A Guide to the Best of Southern California : FOR KIDS : A Blast From the Past

When Sausalito illustrator Laura Phillips was approached to do the design for a new line of children’s jackets and hats, she had no idea it would be “absolutely the most fun and creative project I’ve had since I’ve been working.”

One look at the finished product shows why--this clothing is fun. Phillips, 32, has drawn a beautifully detailed ensemble perfect for your little tyrannosaurus aficionado. “I had to come up with a design that wrapped around the jacket--that was custom to the jacket and not just slapped on,” Phillips says. She studied museum exhibits, trying “to keep it bright but within the realm of what was real.”

Each colorful jacket ($32.95) and hat ($12.95) prominently features at least one large dinosaur as well as smaller ones--flying, walking, eating and looking reasonably fearsome--exploding volcanoes, vegetation and lakes. Made of Tyvek--a washable, lightweight, water-resistant material that’s a softer grade of the stuff from which express-mail envelopes are made--the jackets have front zippers and elastic cuffs and waist; the caps have an adjustable headband.

Think of them as a wearable lesson in paleontology, an artful reminder of the Age of Reptiles. A classic for your junior Jurassic fan.

Dinosaur jackets and hats are available at Nature Company stores throughout Southern California and by mail order: (800) 227-1114.