For the first time in many seasons, I can say kids won't dress like little hippies, or NASCAR drivers or even Ukrainian stacking dolls; this spring children will wear clothing without obvious references to earlier eras, which means they'll simply look like well dressed versions of themselves. Here, a look at some of the early spring trends viewed at Children's Club and Bubble New York (held July 29-31, 2007).

TRENDS:

GIRLS

Blowin' in the breeze. Light, gauzy shapes in all shades of blue define a by-the-sea mood.

Country living. Tiny Provençal prints on loose A-lines look fresh and modern.

Bling it on. A little metallic woven into knits, cottons and linens brings glamour to casual wear.

A touch of bling from Judith Lacroix at Children's Club.

She feels like dancing. This is the season for gorgeous dresses. Loose A-lines for little girls are popular and empire waist shapes in floaty materials look sharp on tweens and teens.

Belt it out. The trench coat appears in lightweight denim to metallic linen, in mini to mid-knee lengths.

Charabia's fresh from the kittenwalk silver trench at Children's Club.

BOYS

Summer of love. It's back to the Sixties with vintage motifs printed on distressed T-shirts.

Georgie World's funky tee and Bermudas at Bubble.

The Independent. Whether a kid's conservative or leans to the Left, he'll be wearing red, white and blue.

Long on lean. From shorts to pants, shapes are leaner than in previous seasons.

Surfer dude. Swim trunks in graphic, Hawaiian inspired prints are colored in clean shades of blue.

Hartford dips into the great blue sea at Children's Club.

SILHOUETTE:

GIRLS

Nice A-line! Loose A-line dresses, smocks and skirts float from the body. For contrast, the bell shaped top is balanced with lean pants or leggings.

Flapper girls. What's better for dancing than a flapper style, tiered dress?

Shimmy and shake in Judith Lacroix's silk flapper dress at Children's Club.

Just tops. Swing jackets with one-button closings and gathered yoke details as well as short shrugs are the cover-ups of choice.

Kico Kids buttons up the short jacket at Bubble.

It's U! Soft gathers fall from U-shaped yokes on tops and dresses.

Zoe Ltd. exhibited a modern dress with a U-shaped detail at Children's Club.

Caught up. Delicate netting used for tops and sarong-style skirts made easy to don swimwear cover-ups.

BOYS

Out of the box. Boxy jackets in ticking stripes look natty, while bomber jackets give boys' outfits an edge.

In short. Short, mid-calf or to the ankle, pants are either lean or loosen up without getting baggy.

One Kid roars into the season at Children's Club.

TEXTILES:

-Cotton laser-cut to look like eyelet then dyed rich shades of inky navy

-Linen and cotton woven with metallic threads

Edenstar exhibited this stunning metallic piece at Bubble.

-Glitter woven knits

-Crisp cotton voiles

-Jersey and Modal in all weights

-China silk and silk charmeuse

Light silk and a gorgeous print from Hartford at Children's Club.

-Paper-thin leather for luxurious jackets

-Lightweight denim with a washed surface, sometimes woven with silver or gold threads

-Soft netting used for beach cover-ups

-The new high-tech fabrications like rubberized cotton, permanently creased cottons and linens and elasticized goods

COLOR:

Seascape. Blues in pale sky to deep, inky navy have washed up in all segments of the market.

Apple pie. A tart apple green makes a fresh accent when paired with blues.

It's black and white. The bold combination was shown in strong, graphic sportswear separates as well as on small, delicate prints.

Lili Gaufrette sees the season in black and white at Children's Club.

A new take on pink. Designers added a dollop of warm brown to the color and teamed it with dusty lilac and deep pinky cocoa. Clean tones of true pink are still going strong.

Lilac haze. Lilac with a touch of brown or gray takes the sharpness out of the hue.

Join the navy. The dark hue is paired with white; is used in the classic red, white and blue combination; and lends a note of mystery when mixed with lighter shades of blue.

Ses Petites Mains takes a fresh look at red, white and blue at Bubble.

Twinkle, twinkle. Silver metallic and sometimes gold adds a chic note to casual collections.

Pure sunshine. Soft yellow teamed with pale gray looks sophisticated. Couture collections used a stinging shade of the color to add zing to the line.

PATTERNS:

-Ticking stripes is the go with everything print for girls and boys.

-With all the glittery goods and permanently creased materials, designers mixed textures to form layers of interest.

-Indonesian batiks, small prints and embroidery

-Tile inspired prints

-Wallpaper florals and tiny antique florals

Peek…Aren't You Curious exhibited a collection in a palette of soft pinks and cocoas at Bubble.

-Gingham for girls and boys

-Floral embroidery with a simple, modern look

-Floral "swirls" made of raw-edged cotton

-Animal skins in swimwear

-Polka dots

SWIMWEAR:

Exotica. Indonesian tile prints and floral designs give an exotic edge to swimsuits.

Planet Sea mixes prints with sparkle at Children's Club.

Tunics plus. Lovely, lightweight tunics are still tops for covering up at the beach. Simple tie-at-the-bust designs and sarong-style skirts in soft netting material offer a fresh alternative.

Surf city. Surf trunks in bold, graphic Hawaiian prints define boys' swimwear.

DETAILS:

-Grosgrain ribbon used for bows at the waists of dresses and laced through necklines

-Puckers adding detail at the bodice

-Tulle peeks from beneath hemlines

-Sequins

-Crocheted flowers, fabric rosettes

Originally published August 19, 2007