KIDS' STYLE

We asked a select group of moms from around the country to weigh in on getting their kids geared up to go back to school (or in some cases, to go to school for the very first time!)  Most children develop their own special "look" at an early age.  Below are their moms' thoughts about their kids' personal styles and fashion choices, how they feel about the end of summer vacation (and the beginning of "real" life), and other tasty anecdotes about their children.

Sarah, Mother of Three

They have their own look.  Philip, 8, Likes t shirts and shorts and New Balance shoes, Mary Elizabeth, 5, likes to dress herself, skirts, bikinis and side-pony tails, and the baby, Carolina, 1, goes with the flow.

Glad school is starting, two in “big school”, glad to have the routine but the house is empty, uniforms and back packs and schedules galore.

 The kids were elated to be in Hawaii to cheer their daddy on in a triathlon and go down the hotel water slides as many times as humanly possible.  The matching yellow sun shirts were to protect them from the hot, hot sun in their escapades.

Ryland, Mother of One

Jack Allen is preppy meets rocker. He often wears bright Polo shirts and especially likes the monogramed one that are ordered from the Ralph Lauren website. His favorites bottoms are his camoflage shorts and his cotton pants from American Apparel.

He likes the Gap for PJs and the occasional shirt. He has 3 pairs of Crocs with charms on them - skull and cross bones, jungle animals and reptiles.

His diaper bag is a camo Herve Chapalier (sp?) and the seat cover for high chairs and grocery carts (when Mommy remembers it) is covered in skulls and crossbones.



He's only 14 months, so school is still a while away. Having said that, I know he'll leave Mommy in the dust racing into school and I'll be a blubbering mess in my car!

 My favorite photo is from his birthday party. He took "smash cake" to a whole new level. He is such a ham and LOVES the camera.

P.S. instead of the bronzing of those white high tops that we all wore as kids, I had his Gucci loafers (a gift from my friend George) bronzed and put them in a lucite box.

Jamie, Mother of Three

All my kids definitely have their own style.  Fortunately for me I think they look pretty cool so I don't fight it.  Getting my son to "dress up" is quite the challenge however.  The breakdown goes as follows:

Griffin:  Cross between surfer/skateboarder and rocker dude.  He will only wear "skinny jeans" in black or denim, a shirt with something scary or something "rock n roll" on it, also usually in black, and either vans or black converse high-tops.  He will also wear a bathing suit.....

Sage:  Her current fave is a dress or long t-shirt belted over either leggings or skinny jeans with ether jeweled flats or boots.  A nifty hair-do and some jewelry round out her look.

Bria:  Oh wow, if I can get her out of ballet clothes I am doing great.  If she dons real clothing it is usually a skirt and t-shirt or tank top.  Shoes...well again, if she will wear them it is usually this awful pair of "princess" sandals.  Her hair.....well if I get a brush through it I am batting 1000.

My approach to getting them ready for school...uhhhhh...pack their lunch?   Just kidding, but I don't do anything other than let them know when it is.

How I feel about the end of summer/beginning of school is mixed.  I love the fact that there is no homework during the summer and the schedule is very loose.  We really enjoy the beach, surfing, horseback riding, etc. and when school starts there just isn't enough time for all that fun stuff.  On the flip side, having them back in school allows me more free time to do things I want and need to do.

This is our end of year trip to Lake Havasu and what I like about them (the pics) is the kids being outdoors, enjoying sports and things they rarely get to do.  What I see is just sheer joy in their faces and it makes me smile!

Alexandra, Mother of One

My son’s style, I guess, is defined by me since he is only 19 months and I dress him.  He is casual and cool – he wears a lot of monogrammed polos, preppy colors - pink, navy, green etc.  The brands he wears are: Polo, Kule, Vans, vintage tees, cargo shorts and pants, embroidered pants with whales and seersucker shorts, some Papa d'Anjo, Best & Company, Birdwell Beach Britches, Vilbrequin for swim, Vans, Stan Smith and Adidas shoes - I like to dress him like an adult more than a little boy - no smocked items here!



I ordered most of his clothes from trunk shows and online.  I just buy what I like.  This will be his first year at school.  I work full time so it does not make a difference to me, but honestly I am very excited to see the progress and possibilities he will encounter in school so it is very welcome

I love this image of my son and husband going down to the beach.  It was in Lyford Cay and we had the best time.  He loved the beach, and the picture brings up fabulous family memories.  The picture where he is by the mirrored chest is one I love.  It was Easter morning and instead of hunting eggs around the house, he only wanted knobs off the chest.  He had just mastered walking!  The other image was his first birthday in Mexico – we just shaved his head.  It makes me laugh … we LOVE him!!!

Tevia, Mother of Two

My son dresses himself in whatever is quickest and most comfy ... the result is that he often looks like a tourist or an undercover cop trying to look like a tourist.


He’s going into the 2nd grade.  I need to make sure his uniforms fit, go to dentist, get his hair cut, start to go to bed early and wake up early. I’m so sad that summer is over! I love to be with my kid -- I lose him every year to that darn school.  My pre-schooler really needs school to give him more friends and challenges than I can give or be ...

Mindy, Mother of One

I'm stumped on my kid’s style.  My son is almost 13 years old and all the boys dress like one another.  They seem to be more concerned about their shoes more than anything else and their t-shirt has to have the right logo on it. Oh, then there's the hair.  I have to drag him to have it cut since all the boys seem to prefer to wear it a little longer these days. It's a little strange to me since I grew up with sisters! 

As for getting him ready for school, I like to start early, but not too early since he's still growing.  3-4 weeks before school I hit Val-Surf for the cool t-shirts and buy those $120 sneakers on sale for $70!  I waited too long last year and couldn't find his size.  The good news was there were plenty of those $200 shoes in his size – ha!  It just seems so wrong to pay that much for a shoe that will last no more than 6 weeks before we're into the next size.

As for the end of summer vacation, I only wish I had more time to spend with him.  I'm glad school is starting again and we'll see what challenges the 7th grade brings!

Katie, Mother of Two

My girls have their own looks. Hallie (4) ONLY wants to wear super heroes like spider man, batman, superman. I am trying to convince her to wear Minnie Mouse and Wonder woman at this point. NOTHING ever matches that she chooses. These fashion choices are NOT my cup of tea.

Joycie (2.5) will ONLY leave the house in a pretty dress and frilly socks/shoes - preferably red or pink- she is a GIRLY girl!  Most days she wears "dress up" princess dresses unless I wont allow it in which case she wears a normal dress

I have the best summer of my life but was happy to get the girls back into a routine and get their heads out of the clouds. To bed early and we ALWAYS lay their clothes out the night before. We also use a "dress yourself" chart. Once Hallie has dressed herself 5X with no help, she gets to choose a speacial activity (ice skating, park, Hello Kitty store). The holiday picture of them in the dresses is obviously my choice of what they should wear.

DeeDee, Mother of Two

I have a six year old son, Roman , and and a three year old daughter, India.

Roman's style is surfer/skater-boy.  He wears shell and sharktooth necklaces and a bathing suit everyday.  He doesn't really care about clothes so I can still pick out his stuff.  Mainly he likes to be in his underwear.  His favorite shoes are "Crocs" because you don't have to lace and tie them and you can get them dirty and muddy as much as you want.  His favorite pair are NEON orange and they don't match anything that he wears.  They are always handy in a crowd or theme park because you can always spot him wherever he goes.

India is very neat and loves to dress herself and to pick out her hair accessories.  I couldn't have two children that are more opposite.  She has a wonderful wardrobe of fitted T-shirts, mini skirts and Juicy sweats.  Most things are simple and usually PINK.  I would love to have her wardrobe … it's hard to resist buying her things because everything looks good in a size 3T!
Roman goes to a private Catholic school so he has to wear a uniform and has to say goodbye to his long shaggy surfer hair in September.  The uniform idea is wonderful, getting ready in the morning is a "no brainer"... khaki pants and a polo shirt.  I'm sad to see the long hair go (it can't touch the collar of his shirt … which, to me, is a silly rule because, if you look at the pictures in the Bible, isn't everyone's hair long???

It's sad to see the Summer come to an end.  We've spent a lot of time in North Carolina enjoying the warm waters of the Atlantic, eating lots of seafood and spending time with relatives.  

This picture (above) is of Roman and India at La Jolla Cove in La Jolla, California, just north of San Diego.  This was a favorite vacation spot for me as a child and I recently painted a picture of me and my dad (made from a photo taken thirty years ago) in the very same spot.  I gave the painting to him for his birthday in May.  After finishing the painting I decided to take my own kids there this Summer to enjoy a weekend of snorkeling and "treasure hunting" in the caves surrounding the cove's beach.  We had a blast!

Sarah, Mother of Two

My children's style is...my style -- they have no choice in the matter! 

I prefer traditional monogrammed and matching dresses.  They wear dresses and bloomers everyday.  Each girl only has 1 pair of pants.    Feltman Brothers and Oriental Expressed are two fav brands.  Most of their dresses are smocked....

I am sad that summer is ending; we practically live at the pool.    

Waters (the 12 month old) literally purrs at good looking men.  It is scary because she is a seductress.  She gets men's attention by staring at them and then bats her eyes when they look at her. 

Baby Sarah (6 month old) is a little doll.  She was born with tons of dark hair, but it started falling out recently...she looked like a balding mullett.  I took it upon myself to shave her head, laughed so hard I almost cried. 

When my husband came home he was shocked and wanted to know who turned our little doll into a skinhead.  She's now growing it out, and it's blonde.