Kids Summer Fashion for a Day Trip!

When it comes to childrens fashion there is always an element of practicality to consider, after all kids can be notoriously rough on their clothes. So how do you dress fashion conscious children for a long tiring day trip? I found the answer at Westfield Derby in one of this season’s top trends…..neon! I took my three to London to test their neon clothes in action.

Neon isn’t always in favour but it can’t be denied that it is bright and noticeable. This in itself makes it the perfect colour to dress your kids in, simply put they are easier to spot which is a distinct advantage if you are visiting a busy area. It also means they are easier to describe should you lose sight of them temporarily.

However unless you want to make your kids look like 80’s rejects you have to play the neon card carefully. I found a wonderful variety of clothes in my local shopping centre (Westfield Derby), where a few designs were on offer in store.

For my eldest son I went for this gorgeous layered top from Zara, it’s quite oversized in design and is available in a range of colours, it’s bright but it wont damage your retina and I can spot him at a distance. I paired this with a more understated pair of navy shorts from H&M, these have a slightly tailored cut which means they can be dressed up or down. He also had a bright neon blue belt, also from H&M although admittedly his t-shirt covered this.

For my youngest son I went for these gorgeous denim shorts from Zara, they are bright, incredibly comfortable and my son loves them. Zara also do similar trousers in bright designs, although I found their legs were slimmer which made them less practical for a very little person.

I paired them with this fabulous Darth Vader t-shirt from H&M. The t-shirt has the added advantage of being glow in the dark, I know he went under a table to show me!

For my daughter I toned done the neon just slightly with this pink skirt from H&M with neon heart accents. This was paired with an incredibly funky animal print t-shirt (also from H&M) and bright wrist cuff.

I think they all looked fabulous, but how did the clothing fair on our trip? From beginning to end it was an insanely long hot day (the hottest day of the year in the South East) but while I wilted in the background all the kids were comfortable, fashionable and practically dressed.

Details

All the clothes were bought from Westfield Derby

Orange Layered Top £3.99 from Zara (this was reduced from £6.99)

Navy Shorts £7 from H&M (these were on special offer in store)

Blue Belt £2.50 from H&M

Orange Shorts £9.99 from Zara (these were reduced from £14.99)

Darth Vader T-shirt £5.99 from H&M

Pink heart skirt £5.99 from H&M

Animal Print T-shirt £2.99 from H&M

Wrist Cuff £1.99 from H&M

 

Summer Party Fashion for kids (and me!)

It was recently my twins birthday and you wouldn’t believe the hard time I had finding appropriate party clothes. So hard in fact that I thought I’d share my successful finds in case any of you too are struggling.

Perhaps it’s just me, but I am quite anxious that my daughter in particular does not grow up too fast and enjoys her childhood being a little girl. But as soon as I entered the shops I was faced with teenage styling, short skirts, skimpy tops and shoes with heels 🙁 When my daughter’s brief had been ‘a pretty party dress’ none of this came even remotely close to fitting either her ideal or my own.

Thankfully H&M finally came to the rescue with this gorgeous Sky Blue Empire Line Dress, amazingly it only cost £12.99 and came in several colours. We even found a cute little bolero for £4.99 and a pair of sparkly ballet pumps. My daughter couldn’t have been more pleased and she looked perfectly at home skipping around the Georgian town house where her party was held.

My son was somewhat easier as boys clothes don’t seem to suffer from the same shortening of lengths etc. He just wanted a ‘cool’ shirt and we found this wonderful striped number at Polarn O. Pyret (one of my favourite kids shops) for £22. It’s hard to see in this picture but the stripes go in different directions.

As for myself…. 🙁 I ran out of time and didn’t get any new clothes (Boo!) but then I wasn’t the centre of attention at their party. Although if I had the time again I think I would have opted for a gorgeous lace dress like one of these from New Look. In fact I still might treat myself (parties are hard work!)So if you’re like me and just want your daughter to look her age and your son to look like a cool little chap, don’t give up there are still shops that offer good choices. Or if all else fails, sew something yourself!

I bought all of the clothes from Westfield Derby 🙂 my local shopping centre, but all the shops above also sell online.