Stylish kids: how fashion editors dress their children

It’s not enough for fashion editors to be the most stylish women on the front row — their kids have to look the part, too. So what’s the secret to having the best-dressed children in the playground? Clare Coulson finds out
I got it from my mama: (from left) Louie, Imogen, Honor, Rudy, Wolf, Orlando
Clare Coulson17 September 2015

Children aren’t usually known for their fashion sense. Garish blue Princess Elsa dresses, cereal-splattered Spider-Man T-shirts and ripped leggings do not a style icon make. And yet it doesn’t have to be like this. For style mavens, dressing children is just another way to flex their creative muscles and demonstrate their sartorial nous. Their little darlings’ wardrobes are carefully edited mixes of Breton tops (from COS and Petit Bateau), traditional knits (from Caramel Baby & Child or The Little White Company) and perfectly plain chinos. While many parents dress their children in cheery brights, these elegant mothers have a more refined approach.

As a fashion journalist with two sons, Luca, six, and Freddie, two, I would put money on your never seeing a fashion editor’s child in hot pink or neon yellow — it’s beige, cream and muted blues all the way.

Glance at any front row these days and you’ll find it littered with mini-mes — from babes in arms to toddlers, tweens and teens — pint-sized fashion extensions who generally look a lot better in skinny jeans and Breton tops than their parents do. All the time that fashion people spend considering the right colours and perfect proportions has a knock-on effect on how they dress their children. Add to that the fashion editor’s insider track on pretty much everything shopping related and you have the perfect style storm. So what are the rules to having perfectly turned-out kids? Here, three fashion editors give you the lowdown...

Eugenie Hanmer

The executive fashion director of Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country has twin six-year-old girls, Honor and Imogen, and lives in Wandsworth

Eugenie wears Brunello Cucinelli jumpsuit. Honor (far left) wears Jigsaw Junior dress and Verbaudet cardigan. Imogen wears Zara Kids dress and Mini Boden cardigan. Both wear Mini Boden sandals

I’m always being complimented on my daughters’ clothes, but usually they are just wearing Zara and Mini Boden — it’s all in how you put things together. When they were little I dressed them the same, but as they’ve grown up I coordinate, so they are the same but different, which allows them to have their own identities. I tend to buy French labels. I love cyrillus.com, an online company specialising in very classic kids clothes that an editor at French Harper’s Bazaar put me on to — she’ll be furious that I’m talking about it. It’s much cheaper than Bonpoint but still has that understated style — and it has great sales. I shop a lot from French mail order company Verbaudet (vertbaudet.co.uk) as its palette has the muted tones I go for — it will do a beautiful coral rather than orange and has wonderful kids’ swimwear. It also does lovely subdued patterns and Liberty prints.

I do buy well-known brands, too, but I look for pieces that are less obvious. For example, at Boden I avoid bold stripes and bright prints and find great accessories, such as the gold sandals my girls have worn all summer. I also shop at Jigsaw Junior and Zara, although I know my time is limited — both shops have gorgeous things from baby clothes until age seven, but then it gets a bit too street. I don’t do logos or sparkles.

I would never buy designer clothes for my daughters because they are growing like weeds and a £60 dress for the mother of twins is £120. They are very lucky that they were given two Dolce & Gabbana dresses by a friend, which I have on antique hangers in their bedrooms. My main style rule is that I don’t want them to look too grown-up — they’re six and I want to hold on to that and let them look like children.

STYLE RULES

I often go to Fara Kids, a chain of children’s charity shops in smart areas, where I’ve found pieces from Marie-Chantal, Chateau de Sable and even Aigle wellies.

I don’t do any girly glittery embellishments or sequins. They never wear pink unless it’s a very, very pale pink.

French stores have more sophisticated palettes and brilliant classic knits.

I won’t let my girls wear triangle bikini tops — the compromise is ruffled bandeau tops for the beach.

I am not afraid of dressing my children in cream or white.

I often use white leggings under skirts or shorts to break up prints and colours.

Nathalie Riddle

The freelance fashion editor and stylist has two sons, Orlando, six, and Louie, four, and lives in Barnes

Nathalie wears top, £525, Stella McCartney at Harrods (harrods.com). Dress, £380, ALC at Harrods. Boots, £585, Bionda Castana (biondacastana.com). Bag, £813, Chloé at farfetch.com. Orlando (left) wears Little Rails shirt, The Little White Company T-shirt, Boden jeans and Converse shoes.

My children always want things with TV or film characters on them. Louie desperately wanted a Spider-Man sunhat for the summer, but I refused — instead, I got him a very tasteful black one from COS, which he hated. I make a huge effort to ensure my children do not look styled, but still look cool. Their casual dishevelled look is not as easy to achieve as it might appear; I admit I go to extraordinary lengths to source the right denim/cashmere/Breton top.

I avoid logos at all cost — the only exception is Converse All Stars, which they live in. Even if they’re dressed for a formal occasion, which means they’ll be wearing something like a Fair Isle knit and cords, they still wear Converse.

I’m a Breton addict: Chinti and Parker do the best striped tops. I buy my tops there, too. I often buy clothes for me and the boys in the same shops — whether it’s jersey from James Perse or knits from J Crew. The boys also have some incredible hand-me-downs, including my husband’s clothes from the 1970s, which include an original Montreal Olympics denim jacket. Even so, what they really want is to dress like film characters, which I don’t allow — at best I will find retro superhero stuff or vintage Star Wars.

STYLE RULES

Don’t be precious about really beautiful items of clothing — if you put them away, your children will have outgrown them before you know it.

H&M is a fantastic shop for organic cotton basics — especially for babies.

I do spend money on gorgeous pyjamas — The White Company ones are so soft and beautifully made.

The Stella McCartney sale is great for timeless pieces including retro knits and jackets.

Play high against low — I love quite formal traditional clothes paired with downbeat Converse.

NICKY YATES

The fashion director of ES has two sons, Wolf, three, and Rudy, seven months, and lives in Shepherd’s Bush

Nicky wears Isabel Marant blouse, 3.1 Phillip Lim jeans and Marni shoes. Rudy (left) wears Bonpoint cashmere all-in-one. Wolf wears Monoprix T-shirt, Polarn O Pyret jeans and Vans shoes

Although I wouldn’t think my children have a look, they probably do — I love a striped top, a little bomber jacket and skinny jeans. I get jeans from Polarn O Pyret, which is a Swedish company with a store near us in Westfield. It does really good soft denim jeans that kids can run around in. I like high street places, but you do have to edit ruthlessly, so I buy basics or very classic pieces from Gap or Next and knitwear from The Little White Company, which I love. I buy more indulgent pieces from Caramel Baby & Child, which specialises in traditional clothing such as corduroy bloomers and Fair Isle knits, and has great sales. One of the things I spend money on is beautiful knitwear — I look out for the Bonpoint sale and I buy lots from Waddler, which makes gorgeous soft jumpers in alpaca that come in beautiful colours. Shoes for little boys in the first few years are hideous, but after that I love little trainers from Vans or Converse.

For Rudy, I stick to pale greys, navy blue and white. I get my basic Babygros and bodysuits in multipacks from M&S, and more special pieces from babymori.com, a subscriptions service where you receive a pack each month as your baby grows. The bamboo-mix fabrics are unbelievably soft and it sources the very best materials, like the perfect poppers from Japan.

When the shows are on in Paris, I duck into the stores. Clare Waight Keller, creative director at Chloé, told me about Monoprix, a supermarket with brilliant kids’ clothes. The fabrics and colours are super-classic and they fit perfectly.

Harper Beckham - In pictures

1/12


STYLE RULES
I don’t dress my children in anything with logos on, or with any type of branding.

I’m not keen on proper shoes or anything denim on babies — that is a definite no-no in the style world.

Splurge on really special pieces like knitwear, which will last for ages and can then be handed down.

Avoid anything that’s too grown-up, such as collars on shirts.

Trade clothes with friends — I’ve been given so many beautiful pieces by other mothers who have older boys than mine.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in