Dressing Southern Tots

Now, I realize it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but I’ve been asked a few times for a list of my favorite clothes sources for dressing Southern tots.  I haven’t been shopping the boutique circuit for some time since the baby is now four and has a closet full of hand-me-downs, so there are likely some I’ve missed.  Feel free to add to the list by commenting below!

Dixie Delights Dressing Southern Tots
My favorite lines – most sell online and through trunk shows:

And some favorite brands:

  • Feltman Brothers
  • Anavini
  • Silly Goose
  • Vive la Fete
  • Petit Ami
  • Bailey Boys
  • Remember Nguyen
  • Mud Pie

Other tips:

  • eBay is a great source for gently used clothing.  Just search for the brands above! 
  • Etsy wasn’t very popular when I was dressing my little ones in smocks and appliques, but I see darling things on there all the time now and at a fraction of the cost of some of the boutique brands. 
  • Sister finds loads of deals on all sorts of kids clothes Facebook pages.  Maybe she’ll chime in with some favorites in the comments (hint hint)
  • I bought the majority of their clothes a season ahead once they went on sale, and then splurged on a few can’t-live-without full priced things once the new lines came out.
  • Once I found out I was having another boy, I monogrammed everything with a W for our last name so that both boys could wear them.

Now, what I can’t help with is talking your husbands into bubbles and peter pan collars :-)  Honey was a doll to grant me a few short years of dressing them however I pleased so long as I promised not to send them off to Kindergarten in a smocked shortall.  I sure am glad I took FULL advantage of it while I could (you should see the reprehensible outfit the baby has chosen for today – think spiderman socks meet pin striped baseball pants with a tie dyed shirt to pull the ensemble together).
xoxo

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16 thoughts on “Dressing Southern Tots

  1. I think that you hit most all of our faves! We also like Claire & Charlie and Rosalina. Also, FB "flash sales" by both Smockadot Kids (they are actually local here in SC) and Lolly Wolly Doodle. For that once in a lifetime portrait quality piece, I love Pieces by Tam. Lastly, I buy a lot of inexpensive shirts from the likes of Old Navy & Target, and then, just have someone slap a monogram on that!

  2. I love those sweet clothes as well. I worked at a preschool where all the children dressed in smocked outfits we found out that four was about the cut off for those clothes. One of our moms kept sending her son in smocked clothes and the other little boys ganged up on him!!:) I just purchased some smocked shortalls for my two year old grandson at one of our local consignment stores. Another great source for discounted prices.

  3. Well my boys are 19-25 so I haven't done smocked clothes in a while :) but I'm glad to see most of the brands I bought 20 yrs ago are still in business. We lived in Missouri for a couple of years and people would always ask me if the boys clothes were vintage! HAHA Love the way you dress your boys and i think its good to start them early thinking about how they look. All three of mine are clothes horses now.

  4. At 13 and 17 – we are way past the days of smocking, but this northern girl loves it! I bought Sarah Louise dresses for special occasions!

    Betsy

  5. for truly classic clothes I would say you have nailed the list. there have been a few others to pop up like Two Girls and a Boy, Shrimp and Grits, Little English (my favorite) Alice Kathleen, Little Laundry, and until they did away with their trunks Just Ducky.
    Companies like these facebook pages and matilda jane, and Persnickety are expensive (think 72.00 for an applique tee) and "trunk" but uuber trendy and will so be a "thing" of these days.
    They will never be a Feltman. It was a sad day to see Strasburg go out of business. and it KILLS ME how northerners call smocked outfits "Amish" truly makes me giggle!!

  6. I live in New York and didn't know it was a Southern thing to dress the boys in smocked outfits. But that's how I always dressed my boys too. I think babies should look like babies because they have plenty of time to dress like big boys in the years ahead. Plus I think they look so adorable in them :) p.s. Would love to win a copy of that book! Maureen [email protected]

  7. I am a mother of 3 boys! I love your blog and laugh out loud at so many posts! My husband cut me off of anything smocked at age 2! I still got away with appliqué or monogrammed shirts with plaid/seersucker shorts. My boys are 10, 13 and 16 now ! I have to say my 13 year old is into bow ties and monogrammed button downs-it comes around again- for some at least!
    Come visit us on the Gulf Coast again-just a little west of Watercolor/Seaside in Pensacola.

  8. There is also a new "trunk" out of Atlanta called "Mary Mac". She is on Facebook too. Great options for the "older baby girls". I love her fabric options.

    Remember Nguyen has GREAT sales on their websites.

  9. Bella Bliss is another great one for adorable smocked clothes.

    I have been given a cutoff on smocking at 18 months, and I can barely get away with jon jons with applique at 20 months- but I'm still doing applique shirts and seersucker shorts! haha!

  10. I love the custom made clothing by Caroline Bradlee the line made by Children's Cottage (http://www.childrenscottage.net). They have beautiful monogrammed and appliqued dresses and outfits and especially Disney, birthday and heirloom clothing. I also get most of my smocked clothing from them because they carry my favorite smocked brands such as Anavini, Claire & Charlie, Le' Za Me and Zuccini. Oh, and they also have great prices on their Etsy site ChildrensCottage.

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