Hip Hoppin Toddlers

Bling-bling hip hop jewelry from flickr photo ... 

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Celebrities have always dictated the fashion of teenagers, and often adults, but now the latest rad styles are making their way to the crib. The babies are not just wearing the clothes celebrities’ babies are wearing – they are wearing the clothes celebrities are wearing. The latest fashion trend for infants and toddlers is hip hop clothing. Aside from being fashionable, there are some good things about urban clothing for little ones.

Urban wear is heavy on comfort. The clothes are not sexy, a huge criticism of many styles creeping their way into more innocent generations. Hip hop clothes depend on baggy sweat pants and soft denim that are suitable and age appropriate. Hats are warm and protect little heads from the wind as well as the harmful rays of the sun.

Hip hop clothing lines for infants and toddlers were first introduced by designers like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralf Lauren. Now Phat Farm, a line of urban clothes by rapper Russell Simmons, has developed urban clothing for little tots. Phat Farm Boys and Baby Phat Girls are Phat Farms line for little ones.

Sales for children’s clothing continue to rise, even as the economy is causing a decline in sales for men’s and women’s clothing. According to Anthony Sala, President of Sales for Puma, it is not just the parents buying fashionable duds for the babies. The average child has about 14 adults buying them clothes. Some parenting magazines even offer style guides for the littlest fashion plates.

These clothes are more readily available in larger cities, but there are a few internet sites offering urban clothes for babies and toddlers. Some wholesale sites offer savings off of the rather high prices of designer lines.

The Best Birthday Gift Ideas for Girls

Girls like colorful and involving gifts which can perk their curiosity and attract their attention for sustained periods of time. There are several birthday gift ideas to consider for girls.

One of these can be a science or a chemistry set if the child is at least three years old. These kid-oriented and simple experiments can really stimulate the child’s desire for exploration and adventure. Exploration is the key ingredient for a full and wholesome development for the child.

Also, a disassembled version of a house which includes a kitchen, bedroom, and living room can be gifted so that gifts like these can stimulate thinking and their little brain can exercise itself towards mechanical assembly of the house.

Sports-related gifts, such as ski gear, swimming costumes, roller blades, and something as simple as a soccer ball can be a great addition to the young girl’s collection.

The ideas for gifts should emanate from the simple logic that anything that enhances the capabilities of body, mind and spirit is good, whereas anything which harms the child’s development, such as television, video games, and bright computer screens, are toxic to the eyes and should be avoided.

Parents should take great care to make sure that gifts do not contain sharp objects which can cause damage to the vital parts of the body such as eyes and ears. The gifts should be made from natural materials with as much use of wood, ceramic, and metal as possible.

3 Ways to Save on Baby Clothes

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At the rate that babies grow, it can seem as if you are constantly buying or needing to buy new clothes for them. Sure, you can head out to the local baby boutiques and pay full price for the latest baby fashions, but it is going to cost you a fortune, to say the least. There are at least three ways that you can buy the baby clothes you need, but save money in the process.

Shop Online

A website that sells baby clothing and accessories would be a perfect place to look first. Because these online retail stores do not have the same overhead that brick and mortar shops do, you can often find great clothes at greatly reduced prices. Some sites even offer free shipping or deeply discounted shipping, so that you still end up saving money on your purchase. As an added bonus, coupons and special promotions can add to the amount of money you can save on your purchases.

Beg, Borrow, but Don’t Steal

You may know someone in your family, or even some of your friends, that have had children before you. Whether you ask to borrow the clothes or they offer them to you, you’ll often find practically brand new clothes that you can use for free.

Shop Gently Used

Most consignment shops only accept gently used baby clothes. Second hand consignment shops make great places to search for all sorts of baby clothes and accessories. You may even be able to find designer and high-end luxury goods at deep discounts that you may not be able to find in other places.

Finding Out the Gender: Shopping for Baby Clothes

A young girl kisses a baby on the cheek. 

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The baby is on his or her way. There are so many decisions to make. The important decisions, like what doctor to choose or where and what way to have the baby, are made with lots of research and recommendation. Then there are the fun decisions, like what color the baby’s room should be, as well as shopping for furniture and accessories.

In tracking your pregnancy week by week, the time will come to decide if you want to know the sex of your baby. While the element of surprise will possibly be eliminated (the ultrasound has been known to make a mistake or two), it will help in planning for the arrival. Will you buy blue or pink? Will you buy bonnets or baseball hats? Will dad put up a basketball net or build a playhouse? These are some decisions that can be made before the baby arrives, if you know the gender of your new arrival.

Then, let the shopping begin. Retail therapy takes on a whole new meaning when starting from scratch for baby. It is with wanton abandon that you will browse through the cutest section of the store. A blue hat, a pink dress. Make sure to throw a few neutural yellows and greens in there, just in case.

You get to know your baby in a whole new way. The little “we don’t know” becomes “my little man” or “daddy’s princess.” Have fun and dress your baby any way you want. After all, you’re the one who will spend the next 18 years with him or her.

Dressing for Family Pictures

Fashion for pictures is a tricky subject. If you have seen enough family pictures in general, you may have noticed both ends of the spectrum: when a family is mismatched or alternatively a little too alike. Here are some tips to coordinating clothes for family pictures.

Wearing Similar Clothes

Deciding on a level of dressiness could be a great first step. Keeping in mind the location or backdrop of the pictures, you could put a “theme” of sorts. Whether you go with a beach theme or jeans and a nice shirt, deciding on how dressy the family is essential.

Choosing Coordinating Outfits

Once you have decided on these issues, you can choose the exact clothes. Casual mens shirts and those for women could be paired with jeans or a nicer pair of slacks, for instance. Outfits or similar clothes could work for your children, as well.

Coordinating Colors of Clothes

Coordinating colors is perhaps most difficult when it comes to family pictures. Instead of exactly matching everyone in the family (sometimes this carries a bit of a contrived look), perhaps you could go with similar and complementary shades. Two complementary colors would be a good look, and you could choose clothes that go around this theme.

These items can be of help when you choose how to dress for family pictures. Knowing your environment will allow you to best choose clothes, and perhaps you can search for family pictures to get some ideas. In addition, you may be able to change clothes during the session, giving you more possibilities if something doesn’t work out as planned such as one set of casual clothes and one dressy.

Fashion for Infants and Toddlers

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When you have a small child, you’re probably worrying less about fashion and more about keeping him or her in clothing that fits, clothing that isn’t stained, and so on. Still, you probably concern yourself with keeping your kids in cute clothing, and so fashion considerations do come into play.

Fashion Considerations for Infants and Toddlers

The clothing that you choose should absolutely be cute, and even trendy now that so many top name brands are coming out with cute name-brand clothing for younger and younger audiences. You also are going to want to choose comfortable clothing, since many young children like to tear their clothing off when they are uncomfortable. Avoid itchy fabrics, zippers, buttons and other elements that may irritate your young child. Choose soft fabrics, fuzzy fabrics, courderoy and similar materials that they can sleep and play comfortably in.

Make sure that you buy the right sizes for your children, and keep in mind that they grow quickly during their early years. It’s okay to buy your clothing a little big so that your son or daughter can grow into them, but keep in mind that some clothing will not work well in too large a size, such as pants for a shorter child. You want to make sure that the clothing you buy is safe for your children, because clothing needs to be safe and comfortable in order for your child to be in good shape.

Make sure that you think about comfort, size and safety with all of the clothing that you buy for your child.

It’s Back: Old Trends That are Back in Style

Do you have any friends who seem to never throw anything away?  Those pals of yours may get lucky when it comes to fashion.  Everything that goes out in style eventually comes back.  Here are some older items that are back in style for 2011.

70s Tunics

Tunics are hot again. These over sized blouses that are too long to be a regular shirt, but too short to short to be a dress will be seen all over this spring.  Pair these cute tops with leggings. You can wear both heels and flats with this look.  Both solid tunics and sheer tunics that require a tank top to be worn underneath will be seen this spring.

Denim Shirts

The denim shirt is another popular 70s trend that has made a major comeback. The Western look is popular even today, complete with cowboy boots, tartan or plaid shirts, and yes denim shirts (not all at once, please). Both men and women can wear this trend. There are denim mens shirts that men wear with blue jeans or khakis. Women wear denim shirts with any type of shorts or even a maxi skirt.

Bell bottoms

They rocked the 70s, they graced the mid-90s and now they are back again.  Don’t be surprised when your teen daughter wants to trade in her skinny jeans for a pair of bell bottoms.  Make sure that your teen tries on her bell bottoms with the correct shoes so that she does not slip on the flaring bottom of the pants.

The Annie Hall Look

If you ever laughed at Diane Keaton for wearing a man’s blazer, you will be laughing last.  Come this fall, stylish girls will be taking on khakis and over-sized men’s like blazers.  Some people will modernize this look by wearing the blazer with jeans instead of khakis.  You may seem some ties floating around as well, but that item will probably be reserved for the bravest fashionistas.

Tips for Hosting a Great Teen Fashion Runway Show

Teens love clothes and the best way that they can show off their unique styles and looks is through a runway fashion show. There are some things that you should remember if you want to have a fashion show. The tips that are listed below are going to help you make the best runway fashion show possible.

  • Find a Place – The first thing that you will need to do is find a place to have the show. It needs to be large enough so that there is room for the runway and the seats.
  • Set the Stage – The second thing that you have to do is set the stage. You can either rent a stage to use or you can build one. If you don’t want to go to that expense, you can use wooden boards that are nailed into the floor or the ground to create a runway that’s invisible.  You want to make sure your stage matches the looks like styling women’s or mens shirts.
  • Pick the Music – The third thing that you want to do is choose the right kind of music. It should be upbeat and exciting, but not so loud that the announcements can’t be heard over the music. Remember to have a microphone for the master of ceremonies.

Runway fashion shows are a great way to show off the new looks for teens including junior fashions, dresses, and even men’s shirts. You can find more tips on hosting a teen fashion show on the Internet. No matter what time of the year it is, a fashion show is a great idea for getting teens excited about the new clothes and looks that are coming out.

Looking Good & Staying Warm Without Breaking the Bank

Everyone likes to look and feel good in their clothes these days. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t care about fashion or about what they’re wearing. Many plan outfits each day, especially teens, to dress like their role models. With the economy still on the downturn, many of us have had to cut back on what we spend to keep ourselves looking and feeling good fashion-wise.

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There are plenty of brands that will keep you looking and feeling good without breaking your bank account. LRG clothes are a great way to stay fashionable without spending a lot. From boys to men, you’ll likely find something within your price range, as well as that fits your fashion taste. From T-shirts and hoodies to button-downs, sweaters and outerwear, there is something for just about everybody.

We all know, regardless of your location, that keeping our kids warm during the cooler months of the year is very important. LRG clothes offer a wide variety of hooded sweatshirts, track jackets, long-sleeved shirts, and windbreakers at great prices. The designs also vary, making this brand popular among the younger crowds because there’s something for everyone’s fashion sense. Because some people are allergic to certain fabrics, it is always a good idea to check the fabric before purchasing anything, but LRG uses cotton in nearly all of their clothing.

You don’t have to break the bank to make yourself or your children feel good — you just have to know where to look. You should have no problem finding great looks for great prices.

Tips for Looking Fashionable in the Summer

If you are looking for ways to appear more stylish in the summer season, check out these tips.  A little time and effort can have you making a splash at parties this summer.

Paint is a Do

NEVER leave the house in open  toed shoes with out your toes polished.  This is a number one fashion rule.  Even if you are not a big fan of pedicures or wild colors, at the very least put on some clear or tan polish and have your toes cut to a short length. If you’re getting a professional pedicure, French tip or neon pink are two great summer options.

Handbags

Carry a bold and bright handbag.  If you are wearing an neutral outfit spice up your look with a hot pink, yellow or vibrant green bag.  You will get plenty of compliments of this major fashion do. Handbags and shoes don’t have to match exactly as they did in decades past don’t be afraid to get creative.

Wearing White Bottoms is Not For Everyone

White bottoms can be tricky. They are not the most slimming and very easy to get dirty. There are some women who can pull off a tiny pair of white shorts, but most people should stick with a slightly darker colored skirt or shorts and accent it with a white tank top or white accessories.  Navy blue goes great with white.

Big Shades

Nothing is less attractive then squinting because of the sun.   Make sure to always keep a pair of big shades handy.  Think of Audrey Hepburn when picking out your glasses. Black and tortoise shell shades never go out of style.  Sometimes it is better to invest in one slightly more expensive pair of sunglasses that will last for years and that you can keep in a case instead of buying a bunch of  $5 glasses that you throw around and just end up sitting on.