Girls' clothing: Glitter mini-skirts and wedges hard to avoid

Sophia Saverese attended her first day of kindergarten last week wearing a delicate floral print dress, ballet flats and a bow in her hair, no thanks to the displays at the mall promoting glittery mini-skirts, wedge sandals and one-shouldered tank tops in kiddie sizes.

“She did see the other stuff, and she picked it out and said she liked it,” said Nicole Saverese, the Glen Ellyn, Ill., mother-of-three, who, with her mother-in-law’s help, steered Sophia away from the adult styles during a recent shopping trip.

“I know girls who dress their 6-month-old babies in mock leather pants and in those shoes that look like they have a stiletto,” Saverese said. “But I just feel that she’s 5. Why would I want to dress her older when she’s going to get older already?”

The age-old question has taken on new meaning in an era of bikinis for babies and skinny jeans for 6-year-olds channeling Suri Cruise.

Across the U.S., mommy bloggers, educators and parents say the mature designs for little girls are hard to avoid these days, with even stores like Forever 21 offering to dress their darling daughters.

“What a challenge it is for a parent to hold your ground,” said Cynthia Kalogeropoulos, principal of Grove Elementary School in Barrington, Ill. “I don’t even know if parents have a choice. You’re not going to find a pair of Bermudas.”

Retail experts confirm parents aren’t imagining the trend. While many adult clothing makers entered the children’s apparel industry between 2002 and 2006 offering trend-setting designs not seen before for that age group, the economic downturn put growth of the market on hold. That momentum has picked up again as the economy bounces back, prompting pint-sized designer duds at boutiques and trendy knock-offs at discount stores, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for the NPD Group in New York.

And sociologists monitoring the trend say fashion for young girls has never been more provocative. In a study released last year, Kenyon College researchers found that a third of the clothing at 15 popular stores in the U.S. had “sexualizing” characteristics, revealing or emphasizing body parts and sexiness, according to Sarah K. Murnen, who co-wrote the study.

“You can walk into any teen/adult retailer and you begin to see how they’re taking it younger and younger,” Cohen said. “I shake myself in disbelief and say, ‘Did I just see that?’ It’s a 4-year-old dressing like she should be at a college bar.”

Seven years ago, trend watchers at Synclaire Brands in New York noticed an untapped market in children’s apparel. Company officials were convinced that as technology and media exposed children to more than ever before, buyers would jump at the chance to buy little girl shoes bearing the names and designs of high profile women’s designers Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman and Cole Haan.

“I have an 8- and a 10-year-old. They know things that I’m shocked that they know,” said Evan Cagner, president of Synclaire Brands. “I think it’s just how information moves, quite honestly, and they’re just more aware of what they’re wearing.”

The company’s new venture took off – Synclaire Brands now offers dozens of women’s inspired shoes in sizes newborn to 11 – and was soon joined by a rush of other companies eager to cash in as well, Cagner said.

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