Editor's Picks: Won't Somebody Please Think of the Children?

The old way of thinking regarding apparel in our industry went something like this:

1. Order men's shirt.
2. If needed for women, dye pink.
3. If needed for children, shrink in dryer.

Fortunately these days, manufacturers are realizing that women don't want to wear oversized dress shirts, and are cutting clothing to fit the female figure accordingly. Similarly, suppliers know that children aren't just miniature adults. The clothes need say less "I am a corporate professional" and more "I am king of the twisty slide."

It's not enough to shrink adult styles down—smart suppliers are designing kid's clothing from the ground up. Take a look at this week's Editor's Picks to see some of the children's styles that'll be showing up on the playground next month.

Toast of the Town
Clothing for little boys is usually concerned only with surviving the playground, but sometimes a shirt with more panache is called for. The French Toast Youth Long Sleeve Piqué Polo from S&S Activewear has a three-button placket, a flat knit collar and rib knit cuffs, perfect for going to school, fancy restaurants or anywhere else little boys hate to be.

Lettuce Dress You
Vegetables: the arch-nemesis of children everywhere. Kids are more likely to wear their salad than eat it, so your best bet is to let them. Kavio's Lettuce Edge Scoop Neck Cap Sleeve Top is 100 percent ring-spun cotton and the only thing with "lettuce" in the description that won't make little girls say "ewwww."

Cribs 4 Life
Blue for boys and pink for girls are the original gang colors. Make sure your littliest represent with Infant Camo Caps from L.A. T Sportswear. All joking aside, these great caps also support a great cause: two percent of all Code V line sales go to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund Inc. and Fisher House Foundation.