Kids' Fashion, Grown-Up Prices

June 3, 2007 — -- In the past, children could look forward to a rummaging through a sibling's closet or to a trip to the mall for new clothes.

Now, some children and tweens are passing up hand-me-downs in favor of what's being dubbed "Kiddie Couture." This booming business features items such as $100 jeans and $600 hoodies.

"I love clothes. I love to be complimented," said 9-year-old Noah Feldman. "I'll feel special sometimes because a lot of people will look at me and stuff."

Kitson Kids boutique manager Shelly Cole said kids are the new designer accessory.

"This is what my child's wearing," she said. "What's yours wearing? The mothers like to dress their children almost better than they dress."

And big design houses are keeping up with demand, creating pint-sized collections such as Dolce and Gabbana Junior, Burberry Kids and Versace Young. Smaller boutiques like "Kitson Kids" also are popping up around the country.

These costly garments were once reserved for silver-spoon children or Hollywood offspring. But now they are reaching mainstream America.

"With fashion and everything else, people are taking their cues from celebrities," said Cookie magazine editor-in-chief Pilar Guzman. "And now with celebrity babies all over the tabloids and every publication really, you're seeing these icons and their children very clearly -- and we see exactly what they're wearing."

Some question what type of parents would be willing shell out so much money for children's attire.

"They're well into their 30s by the time they're having their first children, and things are very established by the time that they have their child," said Guzman. "And so their tastes and their sensibilities are such that they want their children to also reflect their lifestyle."

"I think it's part of this mini-me phenomenon," she added.

And at least one Los Angeles mom is open to all the attention.

"When an adult comes up to the child or the mom and makes a positive remark on how great they look or how they love what they're wearing ... I think it's a really great feeling, even for the child," said Tova Feldman, Noah's mother. "You take a lot of pride in that, since the mothers are the ones that are choosing the clothes."