Kids Make a Bold Move : Designer Sheryl Lee Ralph’s loose togs in greens, oranges and yellows sure beat those boring baby blues and pinks.

Standing out among the humdrum blues and pinks and pale yellows of the baby department is some-thing unusual from an unlikely source. Sheryl Lee Ralph, the newest addition to the cast of CBS’ “Designing Women,” recently appeared at the Nordstrom South Bay store to show off her new line for infants and children. Le Petit Etienne, named for the actress-designer’s young son, features loose, one-size-fits-all clothes for toddlers in vibrant African-inspired patterns. Prices range from $21 for a terry-cloth-lined bath wrap to $26 for a boy’s shirt and short set. There are also unisex rompers and girls’ dresses, berets and safari-style flap caps. Tiny plastic buttons take the shapes of aces, ducks and bunnies.

Ralph, an English literature major in college, writes stories in the voice of her son to accompany garments, so far available only at the South Bay store. Such special touches, along with reasonable prices, have made the clothing a hit with adults, she says. And children seem to go for the bold greens, oranges and yellows.

“If you keep a silhouette simple, a child will like what he or she sees as long as it is colorful and the patterns are exciting,” Ralph says.

The designer’s cotton fabrics borrow from African Kente cloth, which has varying patterns that once designated different royal families--much the same way tartan delineates Scottish clans.

“It’s true that a lot of people need to be paid attention to,” Ralph says of designers who tip their hat to their cultural origin, “but (Kente) isn’t so much a trend as a discovery of powerful color and shapes.”