Let Party Girl Play Mix-and-Match Game
Dear Fashion Police: I am the mother of a 6-year-old girl who gets invited to many birthday parties and other events. I am amazed at her social calendar--sometimes there are three parties in one weekend! I can’t afford to buy her a new outfit for each one, but I’d like her to look nice. Any suggestions?
--EXHAUSTED
PENNY-PINCHING MOM
Dear Exhausted: Funny, we have the exact same problem! Parties, teas, luncheons ... we can barely keep up. But it’s comforting to know we’re not alone, that there are 6-year-olds who share our pain.
It would be silly, wasteful and expensive to buy new clothes for each event. It would also be a little odd to wear the same “special” outfit to every single party. You can strike a compromise by buying a few dressy pieces for warmer and cooler seasons that can mix and match with her existing wardrobe. A rhinestone-trimmed T-shirt with a jeans skirt, for instance, could make her feel she has a whole new outfit.
You can also take a tip from adult women: Update an outfit with inexpensive accessories. Cute jewelry, patterned socks or tights or a hat can put a whole new spin on things. Also, your daughter can feel she’s in step with current trends without you having to shell out mega-bucks for a head-to-toe ensemble.
Your child will want to have some say in what she chooses, and it’s important to respect her preferences. However, remember that you are the parent and have final approval over what she wears. Clothes for girls as young as your daughter can be provocative and inappropriately sexy, so find that balance between what she likes and what you’ll allow her to wear.
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FROM THE FASHION POLICE BLOTTER: As we shopping-inclined humans take to the malls and stores for our annual holiday buyfest, let’s remember a few important things when searching for clothes:
* If buying for others, carry updated size information with you. This is especially important for kids, who can shoot up several inches from one year to the next.
* When looking for gifts for nieces, nephews, grandkids or your friends’ children, it’s a good idea to talk with the parents first to see what little Tyler and Brianna already have, and what they need. Also ask if there are certain things they’re not allowed to wear, such as belly shirts or baggy pants.
* Ask for a gift receipt, which lists the items purchased without prices. It makes returns much easier.
* Buy for the current season. Say you find a fantastic pair of strappy sandals at a tremendous markdown that are perfect for your sister in North Dakota. Unless she’s the type who likes to squirrel things away, forget it. Most people like instant gratification.
* Buy clothes the recipient likes, not clothes that you like. Even if you’re disturbed by your brother-in-law’s current obsession with one-of-a-kind 1950s ties, think how he’ll idolize you for getting him a primo vintage tie decorated with a hand-painted martini glass.
* People with cats and dogs have a lot of things with cats and dogs on them (sweaters, scarves), given to them by well-meaning people who think they don’t have enough cat and dog things. Trust us, they have enough cat and dog things.
* When in doubt, give a gift certificate from a store you’re sure the recipient likes. Yes, it may be a cop-out, but you won’t be met with that pained, forced smile when Aunt Suzy opens your present only to find a pair of bedroom slippers--the seventh pair she’s received that day.
* If shopping online, make sure you know the e-tailer’s return policy before you buy.
* Don’t get caught up in final-reduction fever. Buy only things that you love or that your recipient will love. Remember, a designer outfit is a terrible thing to waste.
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Write to Fashion Police, 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles CA 90012, fax to (213) 237-4888, or send e-mail to jeannine.stein@latimes.com.
