Peeling
Away the Layers for Spring 2006
I
noticed a common thread
among designers when they discussed their Spring 2006
collections. All mentioned a need to simplify their
garments. Diana Cheren Nygren who designs the
Pineapple Kiss line of dresses and sportswear
said, "My past collections have been about layering
prints over prints. For spring, my pieces are simple and
streamlined in terms of color, and I'm keeping my pattern
mixing down to two per garment."
Carolina Zapf of CZ
Baby prefers clean lined classics. "I think of my
spring collections as 'Courreges meets English garden.'"
(Andre Courreges was called the "space age" designer for
his stark, minimalist womenswear popular in the Sixties).
Other manufacturers, like Malley & Co. and
Hartstrings channeled classic nautical styles that
make a refreshing alternative to more bohemian looks.
Though designers are using words
like "clean," "modern" and "streamlined" to describe
their collections, there's no lack of visual interest in
their wares. Yes, their lines are understated compared to
earlier seasons, but they still possess plenty of
arresting detail.
Below are shopping websites with
"fresh off the kittenwalk" looks for Spring
2006.
INFANTS. Talk about
pulling at your heart strings! The collections of
designers exhibiting at the Spring 2006 ENK Children's
Club trade show last October were Hippie heavy. By
that I mean the looks were embroidered, tiered skirts
were popular and items were shown in layers. Several
collections though, provided an alternative to busy looks
with clean, traditional items, some with nautical
references. The navy knit sailor pants by
Hartstrings, found on the Little
Dragonflies website
(littledragonflies.com),
represent the look with aplomb. For unbeatable
sister-and-brother dressing, put a little girl in the
pants and team them with Hartstrings' navy and white
striped onesie; her brother will look adorable when the
bottoms are worn with Hartstring's sailboat
appliquéd onesie (Pants $20, 3-9 months; Onesies
$17, 3-6 months).
I can always find classics with a
twist at the Malley & Co. (malleyandco.com)
booth. The designers, Malley Gaulding and
Theresa Helms, favor softly colored prints and
simple silhouettes for their boys' and girls' groups. For
infant boys, the team favors a nautical look like their
poly/cotton Oxford Blues Sailor Onesie from the Jack
& Teddy collection. (Style #7615, $34, 3-24
months).
You can sense the love that goes
into every stitch of JuneBee Baby's sweet infant
and children's sweaters. Log on to Taylor's Baby
Love (taylorsbabylove.com)
where you'll fall for the Kitty Cutie Zipper Hoodie
Sweater for boys. The 100 percent cotton, zip-front
sweater is knit in soft yellow cotton and detailed with
light blue cat heads ($75, NB-4T). The Happy Sun Sweater
in a lacy white knit edged in yellow and detailed with
smiling sun pockets will elicit sighs of delight from his
sister ($72, NB-4T).
Put an infant in Baby
Cappelli's rose hat ($20, one size fits NB-18 months)
and she'll be compared to an angel, or maybe a vanilla
cupcake, or just the cutest baby anywhere. The hat, and
other charming Baby Cappelli creations, can be found at
Glamour Girls Design (glamourgirlsdesign.com).
TODDLER TO BIG KID.
If there's one "must-have" item for a child's wardrobe
this spring it's the tunic. The go-with-everything
garment is paired with skirts and jeans, and looks Jackie
O chic as a bathing suit topper. Manufacturers add
glamour to the simple shirt with sequins and beading, or,
like designer Carolina Zapf of Baby CZ,
keep the look elegant with nothing more than colored trim
around the sleeves and collar. Says Zapf, whose pieces
are available at Baby Box (babybox.com),
"Many of our styles are piped or framed with white cotton
that softens the clean lines of the group while enhancing
the playful florals." Her white linen Indian Tunic can be
ordered edged in pink, ocean or orange and looks chic
with the pleated, scallop-edged Peony Print Skirt. (Tunic
CZ-0444Y, $62; skirt CZ-0421T, $66. Both items fit 3-5
years).
Tina Rodriguez, who imports
the Jottum dress and sportswear collection out of
Belgium, and Barbara Farber, a line manufactured
in Holland, says, "My customers look for the most fashion
forward collections out of Europe. They adore Jottum for
its feminine playful styling and attention to detail, and
Barbara Farber offers a cleaner, sportier aesthetic at a
great price point. Farber's collection is new to the
U.S., too, but in Europe it sells upwards of a million
pieces per season."
Both collections are featured at
Pretty Please Boutique (prettypleaseboutique.com).
Jottum's cotton Dilliana Gingham Cropped pant is
roomy enough to play in, and looks great paired with the
company's Navy Neferta Knit Ruffle Top. (Top $45; pants
$99, 4-6 years). The cut of Barbara Farber's
topper is a little longer than most denim jackets, making
it an easy piece to layer over a dress or pair it with
jeans and a T-shirt for a sophisticated touch. ($68, 2-8
years).
I've always admired the design
sense of Diana Cheren Nygren who owns the
Pineapple Kiss line. Her collections have a
feminine, playful quality and look modern, even with
ruffles, mixed prints and assorted trims - sometimes in a
single garment. One terrific example of her style can be
found at Trendy Togs (trendytogs.com).
The Pineapple Kiss Ruffle Front Dress blends paisley (the
season's hottest pattern) with a ruffled front panel in a
coordinating small floral print. "For spring, I
concentrated on streamlining the designs so the colors
and patterns pop. My designs always celebrate the shape
of a child's body. The ruffles on the front of the dress
accentuate the roundness of a little girl's belly,"
Nygren says. ($68, 2-4T)
"Retro" was the buzzword at the
last two ENK Children's Club trade shows, and Baby Go
Retro (babygoretro.com)
specializes in the look. Their Vintage Beauty Dress is
just that. The sundress is made from a cotton
reproduction of a small scale floral in a rich blue, gold
and red colorway. It's fitted at the bodice with a full
skirt. Red piping accentuates the shape and makes the
colors pop. Real vintage buttons add to its appeal.
(Style #16384, $125, 2-5T).
The ideal accessory to wear with
the Vintage Beauty Dress is a bracelet with a similarly
old-fashioned aesthetic. Pink Taffy Designs
(pinktaffydesigns.com)
has the Sweet Cherry Crush (PTJ-CC-B) which joins
red glass beads with two vintage inspired "cherry"
charms: one made of ruby colored glass, the other
features the fruit rendered in silver ($30, available in
four sizes starting at 12 months up to 8 years).
Boys' collections have evolved over
the last few years. Designers are sourcing great "retro"
patterned textiles for their lines and teaming them with
rugged, boy-proofed materials. Wonderboy, a
collection of boys' shirts fashioned from modern cotton
prints, sets the bar on hip. Henri and Sarah
(henriandsarah.com)
carries Wonderboy's Plasmatic long sleeved shirt in a
happening red print ($19, 3T only). Team it with
Knuckleheads' Elvis-styled Greaser jeans with
elastic in the back and permanent cuffs ($58, 2T-5). Then
log on to the Swankie Tots (swankietots.com)
website for Pedoodles' "Red Bowler" shoes with
Fred Astair-meets-Fonzie appeal ($25, 12 months-3
years).
Shilav is a young boyswear
company to watch. The sportswear manufacturer's designers
find ways to employ the latest trends without the
garments appearing overly styled. Their tie-dyed Car Tee
combines two fashion forward details: The racing car
motif and splatter paint ($28, 2-7). Pair the top with
Pull Tab Cargo shorts in green. Both pieces are available
on My Little Ducks, mylittleducks.com.
ACCESSORIES TOP TO
BOTTOM. The brown leather loafer by Trimfoot
(4081DTS) is the ideal shoe to go with almost
everything in a boy's wardrobe. Find it at Sharp Kids
Clothes (sharpkidsclothes.com.
$26, NB-3 years).
Girls love cool bags almost as much
as they adore great shoes. Confetti Kidz'
(confettikidzboutique.com)
Kitty Bag ($65) with its contrasting prints and
hand-appliquéd cathead should satisfy any craving
for the perfect carryall.
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