WONDERBOY
Designer
Christine Johnson was one of the first to offer prints
other than stripes and plaids for boys' shirting. Great
shirts still rule as well as lean, dark wash jeans.
Outstanding Pieces: An electric blue polo picks up the
blue in the button-down and gives a touch of heat to
unfussy jeans. Sizes: 6 months to 20; Wholesale prices:
$15-$26; Tel: 215 462-1177; wonderboyclothing.com
RED
WAGON BABY
Afton
Farley understands trends, yet her garments never look
flashy or overtly sexy. She understands color, too, and
uses subdued hues of fashion forward shades and
neutrals.
Outstanding Pieces: Gray matters at Red Wagon Baby. For
girls, Farley tames flirty shapes and ruffles with the
sophisticated neutral, while new boys' pieces employ a
deep shade of the color to pop motifs, such as the
t-shirt with the season's hot ship graphic. Sizes: 3 mos.
to 6 years; Wholesale prices: $12-$26; Tel: 310-569-0366;
redwagonbaby.com.
INTAKT
Launched
by industry veterans with decades of design, production
and marketing experience, Intakt offers a line of cotton
separates that are meant for play.
Outstanding Pieces: A funky splatter print takes the
stuffiness out of a polo shirt while a tee sports a
graphic with the always popular skate board theme. Fun
touches such as the faux zipper on the Bermuda shorts add
panache. Sizes: 12 months to 7 years; Wholesale prices:
$11-$22; intaktclothing.com.
EUROPANN
"Europann
is the men's and boy's line of Europann Taboo: this
French beachwear company develops a southern European
trendy look, thanks to exclusive and sophisticated
prints." A boy can look easy and stylish in coordinated
shirts and cut-for-comfort drawstring swimsuits.
Outstanding Piece: Polyomide, a quick drying material
with a soft, dry hand, and mesh-lined swim trunks in
bright solids or playful prints are ideal for a day in
Saint-Tropez, or even a few hours on Jones Beach. Sizes:
2 to 16 years; Wholesale price: $38; Tel: 347-394-3151;
lolligo.com.
GNU
BRAND
DesignerJoy
Cha has a following of buyers who adore her brightly
colored, ruffle-bedecked, heavily adorned girlswear. For
boys, her new Gnu Brand takes a quieter approach to
sportswear with soft colors and just one pop of "wow"
with a richly textured appliqued T-shirt.
Outstanding Pieces: From the Treasure Hunt group comes
the Pirate Dog in an insouciantly fringed hat. Both the
tee and cargo shorts are made of heavy weight cotton knit
for a luxurious feel. Sizes: 3 months to 7 years;
Wholesale prices: $15-$18; Tel: 630-260-7885;
lemonloveslime.com.
ACIDO
DOMINGO
Each
season designer Omar Alicea blends original heat
transfers with prints to create futuristic tees. For
Spring/Summer 2012, he added polo shirts with cheeky
appeal.
Outstanding Piece: The front of this t-shirt is staid,
and then the designer shakes things up with the odd
kissing rabbits graphic on the back. Sizes: 3 months to
Adult large; Wholesale prices: $17-$27; Tel: 718
797-3772; bebesol.com
KICOKIDS
Kicokids is
having a "Slamapopsizzlesect" kind of season. They're
"juxtaposing a dash of street culture, a sprinkling of
high-tech, and a pinch of humor" into a skateboards and
insect-inspired collection. They're waxing but not waning
with linen and denim treated with a wax surface, blending
high-tech with artisan techniques in hand knit jute and
tulle pieces, and glow-in-the-dark reflective bonding is
laser cut and hot fixed to vests and tees.
Outstanding Pieces:
Color-blocking looks fresh in a waxed denim and cotton
poplin wear-with-everything jacket. Ladybugs inspire the
camp shirt's bright pattern.
No tutus here. Instead
the designers weave strips of vivid tulle to fashion a
couture dress.
In daylight, the jacket
is all about subtle color and an unusual cocoon-like
shape. In the dark (or shot with a flash), the piping
glows like a firefly. Sizes: 2 to 12 years; Wholesale
prices: $12-$85; Tel:
212-675-5426; kicokids.com
MONSTER
REPUBLIC
It's
race cars and robots for spring: front and back, up and
down.
Outstanding Pieces: The colors and stripe shout
"nautical," but the embroidered robot heads bring the
baby set into a whole new territory.
Buyers:
Passing up this funky cat-appliqued T-shirt and plaid
cargo shorts would be cataclysmic. Buying it and not
using it in a store display would be downright
catastrophic. (My apologies to Steve Martin.)
Sizes: 12 months to 10
years; Wholesale prices: $16-$21;Tel:
213-489-3050; monsterrepublic.com.
LOSAN
Outstanding
Pieces: A squeeze of lime gives a kick to Losan's
photographic tee, hoodie and casual cargo pants for boys.
Sizes: NB to 10 years; Wholesale prices: $9.50-$30; Tel:
866-262-2654; creationsrobo.com;
losan.com.
SKYLAR
LUNA
Stock up on
Skylar Luna's in-stock organic cotton pajamas in funky
stripes, sweet prints and one rockin' robot graphic.
Sizes: 12 months to 8 years; Wholesale prices for pajama
sets: $17;
Tel:
646-645-9773;
tinyginger.com;
skylarluna.com.
CITY
THREADS
Skateboarding,
surfing: Designer Shayna Samuels covers "extreme" sports
in her bright graphic T-shirts, coordinating swimsuits
and hats.
Outstanding Pieces: The shapes printed on the swim trunks
pick up on the wave motif of the tee's graphic. Nice!
Sizes for T-shirts: 3 months to 12 years; Wholesale
prices for T-shirts: $6.75-$19.50;Tel: 213-612-3710;
citythreads.com.
GNU
BRAND
Like her
beloved girls' collection Lemon Loves Lime, designer Joy
Cha's Gnu Brand offers unexpected color mixing and
appliqués of pure whimsy for boys.
Outstanding Pieces: The duck's necktie makes this
charming one-piece perfect for formal occasions. Sizes: 3
months to 7 years; Wholesale prices:
$15-$18; Tel:
630-260-7885; lemonloveslime.com;
gnubrand.
IKKS
Lots of
pattern mixing and piecing in this season's collection,
yet the designs always look clean, not overworked.
Outstanding Pieces: Not just another button-down: this
shirt works stripes into an interesting pattern, then
adds a contrasting print on the collar, cuffs and yet
another design as elbow patches. With this much going on,
dark jeans are the right partner. Sizes: 3 months to 14
years; Average wholesale price:
$33;
(212)
279-7672;
groupezannierusa.
BEES
& DRAGONS
Designer
Sophie Maarek adds a twist to the Spring/Summer 2012
collection by using familiar fabrics in unusual ways and
combining the shapes with elegant graphics.
Outstanding Pieces: Seersucker, a favorite spring fabric
for button jackets, looks fresh in a narrow shape with a
zipper. The sailboat on the tee has that laid-back,
painted-in-seconds ease. Sizes: 1 to 18 months; Wholesale
prices: $8-$26; Tel:
213 489-3050; beesanddragons.com.
MONSTER
REPUBLIC
Motifs that
boys adore such as skulls and ships, funky animals look
great on hip stripes and funky plaids.
Outstanding Piece: One thing I can say about designer
Albert Lee: he isn't afraid of a little drama. Sizes: 12
months to 10 years; Wholesale prices: $16-$21; Tel:
213-489-3050; monsterrepublic.com.
BOBINETTE
Button-down
shirts in fashion forward plaids, stripes and prints meet
their match with easy shorts and pants, and one
"must-have" vest.
Outstanding Pieces: The coolest way to do a suit: top the
striped shirt (collar and cuffs are edged with red
gingham) and dandy vest with a dapper chambray striped
jacket. Add shorts. Perfect. Sizes: 6 months to 8 years;
Wholesale prices: $19-$22; Tel: 702-686-0155;
bobinette.com.
FERD
Designer
Jennifer Connaughton is right in the middle of her blue
period; she loves those dusty shades of the color, and
she does them justice with a beautifully conceived
collection that looks clean and elegant on the sales
floor.
Outstanding Pieces: More is more when moody blue stripes
are layered over moody blue stripes. Sizes: Girls and
boys: 6 months to 8 years; Wholesale prices: $24-$56;
Tel: 347-394-3151; lolligo.com;
ferdkids.com.
ME
TOO
This is the
collection buyers source when they want clean, clear,
vivid color.
Outstanding Pieces: The tee's graphic is a new take on
the safari theme, and the designers haven't missed an
opportunity to add detail to the long shorts. Sizes:
girls and boys: NB to 10 years; Wholesale prices:
$7.50-$30; Tel: 866-262-2654; creationsrobo.com.
GO
GENTLY BABY
For
Spring/Summer 2012, designer Kristin Coia works paired
down silhouettes with a fresh, fruity palette and a
smattering of stripes.
Outstanding Pieces: Coia shakes up nautical looks by
combining an organic cotton windbreaker with a jaunty
striped tee, dressed up with a faux tie. Sizes: Girls and
boys: NB to 6 years; Wholesale prices: $13-$31;
Tel:
347-394-3151; lolligo.com;
gogentlybaby.com.
APPAMAN
Harald Husum's
Spring/Summer 2012 collection continues to surprise with
suits and tailored jackets. The narrow cut of the pieces
adds elegance to the collection's funky T-shirts and
candy colored pants.
Outstanding Piece: The seersucker jacket - a dandy piece
for a little dandy. Sizes: girls NB to 14 years, boys NB
to 20; Wholesale prices: $14-$60;
Tel:
212-460-5480; appaman.com.
MIMI
& MAGGIE
JoAnne
Yamamoto turns her focus on boyswear with the new Thunder
Monroe group. The items have the same casual look, love
of color and pattern mixing that one finds in her girls'
collections.
Outstanding Pieces: Mix it up, throw it on and it all
looks great. With the designer's terrific color sense and
feel for scale, you're in good hands. Sizes for Thunder
Monroe: 3 months to 4T; Wholesale prices:
$14-$20;
mimiandmaggie.com.
SCOUT
COLLECTION
Designers Mimi
and Ellen Leinbach excel at creating timely palettes with
a bit of quirkiness that sets them apart. Look for easy,
feminine shapes for girls and fun graphics for boys.
Outstanding Pieces: More of a wave than a ruffle creates
mystery on the front of the Imagine Dress. A boat neck
and tab pocket lend a note of Parisian romance to the
boy's Discover Tee. Sizes: NB to 8 years; Wholesale
prices: $13-$29; Tel: 510-868-2871; scoutcollection.com.
KAPITAL
K
It's all in
the details; a motto the designer Spencer Sujjaporamest
never forgets.
Outstanding Pieces: A
western-style gingham shirt edged in navy teams up with a
great robot graphic tee and lightweight cargo shorts.
It's red, white and blue, but traditional? Nah. Sizes: 12
months to 8 years; Wholesale prices: $11-$22; Tel:
212-801-2387; threadshowroom.com;
kapital-k.com.
ELEGANT
BABY
Fresh colors
and whimsical patterns make the organic cotton, nylon and
spandex socks - sold in cute, coordinating boxes - an
ideal gift and giftwear display.
Outstanding Pieces: Little boys will feel like champs
wearing the All Star sock set, some with the words "All
Star," "MVP" and "Slugger" knit into the bands. The Joey
set eliminates the need for pesky shoelaces. Sizes: Fits
NB to 12 months; Wholesale price for Baby Socks: $12 for
six pairs; Tel: 800-334-5321; elegantbaby.com.
ZUTANO
Designer Uli
Belenky scores again with a multi-piece collection that
blends classic, sporty looks with playful, sea-life
inspired graphics and patterns.
Outstanding
Pieces: Garments that can hang with nautical groups in a
store display, and yet, thanks to the graphics and royal
blue pop color, they're something all together different.
Sizes: NB to 4T; Wholesale prices: $5.25-$27;
Tel:
800.287.5139; zutano.com.
CITY
THREADS
Shayna Samuels
coordinates T-shirts with dynamic graphics to equally
bold swim trunks. Her palette guarantees a parent can
spot their son on the beach.
Outstanding Pieces: Surfboards and lightening bolts:
Samuels' line offers all the hip graphics boys' love.
Sizes for T-shirts: 3 months to 12 years; Wholesale
prices for T-shirts: $6.75-$19.50; Tel:
213-612-3710; citythreads.com.
ADORE
LA VIE
Adore La
Vie isn't just a dress line anymore. For spring 2012,
Amanda Boyd added a boys' group that coordinates
perfectly to the girls' line.
Outstanding Pieces: The dynamic Safari group blends
fearless pattern mixing and go-for-broke colors. Tel:
630-240-1757; Sizes: Girls and boys 6 months to 10 years;
Wholesale prices: $11-$32; adorelaviedesigns.com.
3
POMMES
3 Pommes is
one of my, and so many buyers', favorite collections for
its elegant palettes, fashion forward shapes and sense of
whimsy. One especially successful group offers pale, warm
gray and leaf green adding a playful note to the neutral
and a timely touch to the cool tone.
Outstanding Pieces: A picture doesn't do this lovely
little dress justice: you can't feel the silky, light
hand of the goods, or appreciate the pretty gray shade or
how lovely that band of lace looks near the hemline.
Shades of gray and leaf update a classic Western shirt.
The coordinating tee announces a Jazz festival. So grown
up! Sizes: Girls: Girls and boys: NB to 16 years;
Wholesale prices: $3.50-$40; (212)
279-7672;
(213)
627-2779; groupezannierusa.
IKKS
There's a
sweet mood to the IKKS girls' collection, as if the
designers spent a few days in Provence with a notebook
and bottle of Rosé, and their take on boys' plaid
is chic.
Outstanding Pieces: The nearly weightless little sister
and big sister dress is meant for a summer event.
Narrowly cut shorts and a T-shirt look pulled together
when paired with a lean vest in a subdued plaid. Sizes: 3
months to 14 years; Wholesale prices: Contact
manufacturer; (212) 279-7672;
(213)
627-2779; groupezannierusa.
WONDERBOY
Turquoise
and red add pops of color to a sharp palette of charcoal,
black and a touch of earth brown. Shapes are narrow and
touches such as single-button plackets and side vents
that turn a simple shirt into a tunic, add interest.
Outstanding Pieces: Laid-back pieces in the kind of
washed-down tones boys like and graphics with a sense of
humor. Sizes: 6/12
months
to 10 years; Wholesale prices: $15-$26; Tel:
215-462-1177; wonderboyclothing.com.
KAPITAL
K
Sport
and racing themes speed through designer Spencer
Sujjaporamest's well-edited boys' collection of tees,
shirts and shorts.
Outstanding Piece: The Ocean Blue Stripe shirt is for the
preppy boy who wants a slightly edgier shirt, or a little
hipster who wants to add a formal note to plaid shorts.
Sizes:12 months to 8 years; Wholesale prices: $11-$22;
Tel: 917-656-0270;
kapital-k.com.
ANDY
& EVAN FOR LITTLE
GENTLEMEN
We love little boys in crisp button-down shirts - if the
hems stay tucked neatly into the pants. With Shirtzies,
parents can dress infants in soft cotton shirts with
contrasting cuffs and plackets that stay neat thanks to a
one-piece closure. Remember the body suit? It's back!
Outstanding Piece: The entire Little Gentlemen collection
of polo shirts and polo rompers, twill and knit shorts
and pants, and bucket hats possess clean, classic
styling. The Shirtzie, though, is the designer's
"must-have" item. Sizes: 3 to 24 months; Wholesale
prices: $8-$23 Tel: 212-967-7908; andyandevankids.com.
AMELIA
Imported
from Milan, this collection features simply shaped,
classic pieces in solids and fresh, happy prints.
Outstanding Pieces: For the bambina, the dress is loose
and easy and the print, charming. Little bambinos look
pulled together yet casual with a neutral vest, striped
shirt and drawstring pants. Sizes: 3 months to 8 years;
wholesale prices: $26-$45;
Tel:
718-232-0012;
ameliamilano.it.
Originally
published December 9, 2011
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