Editor's Note: Some of our sponsor companies prefer to keep their children's businesses out of the national and regional trade show circuits (or at least not attend all the shows every season). So to keep you abreast of collections you won't find (or find infrequently) in trade venues, we've started this new column. We think you'll like our "Between the Shows" reviews as much as you've told us you enjoy our "Trade Show Reports" coverage.

STYLEASE

Homebase: Burbank, CA

DESIGNER: Jennifer Hughes

Sizes: 3 to 24 months: Wholesale prices: $14-$16

"Ease for the parent; style for the child."

Parents know that getting a child dressed is labor-intensive. After the diaper, there's the one-piece, then socks or tights, a shirt, pants, and in colder climates, sweaters. Add a wriggling baby or a toddler anxious to play, and you've got a burdensome chore that needs to be repeated multiple times a day. Hughes, a former production department manager for Walt Disney Feature Animation, is trained to assess a problem then find an efficient solution. For Hughes, a new mother struggling to get her infant ready for the day, layered dressing was the issue; Stylease, one-pieces that mimicked layered looks, was the answer. In 2003, Hughes launched her collection with eight reasonably priced designs made of fine cotton and colored in sophisticated tones. The pieces were easy to put on a little one and didn't look gimmicky - no one guessed that the outfits they admired went on in one easy step. Almost six years later, Hughes' 30-item collection is a mainstay in boutiques nationwide.

"Our designs this season," says Hughes, "are timeless classics with soft flannels in tones of green, sporty rugbys in red and black, and preppy polos in blue and tan, to name a few."

Hughes figured out the look and mechanics of these great "outfits"; parents just snap and go.

Stylease

Tel: 888-440-3013

www.styleasewholesale.com

Originally published January 2, 2009