany Spears and Jennifer
"J. Lo" Lopez.
For little Mini Me’s, the fall collections offer scaled-down
versions of looks that have been popular in women’s wear for
the past few seasons. One trend in girls’ collections, dubbed
"boho" or bohemian hobo, is a mix-and-match peasant-style
affair pairing T-shirts or blouses – many in lace with puckers
and puffs galore – with patched denim or multi-patched print
skirts.
Denim continues to be a hot item, but unlike last season’s hard-edged,
glitter-dusted looks, this season’s offerings are embroidered
or embellished, sometimes with beading, and have a naive, hand-done,
folksy sensibility. To further soften the look, denim is offered
"deconstructed," either with exposed seams, unfinished
hems or waistbands. "Trompe l’oeil," or fool-the-eye
treatments, mimic worn knees or wrinkled creases near the zipper.
For boys, designers have taken athletic wear out of the gym and
into the classroom by including big, long sleeved T-shirts printed
with team logos, numbers and stars in their everyday collections.
These added extras – the beading on a pair of jeans, a leather
lace that closes the side of a skirt, or a faux-fur collar on
a soft knit cardigan – speak to the demand consumers have for
"added value," or, that little bit of detail that can
transform an ordinary garment into something special.
In Brooklyn, several children’s wear designers have embraced
a more-for-the-dollar aesthetic. Their fall collections – whether
they’re clean and modern or funky and trend-driven – offer parents,
and their increasingly style-conscious offspring, tasteful, practical
clothing with a playful flair.
Cords for kids
Andie Rubrum, designer and manufacturer of Rubbies, a sportswear
line with design offices and a factory in Williamsburg, said,
"I love working in Brooklyn. The labor pool here is excellent,
and I can get the space I need at a price I can afford."
Rubbies’ "glitzy, always trendy" line says Rubrum,
includes some of the hottest styles and this season’s "it"
fabric: corduroy. Keeping her garments simply shaped – A-lines
for dresses, jumpers and tunic tops and body-conscious, bell-bottoms
pants – allows Rubrum to focus on faux-luxury fabrications such
as washable suede, synthetic leather and soft-touch, fuzzy acrylic
knits. T-shirts with fur-trimmed sleeves, faux-leather appliqued
flowers and plenty of lace provide the "glitz" factor.
Rubrum color coordinates each of her 150 shapes so that a corduroy
jumper, printed in a lovely paisley print and colored in tones
of lilac, denimy blues and soft reds can be worn with a lilac
ribbed T-shirt, finished with small, red crocheted flowers near
the cuffs; the same T-shirt could be paired with lilac bell-bottoms
that sport a paisley motif, outlined in studs at the ankles.
Rubrum updates the frat-boy look with a palette of sophisticated
neutrals in black, olive, tan and gray. Boys can mix baggy corduroy
pants with loose-fit sweaters banded in wide charcoal and black
stripes, or button-front shirts in coordinating neutral tones.
Sizes start at infant and go up to 14.
Back to the ’60s
Partners Linda Brady and Jean Raveau-Violette named their children’s-wear
company Tiki after their daughters Timoney and Markia. Brady
and Raveau-Violette – she’s the designer; he manages the business
– live and work in the same Boerum Hill building.
"We are here," said Raveau-Violette, "to be near
our daughters’ schools, and we like being a part of the community."
The team began selling their designs in Brooklyn flea markets.
They now produce more than 7,000 pieces a year and ship their
goods to about 50 stores nationwide.
Brady, a former women’s-wear designer, turned to creating girls’
clothing when she "got sick of black." You won’t find
much black in her collection this fall. Like Rubrum, Brady prefers
to design simple shapes and let her flair for color and pattern
dominate.
Forty patterns – polka dots, tie-dye effects and batik-looks,
all with a mod, ’60s flavor, are printed on stretch velvet that
imparts a rich luminosity to the colors. Twenty solids coordinate
with her easy-shaped print pieces in tones that are anything
but sedate. A simple, hot-orange skirt, with a single ruffle
at the bottom, is sprinkled with chartreuse, fuchsia and lime
dots. The skirt is topped with a chartreuse T-shirt – its only
flourish is a gather at the bust line. The Tiki collection fits
sizes 2 to 6-X and retails for around $40 to $70.
Special occasions
"This year," said Vivian Cirillo, "if people had
an occasion to celebrate, they did!" Cirillo, a Park Slope
resident with a workroom in Windsor Terrace, owns and designs
the Vivian Nicole line of better, special-occasion dresses and
Christening wear.
Walking into Cirillo’s workroom is a little like floating in
the sky. Rows of clothing racks hold white and pale pastel dresses,
some with pearl covered bodices and others with delicate beading.
The dresses’ puffy taffeta and tulle skirts float from the bodices
like clouds.
This season’s dresses include a beautiful white creation, suitable
for a communion or flower girl attire. The bottom half is covered
in white sequins draped with sheer white netting. The effect
is subtle – a glimmer of sparkle when the dress catches the light,
not va-va-voom glamour. To cover chilly shoulders, Cirillo offers
matching jackets or faux-fur capes.
Christening wear is sized from newborn up to 18 months and girls’
dresses fit sizes 4 to 14.
Brothers’ keepers
Park Slope designer Karen Brothers has found her niche in the
luxury baby market. As founder and designer of Tatia Ponchos
(Tatia is Brothers’ daughter), she has successfully marketed
her colorful ponchos that are, says Brothers, "somewhere
between clothes and a toy." Each poncho is hand-knit in
happy primary tones or delicate pastels. For fall, Brothers offers
a cashmere-and-mohair blend poncho. Baby fashion mavens love
Brothers’ trademark, folksy knit animal and train appliques.
"Infants love the bright colors of my ponchos, and parents
love them for their practicality," says Brothers. "They
cover a baby and a baby Bjorn snuggly perfectly."
Tatia Ponchos are sized from newborn to big kid (approximately
8 years old) and retails for $42.
Tina Barry designed and manufactured
the blue-eyed susan line of better children’s wear. She is a
contributing editor on the www.jamesgirone.com Web site, which
reports on the children’s wear industry, and she teaches at the
Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan.
Rubbies, 480 Johnson Ave. at Porter
Avenue in Williamsburg, Third Floor. The Rubbies collection can
be found in Lester’s, 2411 Coney Island Ave.; and Klassy Kids,
9424 Avenue K. For more information, call (718) 821-0773 or e-mail
rubbies@aol.com.
Tatia Ponchos can be found at Go Fish, 260 Fifth Ave. or at the
Tatia Ponchos design room, 285 Fifth Ave. at Second Street. For
more information, call (718) 637-6413 or e-mail tatiaponchos@aol.com.
The Tiki collection is available through the Tiki Atelier, 267
Wyckoff St. at Nevins Street in Boerum Hill. For more information,
call (718) 797-2677 or e-mail tikillc@msn.com.
Vivian Nicole, 1521 10th Ave. at 16th Street in Windsor Terrace.
Vivian Nicole special-occasion dresses can be found in Lester’s,
2411 Coney Island Ave. and Swee’ Peas, 8416 Third Ave. For information,
call (718) 832-8180.
