“Pretty in pink -- and brown and blue ... - Edmonton Journal” plus 1 more

Pretty in pink -- and brown and blue ... - Edmonton Journal

Posted: 20 Apr 2010 06:07 PM PDT

Time was, little kids wore what their parents put them in. These days, even kindergartners are right on top of each season's trends and guiding use of the parental wallet.

"I can tell you one of my employees has six-and four-year-old daughters," Kevin Meloche, Zellers' general merchandise manager for children's wear, said in an interview. "She had to meet them at the mall yesterday.

"They have an opinion. They were walking by, and one little girl saw these rubber rainboots -- chocolate brown and pink polka-dots -- grabbed them and had to have these, and she's six. That's real young," Meloche said. In case you are among the uninitiated, chocolate brown and pink is as hot a trend as you'll find.

Wired kids have up-to-the-minute knowledge of the trends and are more fickle than ever, Meloche said. As a merchandiser, there is no room for error.

"You'd better have the right trend on the floor, because if you don't, it's not going to sell," he said.

While adult runway fashions used to take a year to appear in the children's market, they are now appearing in the same season, he said.

This spring, think '60s love, peace and flower power mixed in with '80s high colour penetration. Think citrus bright, acid-washed and tie-dye, he said. "The graphics are '80s-inspired. They are vibrant; they are bright. ... In girls it's all about butterflies and small floral prints. Lots of peace signs."

You'll see colourful leggings beneath casual tunics reminiscent of the movie Flashdance, and plenty of that aforementioned brown and pink, Meloche predicted.

Boys' clothing is all about extreme graphics with skulls and crossbones, iron crosses and eagles. It's a skateboarder feel, Meloche explained. Even the polo shirts have extreme graphics across the shoulder or on the bottom of the shirt.

Also big this spring is nautical styling -- wide-legged sailor pants, with a crisp red, white and blue colour palette, said Stefanie Missler, an owner of Dandelion Kids.

Vans has created a boat shoe with a "cooler, skateboard-y thing going on. It's got lacing and is in navy," Missler said. "The traditional deck shoes are the domain of preppy teenagers. This is a bit edgier and not as literal. It has a thicker sole and the tread is really flat.

"We're seeing lots of jumpsuits, which I love," Missler said. "We have one in particular, with beehiving and balloony pants. It's a voluminous and comfy, funky little outfit they can still climb trees in for ages one to nine."

For girls, she's seeing little tunics with tiered ruffles in small floral prints and punchy '80s colours.

At the top end, babywear manager Laura Spencelayh said Burberry is their most popular line this season.

"I think it's because there's a real big trend of parents wanting to show off their kids," Spencelayh said.

"It's only our second season with Burberry, and we are just amazed at how popular it is. It's a very traditional, classic look. ... We have a fabulous white, yoked girl's raincoat ($300). It's one of those you could buy now, put your kids in it and save it for your grandkids."

Other popular items this season are, for girls, polo tops with puff sleeves in the traditional Burberry plaid with white Bermuda shorts, and for boys, black cuffed shorts in both Hugo Boss and Burberry with orange, blue, red or white polo shirts.

Babywear reflects trends in children's wear, said Lisa Malcic of Beba Bean, which sells baby gifts and apparel. Pantone, the colour company, has chosen turquoise as its colour for spring-summer 2010. In baby wear, it translates into soft turquoise, and for tweens, it's almost fluorescent.

Lisa Will of Stonz children's outdoor wear said plaids are so big she's had trouble finding them for her boots. Parents might choose conservative tans for themselves, but they are adventurous with kids' clothing. "Dark brown with dusty rose or denim blue is still our best-seller," Will said. "Brown with lime green is also hot."

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Camille Walker rolling right along - Kokomo Perspective

Posted: 15 Apr 2010 04:44 AM PDT

There are things that come naturally to some people. For Camille Walker it happens to be skateboarding. Walker is a rarity among skaters as the ratio of men to women is at least 50:1, depending on who you ask. Being a girl in a boys world is no big thing to Walker.

"I learned to skate from my brother," Walker explained. "I was always hanging out with guys. Skating was what we did."

Walker said that her brother taught her, but he quit skating when she became better than him.

She has never received anything but positive reactions from fellow skaters.

"Even the toughest places to skate, I never hear anything but good things," Walker said. "The Major Taylor Skate park (in Indianapolis) is where some of the rougher skaters skate. They were glad to have me there."

Walker was a sport freak as a child growing up, whether it was soccer, swimming, or track. Taking to a skateboard seemed like a natural progression.

Walker is one of the top female skaters in the area, according to Dan Ayers at DK's Main Street Skate Park.

"There aren't a lot of girls skating at her level," Ayers said.

Walker excels at the mini ramp at DK's and her ability does have an impact on some of the other skaters.

"When she skates on the mini, you will see guys with the, 'Oh, it's a girl' look," said Ayers. "But when she starts skating and they see how good she is, they often head up stairs."

Skating has its physical prices to pay as well. Walker said she has really only suffered one major injury during her time on the skateboard. It came during a session at another Indianapolis skate park.

"There were a setup with four sets of stairs," Walker said. "I hit an ollie and made the first set of two. I didn't see the second set."

The result was torn ligaments in her ankle. Like many skaters, she also sports her fair share of bumps and bruises.

A student at Ivy Tech, she is currently awaiting her deployment orders with the U.S. Army. She said that skating will continue to be part of her routine if possible.

"Army members compete in athletics, like mixed martial arts and boxing," Walker said. "You never know, maybe skateboarding will be next."

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