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Fall 2009: New Children's Wear Trends The arrival of Malia and Sasha Obama at the White House brings a blast of youthful energy and a renewed interest in children's fashion. More emphasis on the way kids dress is, of course, a good thing for retailers. And judging from the collections at the recent ENK Children's Club (January 5-7, 2009) and Market Week in New York, retailers have plenty of pattern-rich, lushly colored collections to stock. Here's a glimpse at the kind of cold weather dressing for a day at the mall in anywhere America, or a magical day at The Mall in Washington, D.C.
THEMES: Orient Express. Kimono-like wrapped shapes appeared in sweaters, blouses and dresses. Asian inspired patterns and a specific China doll motif appeared in several collections.
SILHOUETTE: -Smock dresses and tunics with dolman shaped sleeves sometimes with bib collars
-Narrow down jackets and coats that are slim or belted at the waist with fur or plush-edged hoods
-Feminine coats with fitted waists and full skirts.
-Higher rises on pants and skirts that close at or near the waist. -Cleaner, smoother pleated skirts and on the flip side: layers of tulle. -Draped Jersey blouses and tunics for tweens and teens.
-Cardigans, either classically shaped or chunky with cables running in all directions.
COLOR: Plum Pudding. Purples, plums, deep lavender. Designers are dipping into the color and spreading it head to toe.
Deep End of Red. Rich red, think of a poinsettia, appeared as a solid and in the freshest combination: teamed with purple.
Coming up Roses. Pale pink, rose, raspberry. Lots of pink to balance charcoal and denim.
Sunrise Sensation. Bright orange is back as a solid, teamed with other brights, or as a complement to neutrals like khaki, charcoal or denim Spread It On. Bright yellow/gold, almost a mustard but without the harsh edge. The hue is fabulous teamed with electric blue. Salad Days. Leaf green is bluer than kiwi and lighter than teal, and adds a spark of energy to dark fall tones.
In the Shadows. Charcoal in all weights from silver to nearly black, balances bright tones and looks fresher than black when teamed with white or cream.
NEW PAIRINGS: -Red and purple -Red in combination with other sunny hues: red, yellow and orange -Electric blue, mustard and charcoal
-Magenta or plum with olive -Leaf, mustard, tobacco and orange
PATTERNS: -Asian inspired patterns and China doll motifs -Traditional polka dots and mod Sixties style dots -Animal prints -Plaids in girls' dresses, boys' shirts and buffalo plaid outerwear
-Stripes -Traditional argyle sweater, graphic argyle shapes colored in edgy neutrals or jewel tones; argyle legwear
-Trucks, tractors, motorcycles -Skulls (still)
FABRICS: -Tulle -Jersey -Dark denim -Tweed -Corduroy -Chunky cotton for cable knit cardigans -Brushed cotton flannel -China silk -Cashmere -Organic cotton -Bamboo
OUTERWEAR FABRICATIONS: -Metallic nylons -Ultra-suede -Sherling -Boiled wool -Plush
DETAILS: -Ruffles go boldly where ruffles dared not go: in casual sportswear dresses
-Rhinestones -Velvet ribbon details
-Bib collars
Originally published January 26, 2009
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