Thursday, March 4, 2010

The Well-Dressed Child





For those of you with kids in your life, be it your own, a niece, nephew, or a friend’s child, I highly recommend Bella Bliss. A clothing company founded in Lexington, Ky. (a shout-out to my college town), Bella Bliss features the most beautiful, classic children’s clothes. Besides its flagship store in Lexington, other boutiques across the country carry their clothing.

My son has an adorable hand-knitted sweater from Bella Bliss (the one pictured above, although he doesn’t wear a pink coat with it :). And, Miss E. just received the sundress featured above for her birthday. This will be perfect for the beach and other special summer days.

Another line of children’s clothes that I love to look at, but will likely never purchase unless I win the lottery, is Papo d’Anjo. I learned about this clothing line after reading about the founder, Catherine Monteiro de Barros, in Cookie Magazine (may it rest in peace). The business is based in Lisbon, Portugal and the clothing is exquisite. I've been invited to a couple of their trunk shows (you should see the invitations to these things - gorgeous), but I declined, knowing that I couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on something my kids would grow out of so quickly. (Yeah, yeah, I know I just went wild at Lilly Pulitzer, but that was for charity, so that's justified. Right??) Check out the driving shoes for six year-olds. Um, yeah.

Do you have a favorite children’s store or clothing line that you often frequent for special occasions, holidays, etc.? Sometimes it’s just nice to dress the little ones up every now and then. It may be a brief moment between the time they step out the door and into the mud, so try to snap a photo if you can. :)

P.S. – Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes for Miss E! She had a wonderful birthday, full of pink, princesses and plenty of cake. She woke up this morning and said, “Mommy, can you believe you have a five-year-old?!” No, sweet girl, I can’t.
Images courtesy of Bella Bliss and Papo d'Anjo

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great site! I am loving the clothes and that polka dot bike I spotted in a pic. Hope your having a great week! xoxo

p.s. sorry I missed the birthday fun...sending belated wishes!

Elizabeth said...

Bella Bliss is my all time favorite children's store. I wish I could get Ella's entire wardrobe there.

pve design said...

I love classic clothing for children, but my 10 year old loves sparkles and the latest trends so I pick my battles. I did have fun dressing her as a wee tot in smocked dresses and mary janes!
Off to take a look at Bella Bliss.
pve

MaroDe said...

These clothes remind me Europe when I lived there. When I was trying to dress my daughter like this, she thought it was "old fashion" and I was so disappointed I couldn't make her my baby doll!
Please keep insisting with the look. Many Americans think this is too proper and formal!...

Natasha in Oz said...

Those clothes are really gorgeous and I just love the shoes! Thanks so much for letting me know about this site.

Best wishes for a wonderful weekend and belated birthday wishes to your beautiful 5 year old!

Natasha.

Southern Aspirations said...

They are adorable!! Must keep those sources in mind...

Anastasia Schembri said...

These look so adorable, I'm off to check out the site right now!!

bevy said...

My boys are going through a HORRIBLE stage of Aeropostle, Holister, etc. They also love those awful "hoodies". They are almost 11 and 8. Oh, how I miss the days of smocked john johns!

At least when the have to look presentable, they understand and (for the most part) will comply with the suit de jour!

Metropolitan Mum said...

My MIL buys Ralph Lauren and Baby Hilfiger for little L. It suits her really well :) I am buying The White Company and Bon Point. I just love well behaved kids in preppy cloth.

Bow Tie Guy said...

This is my first visit...excellent blog.
I'll keep this in my bookmarks for next time I need something for the nieces and nephews. I am always giving them classic clothing. My parents made sure I was well-dressed. By the time I was three or four, they no longer picked things for me and I had developed my own classically inspired style. Given the ubiquity of sweat pants and fleece worn by contemporary children, I aim to imbue the tykes with an appreciation for wool.

BTG

tada! shop said...

Bella Bliss is a staple in our kids' wardrobes. Especially the cords. We just featured Bella Bliss owner Lisa McLean on tadashop.com. She gave us her favorites from her line along with her picks for Spring.
http://www.tadashop.com/picks/lisa-mclean-bella-bliss/4b854fc0675893327f000004