Georgie World

I always get excited when I run across little boutiques just for boys.

Not that I want to exclude girls, but have you ever gone into a so-called children's boutique and had to walk all the way to the back of the store to find the one rack for boys? Even in the retail chains, it's hard to notice the boys' clothes because the girls' clothes are so colorful and there's so much of it.

Anyway, I love finding boys' shops, and Georgie World is my favorite right now. Not only are the clothes adorable, hip and unboring, they are well made, comfortable to wear, and made in "Sunny California." My favorite piece is the Grandpa Sweater (above). It looks like a sweater, but it's made of fleece, so it feels like a sweatshirt. What a great idea! And it looks fab with the Cammer Trouser seen here.

Right now I'm really loving retro cars, so there was no way I could resist this cool tee with a Pinto on it. It's so unbelievably soft. My son Nick never wants to take it off.

I like that Georgie World offers complete outfits for one price (and the prices are excellent for the quality and detail). We picked up the playdate outfit. The Sk8 Monster shirt has flannel sleeves sewn in. How neat is that?

Sizes run from 2T all the way up to 12.

Shop Georgie World here!

Fall 2008 Tea Collection

Over the past year, I've been on a mission to stop catalogs from being mailed to my house. It's just easier for me to browse online and cutting back on paper helps the environment. I have to confess, though, there's one catalog I still enjoy getting in the mail: the seasonal one from Tea. Whenever it shows up in my mailbox, I can't wait to snuggle up on the couch and savor it. The photography is some of the best I've seen. And because I love traveling, I'm drawn to Tea's culturally inspired clothing lines as well as its forward-thinking global philosophy.

The girls' clothes are always to-die-for. (I wish some of it came in women's sizes!). But Tea never forgets the boys. This fall I love the Fjord Cargo pants and Buck shirt with its unique deer print, a stylized twist on the typical fall outdoorsy theme. The fox and bear tees with Japanese sayings ("strength through virtue") really caught my eye. And what mother of an unboring baby boy can resist the dragon one piece?

Another thing I like about Tea? The three- and five-piece sets for babies and older kids they put together for one low price ($65-95). Tea's clothing comes in sizes newborn to eight yrs. depending on the item.

Yo Ho Yawn

I don't have anything against pirates. I loved the whole swashbuckling, pirate ship and treasure map thing--when it first came out. Seriously, this pirate craze has been going on for what, two years now? It's been at least that long, because my son Henry wore pirate costumes the last two Halloweens. Just when I think the trend is over, another Pirates of the Caribbean movie comes out and we're inundated with more pirate wear. Everyone seems to be into it, including grown-ups and little girls.

The stuff is so ubiquitous it's all starting to look the same to me. Which begs the question: why pay top dollar for a kids' boutique tee with a skull and crossbones when one can find the same thing at Wal-Mart? Speaking of skull and crossbones...am I the only mom who's just a teensy-weensy bit weirded-out by this? Hello? These are human remains.

This past August, Gymboree came out with their second pirate line in a year called Pirate Adventure (the first one was Pirate Cove). At least with the new line they put a different spin on it. One of the baby boy sweaters has a cute little puppy on it wearing a pirate hat and eye patch. Edward "Blackbeard" Teach must be spinning in his grave.

It seems that I'm the only one suffering from pirate "fatigue." There appears to be no shortage of pirate-themed clothes this fall, and pirate costumes are just as popular as ever. Nick and Henry certainly don't share my views, and love dressing up like buccaneers.

This past summer, my family went to Ocracoke Island, North Carolina. Henry insisted on a glow-in-the-dark skull and crossbones tee from a souvenir shop. My husband bought one for himself with the phrase "The beatings will continue until morale improves."

It's enough to make a mom (and wife) of unboring boys go ARGGH!

Fab Find at H & M

Cars are one of those done to death themes in boys' fashion. But because we are a car loving family (there's a classic Mustang in our garage) I'll consider anything with cars on it, though I draw the line at NASCAR and Lightening McQueen.

I LOVE when boys' clothing designers create something different or unique around cars. That's why I practically squealed in H & M when I saw this cute little set.


The shirt looks like something a service station attendant of old might wear. It comes with a white long sleeved T-shirt underneath for a layered look. There are two separate pieces, so you get two shirts for the price of one. Both are 100 percent cotton and unbelievably soft, like they've been washed a million times.

My boys liked the checkered flags and flaming tire patches. I'm generally not a fan of big graphics on the back of shirts (this one has a race car with the words "Gonna Give it all I've Got"). I wish they had kept it off. But overall, it's a cute piece for $16.90.

The pants are what caught my eye. These definitely have a Euro look and feel to them. I love the race cars all over. And it's done in a fun, subtle pattern that won't raise Dad's eyebrows. As a plus, the pants have an inside adjustable waist. 100 percent cotton as well. $19.90

What I love about this outfit, besides the cool factor and low price, is that it demonstrates that it is possible for designers to create something distinctive and unboring for boys using a stock theme like cars. And that's my main gripe. If you're going to use fire engines, construction vehicles or sports numbers in your designs, at least be creative. Experiment with color and pattern. Take a risk.

H & M department store: www.hm.com

My Unboring Boys

Let's face it, girls' clothes are cuter than boys'. Walk into any children's apparel store and boys' fashion is limited to sweat pants and jeans, polo shirts and T-shirts printed with baseballs, sports numbers, fire engines, superheroes...the list of overused ideas goes on and on.

After my twin boys--Henry and Nick--were born, I was determined to dress them in simple and classic or in unique and sometimes unusual styles. It wasn't easy. That's because department stores and chains sell the same old boring uninspired stuff.

Frustrated, I set out to find the coolest, hippest, most unique and adorable head-turning outfits to dress my boys in. Five years later, I still shop for fun and uncommon things for them to wear.

It came to me that maybe other moms of unboring boys felt like I did about the (sad) state of boys' fashion and would benefit from a blog on the topic. Each week, I'll discuss new trends (in sizes newborn and up); highlight favorite retailers, designers and boutiques; share discoveries; alert you to sales; and more. Probably, I'll want to complain a little too.

I want to hear your ideas and viewpoints! If you have a favorite boutique, retailer or designer, (or if you're a designer or boutique owner yourself specializing in cool boys clothes and/or accessories) let me know. Post a comment!