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Children's Club: Established Collections Gear Up for Fall 2008 - Part II
INFANT AND UP: LUCKY WANG Homebase: New York, NY DESIGNER: Emily Wang Sizes: 6 months to 4T; Wholesale prices: contact manufacturer Wang creates great gift pieces and that one special garment that adds pop to a wardrobe.
Outstanding pieces: The blouse is lean and elegant, the print is colored beautifully and even with details like the bow at the neck and rows of ruffles, it looks playful not prim. In the stretch denim "skort," a girl is ready for anything. Tel: 212-229-2900 E-mail: wholesale@luckywang.com
MARIE CHANTAL Homebase: New York, NY DESIGNER: Princess Marie Chantal of Greece Sizes: Girls NB to 12 years, Boys NB to 8 years; Wholesale prices: $12-$396 Chantal is a traditionalist who manages to take the starch out of classic looks.
Outstanding pieces: The designer works with a palette of taupes and chocolates in luxury fabrications. Neutral tones, of course, mean the pieces can stay in a child's - or their siblings - wardrobe season after season. Tel: 212-274-1100 E-mail: alexandria@mariechantal.com
MISH MISH Homebase: Closter, NJ DESIGNERS: Ilana Koren and Yael Ravid-Sagi Sizes: Girls NB to 10, Boys NB to 4; Wholesale prices: $6.50-$41 Upbeat colors, an arresting play of pattern-on-pattern and unusual shapes make a memorable collection.
Outstanding pieces: I didn't see a lot of tiered shapes or longer skirt lengths at the show, but the glow of color here and the way the sweater draws the pieces close to the body freshens the look. Tel: 201-641-6991 E-mail: info@mishmish-usa.com
OEUF Homebase: Brooklyn, NY DESIGNER: Sophie DeMenge Sizes: Girls 6 months to 6X, Boys 6 months to 8 years; Wholesale prices: $20-$55 Known for her knits made from Fair Trade cotton and baby alpaca, DeMenge now offers sportswear with the same modern aesthetic. Sticking to a single palette of rose, brick red, taupey-cocoa and pale blue, she spun a collection of easy to mix-and-match pieces with Indian prints to shake up the works.
Outstanding pieces: For girls, a traditional hoodie gets a touch of sophistication with a smock-like shape and details. The skirt is one of those easy-to-throw-on, wear-everywhere pieces that coordinate to anything in a girl's closet, and it's got one more practical detail: tiny, invisible snaps at the crotch that keep the garment from flipping up - perfect for that impromptu cartwheel.
In pale blue and brown, a boy looks classic yet elegant. Tel: 845-229-0519 E-mail: celine@oeufnyc.com
OOH LA LA COUTURE Homebase: Port Jefferson, NY DESIGNERS: Ann Dugourd and Jennifer Rotunno Sizes: NB to 10; Wholesale prices: $5-$36 Sales prove it: tutus are a girl's best friend.
Outstanding pieces: For those who can't get enough of these frothy confections, this little number is too, too cute! Tel: 631-478-5641 E-mail: oohlalacouture@yahoo.com
TEA Homebase: San Francisco, CA DESIGNER: Emily Meyer Sizes: Girls and boys Layette to 8 years; Wholesale prices for Nihon Nature collection $9.50-$43.50 Meyer is not only a designer; she's a world traveler who takes children along for the ride. This season, she's inspired by the rich palettes, Icelandic motifs and rustic plaids of Scandinavia.
Outstanding pieces: Taking the simplicity of Scandinavian design, Meyer has fashioned a uniquely shaped dress in dramatic orchid colored cotton sateen. The piece can be layered for the colder months; worn solo, it works right through spring.
The pieces here are so warmly toned and intriguingly patterned, they're difficult to take your eyes off. And that combination of khaki, leaf, sky and taupey-cocoa is what great color work is all about. Tel: 415-621-9400 E-mail: info@teacollection.com
3 POMMES Homebase: Lyon, France DESIGNER: The 3 Pommes design team Sizes: 3 months to 12 years; Wholesale prices: $7-$24 I'm a big fan of this extensive collection for all the reasons retailers love it: It's colored beautifully, the fabrics and manufacturing are top-notch and it's loaded with arresting details. Another plus: the prices don't give retailers - or consumers - sticker shock.
Outstanding pieces: This little coral charmer gets a touch of sparkle with a touch of metallic trim. Groupe Zannier USA Tel: 212-279-7672 jamesgirone.com/groupezannierusa
PAMPOLINA AND PJE Homebase: Pegnitz, Germany DESIGNER: Margareta Brendel Sizes: Girls 6m -16, Boys 2T-8; Wholesale prices: $14-$50 PJE Designer: Brigette Tiemann-Hone Sizes: Girls 2T-10 (no boys); Wholesale prices: $15-$60 Both Pampolina and PJE exhibited fashion forward collections with ingenious details. Their outerwear this season really shines.
Outstanding pieces: For a girl who wants to jump headfirst into the season's trends, PJE's slim fitting, metallic jacket with interesting quilted detail is the way to go.
This washed plaid jacket and hoodie by Pampolina are great looking layering items, right? Not exactly. The hood and front placket are buttoned into the jacket, so a boy gets the look and warmth of multiple pieces without the bulk. And, no, that isn't a collared shirt over a tee. Again, it's a clever two-for-one. Tel: 610-458-5050 E-mail: lcalciano@pampolinaus.com
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