my classic style guide for baby girls
boys' edition is forthcoming!
I’ve never been a “girly girl.” As a kid, I was the only girl on the baseball team. I preferred playing in the creek to prowling Limited Too. If I was born a decade later, and if my parents were gullible fools, which they weren’t, I’m sure someone could have diagnosed me with “gender dysphoria.” A tomboy on the last helicopter out of Vietnam, it seems.
Like so many other girls, I eventually grew out of it, and now take a keen interest in fashion. If you’ve been reading me for awhile, you know I take a systematic, and frankly obsessive, approach. Now, dressing my kids is one of my favorite things to do. They’re the baby dolls I never played with before.
People often ask how I find things for them to wear. I do put considerable thought into this, and considering the inquiries, I thought it merited an essay. Another reason: there are parts of kids’ fashion that have fallen out of our vocabulary. How are we to know them, let alone find them, if we cannot name them? The following enumerates all the basic elements of a female child’s wardrobe. It got long quickly, so my boys’ edition will follow next week. This is how I dress my girls for mass, parties, and nice outings. Not formal, not casual, but the nicer in-between that used to be standard. Southerners still understand, but it appears we may be the last.
The first principle for me, when it comes to basically anything: would Catherine the Princess of Wales do it? No one dresses their children better. As Target and others have begun to normalize strangely suggestive clothing for children, this has proven a good rule of thumb. Classic silhouettes, smocking, and the appropriate underwear and outerwear make a solid foundation.
Without further ado:
Bloomers
These are the underwear that go over diapers and regular underwear. They are opaque, often loose, with elastic ends, as well as ruffles. They allow your little one to play freely without exposing herself. I think they suit any young girl in a dress who is young enough to play on a playground. For more casual wear, you can find “cartwheel shorts,” which are alot like biker-length leggings. These seem to be a forgotten element of a child’s wardrobe, but I think they’re important. Opt for 100% linen or cotton for breathability and comfort.
See: Little English, Etsy
Tights
Summer is basically the only season my girls aren’t wearing tights. As soon as fall comes, and as long as the spring air is cool, I have so much fun experimenting with colors, patterns, and materials in tights. What may first spring to mind: the classic ballet-like nylon material, which I think are more suitable for children who are not crawling. Otherwise, opt for cotton or wool, depending on the season.
Socks with ruffles
These are, again, a classic part of a girls’ wardrobe. They add whimsy! I prefer white cotton with lace ruffles.
Mary Jane Shoes
These are the shoes you’d think of when you think “church shoes for girls,” but didn’t know what they were called. You could easily get away with two pairs for an entire year: white leather for spring and summer, brown leather for fall and winter. However, I love the look of black patent leather for Christmastime.
Smocked / “bishop” dresses and “bubbles”
Whenever my non-Southern friends see pictures of my kids from church, they ask: “What is that kind of dress called?” Like so many of our traditions, this is distinctly Anglo: In the 18th century, through linguistic and fashion evolution, the word “smocks” was then used to name the large cotton or linen blouses worn as working garments by British peasants and farmers. By extension, it also described the technique employed to create them. Square shaped, to avoid having to create a paper pattern and to limit fabric waste, the smocks, that is, the method of pleating fabric in a regular manner and then embroidering it, was an efficient way of reducing fabric width while maintaining elasticity and freedom of movement. The fabric excess, in particular at the wrists, necklines and bust, was thus meticulously pleated. The evenly gathered pleats were then maintained with embroideries. Although decorative, these geometrical or figurative embroideries were first and foremost functional. Peasants had to be comfortable and at ease in their clothes to perform physical tasks on farms and fields.
I like them because they are beautiful, cotton, and the children can truly be free to play in them. Dresses obviously have open bottoms, and bubbles cinch around adorably chubby thighs. Look, also, for “peter pan collars.” You can often find great small businesses on Etsy.
Cardigan
Again, a classic: sweaters that button in the front. Opt for white cotton in spring and summer, and a deeper color like brown or maroon in fall and winter, in wool or a thicker cable knit. I love the whimsy of embroidery; if you have any family symbols – like, in our case, bumblebees – this is a great opportunity to find and feature them. Style by buttoning the top two buttons and leaving the rest. Pull any collar on the garment underneath above the sweater and fold over.
Bows
The hair is the crowning element of your child’s outfit! Some girls can’t stand the feeling of things in their hair, but I always make an effort to brush it, at least. The cutest thing ever is to tie up their bangs on top of their head in a tiny elastic, and then fasten an alligator clip, grosgrain bow onto the ponytail. For a very young baby, you want to make sure the alligator clip is covered in fabric, rather than the naked metal, which can tear their hair out if they pull on it. Grosgrain is the classic material, a heavy, stiff ribbon of silk or nylon woven via taffeta weave using a heavy weft, which results in distinct transverse ribs, but velvet or satin ribbons look beautiful, too, especially in the colder months. Again, pay attention to the language and search for these words specifically. Final note: at least in the South: the bigger the better. Bows range wildly in expense.
Bonnets
This is truly old school, and the kids grow out of it at about a year old, but there is nothing cuter, in my view, than a baby bonnet. I love lace.
Notes, nice touches, and NO’s:
Monograms are at home in the South, and I think they’re so cute for kids. Anything and everything can be monogrammed: the dress, the bow, the backpack, the sweater.
That said, aside from a monogram, I never buy my kids clothing with text on it, unless it’s a T shirt or something for sport.
You can easily create a capsule wardrobe by purchasing all of these in the same color family. It may seem like a lot, but you can waste much more money buying things impulsively outside a system, especially when you feel like they have “nothing to wear.”
I like for my kids to match or at least rhyme in color, and nothing feels better than pulling up to a party as a unit. It’s cute.
Smocked dresses can be expensive, but I have found amazing luck in thrift stores like Kid to Kid or Once Upon a Child, which often sell $50 dresses for $10. I always buy shoes new, though.