No matter how we score on the vanity scale in our adult lives, we all tend to think of ourselves as the cutest babies to have wobbled down in the world. But those old snapshots — in knickerbockers and lacy frocks — evoke both a smile and a grimace. They’re a far cry from today’s babies who look like mini fashionistas with their own
range of clothing and seasonal collections. Dressed in Harley Davidson leather jackets, Ritu Kumar skirts, skinny jeans, Gauri and Nainika gowns, Malini Ramani boho dresses or Gaurav Gupta plaid shorts, today’s toddlers make our infant years seem like the Neanderthal era of fashion evolution.
Haute-line
Young children jumped the tween bandwagon a few years ago, when market forces decided they must be well dressed at all times. Now the tide turns for infants and babies who’ve crawled into the designer bazaar. The li’l ones now flaunt Harley Davidson leather jackets, biking gloves, leather shoes and even mean looking headgear.
Those plump, little, dimpled legs are now slipping into skinny jeans from Baby Gap, manufactured with a bottom space for the diaper.
Think it’s never too early for your baby girl to dress like a lady? Try tiny slip-ons from Fendi, a hound’s-tooth coat from Chicco or a silk flower dress from Baby Dior. Even the traditional baby palette of blushing pink and powder blue has matured, with bibs and cribs coming in shades of elegant grey, earthy brown and rich burgundy.
Bazaar boom
Socialite Tanisha Mohan, who gave birth to her third child two years ago, notes the change in the infant market. “When I had my first child 11 years ago, there were hardly any stores. But now, there are almost 16-17 stores specifically for babies and mothers’ needs,” she points out.
For ages, hand-me-downs for babies in the family were the accepted order of the day. But the burgeoning Indian market is discovering the baby power of a country with rising disposable incomes and nineteen per cent of the entire world’s babies. K. Venkatraman, MD of Mahindra Retail, whose chain of stores called Mom and Me, caters to the pregnant mom and young baby, opines that shrinking families and more working moms bring in a certain kind of indulgence. “Parenthood today is viewed as an experience to be cherished and parents, especially first timers, want to make it as enjoyable as possible. People are willing to spend lavishly, which is further augmented by the reducing number of babies per family,” he says, adding, “As more women have started earning, both husband and wife have more means and willingness to spend on the baby, as compared to earlier.”
Designer Dressing
As adults are taking the business of dressing up more seriously, they don’t want their babies looking any less. That’s where brands like Kidology come in, which brings together designers like Gaurav Gupta, Malini Ramani, Gauri and Nainika Karan to design clothes for babies. “The concept of what is expensive and what is not is becoming increasingly relative. As more Indians are travelling overseas and getting exposed to the options available, their expectations from the domestic markets are increasing,” says Karina Rajpal, MD of Kidology, which retails designer dresses for babies ranging from `1,000 to 8,000.
Domestic players too have smartened up to the fact. Fab India now stocks a line for infants. “The fits and cuts for babies are different from regular kidswear. The silhouettes have to accommodate diapers and garments need poppers and comfortable necklines made of soft fabrics that are comfortable on a baby’s skin,” explains a Fab India spokesperson.
Local designers are in the fray as well. Ritu Beri’s recent collection for her brand Baby Beri, is based on military chic and a rock star collection, apart from stocking mini ghagras, sherwanis, gowns and dresses.
Baby Icons
With celeb babies like the Jolie-Pitt clan and Suri Cruise Holmes with their on-trend style being flashed in our everyday lives, the Indian parent demands the same. Vineeth Nair, CEO of Chicco, an Italian brand retailing within the range of `300-`1,300, says parents demand latest collections even before it hits the stores. “Parents want their kids to look as sleek, chic and stylish as themselves. Overdoing of cutesy stuff is not what most parents want now,” he says.
Mini-me Mentality
An extension of the mini-me mentality, parents are trying to give their kids better than what they themselves received. Megha Nainwal, a working mother of a two-year baby girl and an advertising professional, calls it the baby as an accessory trend. “The baby goes out more than I do, with her day care, play time in the park and visits to the relatives and I want her to look good at all times,” she says.
Her baby, Kyesha, has been following trends ever since she was born and Megha rarely thinks twice about spending on her. “Kyesha changes her shoes almost six times a day and already has a closet full of clothes. In fact one of her first words of the day are ‘new dress’! And spending on her is guilt-free shopping, for my child must have the best of whatever there is,” she says, adding that her most prized possession are a pair of red leather boots and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket, on which she didn’t mind spending `4,500, an amount she would have thought twice about if it were for herself or her husband.
Social Darlings
The miniature adultification of infants has a lot to do with their increased visibility, not only in the social circle but also on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, with parents getting themed photo shoots done for their toddlers and displaying them online. “Kids wearing adult fashion ups their cuteness and earns them compliments, which makes parents proud. With changing lifestyles and parents going out a lot more than earlier, babies need to look up to the mark,” says Pooja Sehra, a mother of twins.
But not all moms are gung-ho about their babies looking like teeny adults. Tehseem Zaidi, who recently gave birth to a baby, doesn’t want to dress her kid in adult fashion until it’s the right time. “There has to be an age for everything and I would want my baby to go through infancy looking like one.”