Inspiration for buying gently used and locally handmade clothing for your kids.
The bleak state of the economy, an ever-growing appreciation for reducing consumption, an increased awareness that supporting local small businesses will help bolster our communities and the economy…it seems there are a lot of big (and long-winded) reasons that people are thinking frugally and shopping locally these days.
In fact, it’s pretty much on-trend to be as discerning, creative and locally-minded as possible when shopping for whatever is on your list. If you’re a parent, then you probably have a shopping list that reads similar to mine: fruits, veggies, some form of protein, dairy, dark chocolate, more pants for DS (due to growth spurt and wear/tear from crawling), extra shirts for DD (due to extra stain-y meals at daycare), etc.
With the weekly drain on our bank account from having to keep the family fed and clothed, being creative when it comes to clothing isn’t just a fun fashion/design project, but an absolute necessity. This doesn’t mean I want to sacrifice fashion…I think my kids should look and feel great in what they’re wearing, and it’s one of the reasons that I opened an online store for gently used children’s clothing.
Parents need to be able to shop for great quality clothing and brands for their kids and spend as little money and time as possible.
There are lots of options for shopping on a budget, and many of them are online. If you’re like me and you sometimes need help seeing fashion and style in the pics of gently used items online, here are some kids’ outfits I’ve put together as a kind of “lookbook” using gently used pieces from our store.
Now, I am by no means a fashion editor/photographer, but I think these ideas will help you see what’s possible on a tight budget. For most of these looks, the idea is that you shouldn’t be afraid to mix and match colours, patterns and textures to create stunning and functional outfits for your little ones.
Please like and share if you find this article helpful, and tell me what you think about these looks! Do you have any other ideas for shopping frugally for kids’ clothing? Leave me a comment!
Find all of these items and more at www.cloakandcurio.com!
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- 12 months – Who says you can‘t be comfy and dressy? This is a gorgeous deep purple formal dress, layered with a puffy jacket in fuchsia. The Ugg-style faux suede boots and brightly patterned winter toque complete the eclectic vibe.
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- 12 months – A slight variation of the first outfit, by switching up the hat and boots to stay with the fuchsia and dark purple look.
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- 12-24 months – A fun and bright outfit for some serious play.
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- 3-5 years – A very classic, Sunday-best look featuring a knitted argyle sweater.
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- 6-7 years – This is one of my personal faves! I love the juxtaposition of the zippered hoodie with the formal metallic skirt and handmade, woolen moccasins.
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- 3 years – For the dapper little dude, a zippered sweater with elbow patches (of course!), and a dark red turtleneck, paired with black pinstripe denim.
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- 4-6 years – A great statement and I love how the navy from the sweater is picked up in the sports stripe of the pants.
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- 4-6 years – This look really strikes a “chord“ (pun intended). The neutrals are offset by the dark orange long-sleeve T-shirt.
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- 4-6 years – This look is all about the subtle details, like the zipper on the pant leg and the ruched shirt sleeves, combined with the texture of the Calvin Klein sweater dress.
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- A closer look at the details.
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- 5-6 years – Bright and happy, we teamed a cable knit sweater with broad horizontal colourful stripes with a handmade bum warmer that picks up some of the same colours…and we topped it all with the biggest pom poms we could find on a hat!
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- Seriously, those are some big poms!
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- 2 years – Faux fur makes everything feel more luxe. This coat is layered over a dark grey sweater dress and accented with a dark orange knit hat and a pair of handmade boot cuffs.
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- These boot cuffs can be worn over tall or short boots, or also be used as leg warmers.
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- 0-6 months – What do a ski sweater, golden booties and a faux fur hat all have in common? They go well with jeans! We also added in a long-sleeve onesie in white with a pink toile floral pattern by Tommy Hilfiger.
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- A closer look at those adorable golden slippers and how all the patterns and textures work together.
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- 0-3 months – The pop of colour from the blue onesie layered under the brown plaid really brings this look to life.
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- 8-10 years – Town meets country with this unexpected mix of styles and textiles. The blue plaid shirt is from Justice, the jeans are a dark wash skinny boot-cut from Old Navy and you can also see the handmade bum warmer peaking out creating a very distinct and urban look.
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- 8-10 years – Again, this is a similar look to the previous one, but using a red plaid shirt from Justice and (my fave) bum warmer. Notice the repeating colours and the mix of patterns for a very comfortable, creative and confident feel.
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- A closer look at the mix of textures.
