Stylish Little Beans

You might have noticed a distinct lack of articles about the latest in kids’ fashions on SavvyMom over the years. What the Hollywood babies are wearing, bla bla bla…. We figure if we can ever justify spending $150 on a pair of the latest jeans, you can bet they’re going to be in our size, not size 2T.

However, when we heard about the new line of kids’ clothing, Peekaboo Beans, from some savvy west coast moms, we thought we’d check out the couture and we were ‘suit-ably’ impressed. Inspired (natch) by her own needs as a mom trying to dress her daughter Cailin (“It isn’t easy dressing an octopus”), mompreneur Traci Costa used the business skills she developed over fifteen years working as a merchant banker, and brought together a team of clothing experts (and kid testers too) to develop this ‘no fuss’ yet very chic line of clothing (all made in Canada) for boys and girls from size 1 to 6X.

So what caught our fashion eye about this stuff, other than the adorable styles and colours? The line is clearly created with the parent and child in mind and solves many of the clothing problems we’ve faced over the years with its many intelligent design features:

• Easy Access: quick on and off for potty-training and busy kids
• Comfortable: wide flat waistbands, flat seamless stitching and iron on tags make for itch free wearing for the kids, and A-shaped, longer length shirts cover little bellies better so mom’s comfortable too
• Versatile: Reversible designs for messes on the go, foolproof mix-and match (for when Dad’s doing the dressing), and layering options for changeable weather throughout the day
• Safe: reflective piping, zipper chin guards and personal identification labels inside each garment (to help in case a child gets lost and of course in case the clothing gets lost)
• Shrink-free: pre-washed, durable fabrics for no surprises

Fall 2007 at Peekaboo Beans includes the Daydreaming and Fanciful Forest collections for girls and the Whimsical Woods and Spell Casting collections for boys. (Prices range from $34 to $79.) Our favourite piece? The Petalbottom Skant, a pant/skirt combo you can wear together, wear just as pants or use the petal skirt as a cape or magical fairy wings.

Something else we love on a less sartorial note? Partial proceeds of all sales are donated to Success by 6, a United Way initiative dedicated to giving children a good start in life.

Needless to say, we’ll take practical fashion over haute couture any day, and with Peekaboo Beans you’re definitely dressed for success.

Available online at www.apples-n-oranges.com or at retail stores across Canada.

Tested by Adam H., age 5, Toronto