Making the Grade : Fun Style Comes Into Play in Smart Back-to-School Wear

When it comes to back-to-school clothes, too few clothing designers do their homework.

Children’s clothing often lacks imagination. Rather than take a good look at what kids like to wear, clothing manufacturers simply clone whatever styles are trendy with adults. But children, as every parent knows, are not just miniature versions of grown-ups.

Kids like clothes that are playful. They like color. They like comfort.

Some designers have already learned this lesson in style. They create fun, wearable styles for kids with class. Their creations can be found at Orange County’s smaller clothing boutiques, far from some of the large chains of kids’ clothing stores that sell copycat merchandise.

Getting high marks for style are the brightly colored batik clothes at Rag Baby in Fashion Island Newport Beach. Owner Barbara Godfrey designs dresses, shorts, rompers, jackets and pants for boys and girls using cotton fabrics from Indonesia. The fabrics are hand-painted with fish, turtles, stars, giraffes, pigs and other fun prints so that no two garments are identical.

“I’ve always liked really different things. And for kids there’s not that much out there that’s different. Everybody copies everybody,” Godfrey says. Manufacturers “just bring their adult sizes down. I think they should pay more attention to kids.”

For fall, she will carry solid-color jeans in vivid blue, green and fuchsia hues with her batik prints embellishing the pockets ($28-$32). The collection includes prairie dresses and jumpers for girls, some done in a patchwork of batik prints (about $40). For girls and boys there are batik shirts and shorts ($20), a patchwork zip-front jacket with hood (about $40) and patchwork pants (about $30).

To complete the outfits, there are batik hair scrunchies, headbands, baseball caps, fanny packs and back packs. There’s even matching printed underpants for the dresses “so if you play on the jungle gym they won’t see your underwear. That’s a major concern for girls.”

“Everything is loose, big and comfortable. Kids feel like they’re wearing their pajamas,” Godfrey says.

Kids can also feel like they’re wearing long underwear, thanks to the popularity of thermal ribbed cotton, according to Susan Hoffman, owner of Balboa Island Kids Clothing Co. in Newport Beach. Flapdoodles makes a line of thermal hooded tops and leggings for girls in non-primary colors such as bubble gum and magenta, as well as cardigans and bike pants in a rosebud print ($15-$30).

“Kids’ clothes are pretty non-traditional. Girls don’t wear dresses anymore and boys don’t wear long pants and little pressed shirts,” Hoffman says. “Comfort is most important.”

In the past, a casual item such as flannel hooded shirts would never be allowed in the school yards. Now flannel shirts are practically a school uniform. Hoffman carries Quiksilver’s mixed plaid shirts for boys, now available in the smaller 4 to 7 sizes ($37) and flannel shorts ($24). Flapdoodles’ unisex line of separates made from soft, washed-out plaid flannels, including elastic waist pants and hooded pullovers ($27-$39), also puts comfort first.

The same emphasis on comfort is at work at Lucy Max, a children’s boutique in Laguna Beach featuring boys’ and girls’ clothes by local designers.

“Our biggest sellers are flannel shirts, pull-on pants and sweat shirts,” says Bernadette Kelly-Whelan, owner of Lucy Max.

Denim, flannel and French terry are popular with both parents and kids because they’re easy to wear and easy to clean, she says. Plaid flannel shirts ($33) and hooded sweat shirts ($29) are cool for school.

“They’re the biggest deal for boys,” Kelly-Whelan says.

The French terry collection includes dresses, pants, jackets and rompers. For girls there’s a black terry dress with a floral shawl collar, covered buttons and patch pockets ($39). Among the denim separates: rompers printed with teddy bears ($33).

Earthlings, a line of children’s clothes made from naturally dyed, organically grown cotton, has turned concern for the planet into a fashion statement for kids. The line is carried at Red Balloon in Newport Beach and Small Things Bright & Beautiful in Dana Point.

“Even my 6-year-old is aware of recycling,” says Yvette Hatch, clothing buyer and owner of Red Balloon. Her Earthling line features cotton jumpers ($24-$48), five-pocket jeans ($34) and a car coat ($40).

“The environmental influence is really strong,” she says.

The ‘70s is another influence kids have adopted from their parents.

“Parents definitely have to get their kids bell-bottom jeans,” says Linda Lin, owner of Krayons in Laguna Niguel. She sells bell-bottom jeans ($30-$40), as well as crocheted vests ($20) and floppy hats out of denim or heavy cotton ($20).

Do parents approve of the hippie look for their kids?

“Of course not,” Lin says.