Winter, 2004.

Orlando, FL.

Millenia Mall.

I was browsing through this fabulous mall in search of some much needed maternity clothes when I came across the store, Zara. What I was drawn to about this store most of all was the modern and chic atmosphere in addition to its wonderful selection of women and men’s clothes. BUT since I was pregnant, I was also drawn to their unique and sophisticated children’s clothes, and vowed I would buy SOME of my daughter’s clothes there. I couldn’t wait to dress her in one. This was the time I started getting curious and interested in boutique clothes for kids because I was tired of seeing the same old thing. I started to not like anything mass-produced and if I had an unlimited budget, I would totally buy all the clothes from boutiques. Even though it’s not really a boutique, Zara kids clothing is a great place to shop and I felt secure in finding fun, unique, great quality clothes there at a reasonable price point. I also love that it is European-styled clothing and only available in select cities.

Check out their summer catalog collection. To. Die. For.

Five-and-a-half years later and a few outfits later, okay….a closet full of Zara kids clothes, (and some for us too!) I still get excited when we go to Orlando and shop for the new season for her. We also have a second daughter and are THRILLED that she can wear the Zara clothes as well. All the more reason we can justify buying more…oh well…they can both wear them!

Zara is originally from Spain and offers fashion forward clothes for the whole family. We have visited their stores during our trips to Zurich and Paris and hope to visit more of them in Europe especially their flagship in Spain! Here is an awesome review of what the clothes are like: http://hubpages.com/hub/Zara-Kids-Clothing

Below are photos of some of  the Zara outfits Gray has worn in photo sessions.

Our Christmas photo in 2009, (I was pregnant w/Campbell):

Winter, 2008 in Charleston, SC:

Photo above by Brandy J and Garrett Nudd

One of the many questions we get about our kids is: What are they wearing? Where did you get that dress for Gray? She loves to play dress up like so many other kids whether its being a princess, ballerina, a character like Davy Crockett, whatever! Well I am really excited to debut the feature Out & About for this blog. Simply put, it will be a description of what a member of our family will be wearing a certain day or when we are Out & About…to the grocery store, shopping, school (well, preschool for now), eating out, etc.

This is Gray when we were going out to the grocery store and other errands. She has been dressing herself and picking out her clothes most of the time since she was 2.5 years old.

Yellow coat: crewcuts

Silver headband: crewcuts

Gray sweater: Target

Gray corduroy pants: Target

Yellow long sleeved shirt: crewcuts

Boots: given as a gift, TJ Maxx?

We want to celebrate our children’s creativity and self-expressions and remember through fun photos.

How about you? Do you have kids or know of any who love to pick out their own clothes whether its shopping or what they are going to wear for the day? Are they style conscious, have a true of sense of style? Do they love to imagine and play dress up? We would love to see what other kids are wearing these days! Gray and Campbell would love to see what other kids are wearing and I’m sure Gray will have something fun to say about it.

Submit to our contact form with subject: Out & About, your child’s name, where they are going, (ex: shopping, playdate, gymnastics, etc) and the source of their whole outfit. This will be so fun to see!

*swooning*

Designed for girls and boys from 2-16 years old, the collection boasts the style of Paris, Barcelona, and Venice.

Can’t wait to someday visit one of their showrooms in Italy and all over Europe.

(Photo credit and all clothes can be purchased here: Harmont & Blaine junior website)

I am loving the 2010 spring collection of crewcuts. These are just a few of my favorites for our girls, even though I love them all!

And if we had boys, this is how they would dress :)

(Photo credit: crewcuts)