Classic Fashion

Archive for the ‘Kids Classic Style’ Category

You may have not noticed, but a lot of the celebrity kids today are wearing kid’s clothing pieces that adhere to the Japanese street fashion style. After all, the entertainment press usually covers the likes of Suri Cruise and her penchant for chic, stylish, and almost clinical designer kid’s clothing. But if you look at the likes of Leni Samuel and Kaya McEknna and their eccentrically designed tees, for instance, or Jaden Smith’s hip and street style-infused fashion, it would be easy to see that celebrity kids are also embracing the classy and cute style of Japanese kid’s clothing.

In fact, these celebrity kids may actually be wearing Japanese-inspired kid’s clothing without even knowing it.

Jaden Smith, for instance, wears a lot of kid’s clothing pieces that hardly match. During the Twilight Saga: Eclipse premiere in Los Angeles, he wore a gray vest with silver spikes over a plain white cotton shirt, black straight cut pants, and black boots. His sister, Willow Smith, wore a yellow tank top under a chest length leather jacket with floral print. These kid’s clothing pieces combine the formal and casual kid’s clothing aesthetics, something common in Japanese fashion.

Jaden’s spiky jacket and Willow’s floral printed vest, meanwhile, have very distinct marks of Japanese kid’s clothing style. The floral style on the leather vest is actually quite Victorian-Lolita in aesthetics, although the girly and youthful yellow tank top defuses whatever inappropriateness that particular kid’s clothing has to create a very distinct style, something akin to Japanese kid’s clothing street fashion. Jaden’s jacket, on the other hand, is more hardcore, as it uses the concept of Visual Kei, a Japanese fashion style that borders on the flamboyant and the kitschy. Many fashion bloggers and experts did comment that Jaden’s kid’s clothing piece is very glam rock in style-and glam rock is one of the styles that influenced Visual Kei.

Of course, it goes without saying that Jaden’s and Willow’s kid’s clothing outfits were cute and age appropriate, classy and young-and very Japanese in style.

Many celebrity kids follow the footsteps of Jaden and Willow when it comes to consciously or unintentionally using Japanese kid’s clothing fashion as the template for their own ensemble. Shiloh Pitt, for instance, has been seen wearing very feminine sundresses that look like a mellowed-down Lolita dress. Even the prints of Suri Cruise’s designer kid’s clothing pieces are reminiscent of the ones you’d see in Japan right now!

This is possible due to many reasons. For one, good fashion will always be good fashion-regardless whether the style is American or Japanese. But more than that, Japanese anthropologists and pop culture experts have said over and over again that Japanese street fashion and even the more current Japanese kid’s clothing fashion styles such as the mellowed-down Lolita dresses are actually imitations of fashion styles from other cultures and countries, including but not limited to America. This exact reason makes Japanese kid’s clothing appropriate and fashionably gorgeous and fitting for American kids.

Although merchants and advertisers would have us believe that kid’s tech toys are king this Christmas, many parents, grandparents, and gift givers long for the simplicity of a low-tech Christmas featuring the classics that we remember from our own childhood – wagons, toy trains and transportation, simple building blocks, and high quality children’s furniture that facilitates pretend play. Many adults want to give gifts that are made of high quality materials that will last, be loved for generations to come, and be passed down to the recipient’s own kids.

Most classic, retro and heirloom quality children’s gifts are made of wood or metal because both are high quality materials that lasts. Although more expensive than the plastic toys of today, metal and wooden toys are worth the investment because they hold their value and they don’t break, fall apart or lose parts. Here are five classic toys that might fit the bill for folks seeking out nostalgic toys this Christmas:

1. Radio Flyer Classic Wagon: This is the classic red wagon that most of us remember from our childhood. It’s flared edge is what stands it apart from competitors and makes it recognizable. (The design is trademarked). This item has been in production for over 30 years and is in the Parents Magazine Hall Of Fame. It retails for about $65. Considering it will be used for years, this price tag isn’t a bad one.

2. Classic Wooden Train Set: Every child needs a classic wooden train set. Children love making trains go over the bridge and around the town while pretend-playing situations for the passengers. Most sets come with bridges, houses and people/figures to encourage pretend play. Prices vary depending on the number of pieces and accessories.

3. Classic Wooden Kitchen: You see these little kitchens in almost every preschool and nursery today, but unfortunately most are made of plastic that absorbs spills and debris and stains horribly. Look for a large, wooden kitchen with a removable sink (so it can be cleaned) Cabinet doors that open and provide storage for kitchen supplies or can function as a pretend oven is a huge plus. Wooden kitchens run about $150.

4. Classic Wooden Building Blocks: Wooden building blocks should be required in every playroom. Not only do they encourage mobility and fine motor skills, they are also wonderful for pretend play and role playing and the combinations and possibilities are endless. Blocks challenge children to make the visions in their mind a physical reality. This is important for both problem solving, troubleshooting and imagination. Basic wooden block sets start at about $30 and are priced based upon the number of blocks and how elaborate the set is. Some incorporate transportation or specialty buildings like castles or forts.

5. Classic Radio Flyer Bicycle: No matter how high tech our children become, they still love feeling the wind in their hair and the excitement of getting from here to there on a bicycle. This classic red, bike is the one you remember from your childhood and has the recognizable silver, steel bell as well as the stability training wheels. Retails for about $50.

Christmas and gift-giving occasions provide the perfect opportunity to share your childhood with the children you love. With just a little searching, you can find many suitable retro, classic toys to share with kids who live amongst ipods and gameboys.

As an adult, you know that there are certain pieces of clothing that you cannot live without. For instance, every adult should have a nice pair of pants, a formal suit or dress, a coat, and so on. For kid’s clothing, there are also certain pieces that would make any child’s cabinet commendable enough to survive any type of fashion necessity. Here are some of the classic kid’s clothing pieces that will never go out of style:

1. Shirts. Your child’s closet should at least have one plain one shirt, as well as a number of comfortable but stylish shirts. Toddlers and even pre-teens are likely to prefer this piece of kid’s clothing because of it is comfortable and possibly chic. For casual wear, buy bright or light colored shirts. If you attend formal events, buy a tight fitting plain black shirt, since it goes well with coats, jackets, and suits. For girl’s kid’s clothing, buy a top that goes well with both her dresses and her pants.

2. Casual dress for girls. This piece of kid’s clothing is an amazingly versatile item. It can be worn for everyday use, but it can also be used for more formal events. A dress with floral prints or a Victorian-inspired sundress, for instance, would fit perfectly in an occasion that requires semi-formal attire. Toddlers and pre-teens aren’t really expected to wear party dresses (so save the black cocktail dress for much, much later).

3. Shorts. A kid’s clothing piece that is often underrated, shorts can actually be fashionable and chic. For your boys, consider jean shorts-they go well if you plan to create a layered effect for your son’s upper body apparel. Shorts aren’t versatile (obviously, they cannot be worn during formal events and during colder seasons such as winter), but these kid’s clothing pieces are comfortable and can be easily styles for casual wear.

4. Pants. As with shirts, you need to have more than one pair of pants in order to create a competent kid’s clothing wardrobe. You will need one pair of pants for casual wear that go well with both polo shirts and plain shirts and dress pants that can be with suits. Basically, you need kid’s clothing pieces that work for formal events and casual use.

If you’re going for kid’s clothing pieces that never go out of style, there are items you need to avoid. Clothing pieces inspired by cartoon characters are likely to be thrown out of the closet a year or two after purchase. These kid’s clothing pieces have very short life spans both based on fashion trends and the preference and interest of your child. Also, try to avoid kid’s clothing pieces that are too avant garde or unusual. There’s a big difference between unique and unusual. Choose items that you believe will still be fashionable after several months. This doesn’t mean you have to be uncreative; rather, you need to be smart if you want to decipher the difference between creativity and impracticality. Classic kid’s clothing pieces can still be fun with the right fashion decisions.