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Issue Date: March 30, 2003
Buy, buy, baby!
Indulgent (or status-mad?) parents want designer duds for the kiddies.
Shopping for tots has become a multimillion-dollar habit. Thirty-somethings in particular -- the young-parent demographic -- are big spenders, laying out three to 10 times more than other age groups for kids' clothing, according to the most recent national consumer spending survey.
Driving the trend? A burgeoning specialty retail industry aimed at turning baby and kids' wear into high fashion, experts say. "Infancy is a parent's window of opportunity to choose how their children dress, and they're taking advantage by purchasing special pieces," says Lisa Berke of kids'-wear retailer Petit Patapon, where $70 sweaters are best sellers. Upscale retailer Neiman Marcus recently expanded its infant-wear line, and at Saks Fifth Avenue, one of spring's must-haves is a $96 toddler-sized Burberry dress. Other options for outfitting wee fashionistas include Gucci booties, Donna Karan cashmere layettes and an $88 fleece onesie from socialite Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece.
Why are more parents indulging their offspring with designer wear? Says marketing prof Gayle J. Marco of Robert Morris University in Philadelphia: "Clothing is a reflection of social status, and that attitude extends to their [kids]. They think, 'If I can wear it, my children can.' It doesn't matter that infants don't care what they wear to day care."
Take note: Mini-me versions of high-end adult designs, like classic suede Tod's driving mocs in baby colors ($158), are hot. Forget they can't walk, much less drive. It's très chic!
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