A couple of weeks ago, the paparazzi captured photos of Kim Kardashian and her children as they exited a New York City hotel.
To the surprise of no one, Kim’s children (4 and 9) had on equally trendy outfits as herself, complete with matching mini Balenciaga bags that would set the average shopper back about $4k.
This definitely isn’t the first time an entertainer has stepped out with their designer-clad kiddies in tow ﹘ Angelina Jolie, Cardi B, and Kim’s sister Kylie have also made headlines for sending their young children out into the world with pretty pricey purses at one point or another.
And while I think most of us can admit that the kids do indeed look cute, it’s still easy to understand why others might have reservations about seeing youngins under a certain age sporting thousands of dollars worth of designer clothing and accessories. (Age may vary.)
I’m personally guilty of this myself. I can’t help but sneak a second glance at the preteens with the Hermès sandals and Chanel totes that hang around my local fitness studio; This goes doubly so for the seven-year-old I saw rocking a Gucci monogram coat on a flight last winter.
Realistically, I know that it’s none of my business what other people do with their money nor do I know the circumstances which led them to acquire these things in the first place; however, sometimes I can’t help but wonder if someone so young can truly appreciate the value of these items or if there are some unwritten rules any of us subscribe to regarding age appropriateness when it comes to kids wearing luxury goods.
Itty Bitty Boutiques
On one hand, one could make the case that many designer brands do have lines specifically made for kids. Gucci, Fendi, and Dior all have kids’ boutiques, with contemporary brands like Off-White including smaller collections just for the little ones.
Someone must be buying from them, or they wouldn’t exist in the first place.
So, even if the concept of designer goods for kids is a bit strange to some of us, the impression I got from the employee at Baby Dior in Paris was that a certain set of people do opt for these things more than one (ok, me) would expect.
(From what I remember from the convo, some shoppers might also actually purchase kids’ items for themselves; The Lady Dior Micro was technically a children’s item that happened to become popular with young adult shoppers.)
Disasters Waiting to Happen
On the other hand, dressing kids in designer goods can seem a bit…pointless.
Kids are messy, just as the photo series ‘The Consequences of Dressing A Child in Designer Clothes’ from The Cut shows.
We also know kids are usually more concerned with play time-related matters than whether or not their backpack is from Gucci or Gap. This fact alone can make the act of dressing a child in kiddie couture one that reflects more on the parents’ desires to appear a certain way than one really rooted in reason.
Now, I’m not a parent so I really don’t have a solid opinion on the matter. I’m just wondering how you all feel about seeing kids in designer gear. Do you let your kids wear designer items?
What about preteens and teenagers? Are designer items considered more appropriate for some age ranges versus others? How young is too young?
Given that the abyss between the haves and the have nots keeps getting bigger with the erosion of the middle class and the rise of the super rich, it’s hard to see preschoolers dressed in 10k worth of designer goods when most people live paycheck to paycheck.
That being said, the Kardashian kids are already being used by their family as little performing monkeys so it’s not surprising.
In general, I differ to parents to know what’s best for their kids… and as we know most parents are total idiots so… there we go.
Can we please not call a group of mostly mixed-race children “performing monkeys”? My goodness!
Pretty obvious that’s not what was meant
Novel incoming, sorry all!
For baby/toddler clothes it seems super pointless. Not a cost thing, just like, I have zero interest in treating my baby like some Barbie doll and changing and worrying about their outfits. Some people love that, and more power to them. My baby lives in sleep-and-plays that are cute and all, but it’s all function and super easy to zip up. I won’t even use two-piecers. Most designerwear for babies/toddlers is a hassle to put on at best, or have pointless accessories that neither me, nor my baby care about. My sister has a full-time nanny, so theoretically she could have the nanny put on elaborate outfits, but she doesn’t care about it either. We’re just not into it.
But I see that as dressing up dolls, as mentioned above. That’s not about the kid. If you’re thinking about it, you need to use the same lens you think of, I don’t know, $1000+/night hotel rooms or $400 bottles of wine with dinner etc. It’s for the adult, and it’s a “consumable” that they for whatever reason feel is worth it. The baby is barely in the equation.
For older kids, I’m not PRO designer clothing, but I think that’s where we slowly start getting into the kid actually being involved. I absolutely know 4 year olds who dictate what they want to wear exactly. Sometimes it’s from their imagination “I want an orange dress with frills!”, sometimes it’s from an ad “I want the Megaman t-shirt!”. At that point, if your mom is wearing a Balenciaga bag, and you see it and that it was a small version that looks just your size, and your mom is so rich money doesn’t matter, I don’t see harm in allowing designer clothing. There’s limits of course, every family has their budgets and limits, you might need rules (one item per month or whatever), but the idea that your mother can spend literal millions on clothing but you have to wear a Target knock-off is a little silly to me. Even 20-30k USD is a rounding error for the sort of spending that some people do, and believe you me as loud as Kardashians are, they are FAR from alone. Private schools’ parking lots are full of kids in BMWs and designer clothing. They’re not going to magically learn the value of money if they’re not allowed to buy a Birkin. They have eyes, they live the lives that they do. Teaching the value of hardwork and/or money to rich or wealthy child is way more complex than whether or not you allow them to buy designer stuff. If they don’t get to buy anything designer at all, but they’re still on private jets with you going to the Bahamas/Alps/whatever, they’ll be just as disconnected from the reality of life and what you need to work for.
Anyway this novel’s gone on long enough. TL;DR: I don’t think designer clothing will make or break the education of a rich or wealthy kid. There’s way more to it than that.
It’s relative. For some, Gucci is like Target.
It’s your money. Buy whatever you want. It’s nobody’s business.
It doesn’t matter what celeb kids wear – purseblog should not be including any celeb kids and what they wear in their posts!
Why not? Celebs happily pose for the paparazzi with their children all the time.
No faces showing in this!
Better but still its easy to figure out this is Kartrashians kid – you have enough excellent content Megs – why bother trying to monopolize on this? Just me two cents
You say don’t show the kid’s faces and then you call them KarTRASHIANS. Ok
Kartrashian 😂😂😂😂
“Me two cents”…of course it is! Not everyone knows “celebrities” kids. There is better content to follow, but you seem to know who is who.
Idk, designer clothes, bags, etc. for kids gives me pause. Kids outwear clothes too quickly, they don’t appreciate designer bags (nor should they because they’re kids) and designer clothes for kids are really not attractive and far too expensive for what they are.
Blame the celebs who chose fame and in turn chose fame for their kids. Having their children flaunt jewelry, designer bags, and extravagant things in Public; The parents don’t seem to care, so why do you?
I didn’t know anything about designer clothes or accessories until I became an adult. Those things were never important in my community.
Me neither. Giving my age away, but growing up in semi-rural Pennsylvania, it was perfectly normal for kids’ wardrobes to come almost entirely from Sears or JC Penney’s. This applied to the poorer kids, the middle class and to the children of doctors and millionaire company executives. Nobody thought anything odd about it. Teen-age girls might get something from Bobbie Brookes and the truly daring and fashion forward might order from the Spiegel catalog, but that’s about as far as it went. One department store had a European premium designer boutique called The French Room; my friends and I were too intimidated to put even a toe inside it. (Something I think about every time I breeze into a boutique on the Avenue Montaigne or Quadrilatero d’Oro).
I think it was healthier for kids that way, not being so aware of designer goods and having such a gulf in clothing, bags, shoes etc based on family income. For special occasions, ok, or special presents from doting grandparents, also ok, but not for everyday. Esp, as noted above, when the gap between the haves and have nots widens every day.
On our last visit to Singapore, we chatted with a taxi driver about the sheer number of designer stores including designer stores specifically for children. He said he worries that someday there will be a violent rupture in society there due to the ever more gilded lifestyles of the super rich compared to the struggling service workers and lower middle class. Just something to think about.
I really don’t care how other people dress their children. Not my kid. Ever so often, I would buy designer for my children. Personally, I find it a colossal waste of money even if I were worth millions. The only time I spent significant amount of money on anything were their shoes. I am not a fan of cheap shoes on children’s feet.
Just like I said a couple of weeks ago, this topic is boring. The children are clothed, fed, and have a roof over their heads. As far as anyone knows, they’re not being abused. At the end of the day, what these kids wear is not important.
No, I think it is ridiculous! I am not saying my child went around in cheap clothing, Gap works great for youngsters. Children grow out of their clothing and do not take proper care of items like bags. IMO designer items are after you have worked hard, paid your dues, now you can purchase nice things for yourself as a grown person that knows the value of the things you have purchased.
The super rich aren’t going to put their kids in Gymboree, but they also don’t need to be putting their kids in Gucci either.
There are probably some high end kids’ clothing brands that aren’t as egregiously expensive as high end designers. If they spent money on those designers and then donated the difference to an organization or two that supports at risk infant toddlers and children, that seems like a solid compromise to me.
I’d like to say I don’t care, but we don’t live in a bubble. This is wasted money that could actively be changing other children’s lives. Not caring leaves us where we are now — in a country of extreme and forever exacerbating disparities.
That said, I’m sure Balenciaga gifted those mini bags to KK’s kids. There’s probably some quid pro quo vibes there too…would be awkward not to have them wear it at some point.
People are allowed to spend their money however they want. I may not agree with these parenting choices but at the end of the day it’s not my responsibility.
Yes. If their parents could afford it let them enjoy it.
I allow my kids to wear the odd hand me down designer item but make a point to not identify the brand. I want them to take care of their things whether it’s Walmart or designer. It took me a minute to process letting my 9 year old wear Vivier shoes that were too small for me, but the point is they’re dressy shoes she likes, that fit her and can wear to church, and that no longer fit me. I don’t tell her they’re $1K.
I’ve bought classic designer jewelry for my kids that they wear on special occasions and will be able to wear when they’re older.
At the end of the day I think parents should dress their kids in whatever they wish, as long as what they’re wearing doesn’t hinder their freedom to just be kids, and they realistically expect the odd dirt/spaghetti stain.
She doesn’t care, did you read the last paragraph? She’s wondering what WE think.
As a grandmother, I do quite a bit of shopping for my young almost 2 year old grandson. I mainly buy practical comfortable clothing for him. I include some Ralph Lauren and for special occasions a little Burberry. I like to see my grandson neatly dressed, but I don’t ever want him to feel entitled and always will hope that he is both grateful and very thoughtful about others in need. With this at the forefront, I would change my shopping habits if in anyway I noticed that it would harm him or influence him in a negative way.
I don’t think they should. As it might put the idea of “expensive = good” in their head
well i think for me its like this.that gucci strawberry bag is really cute, 70s like print of a 1920s type festive image.I would buy it because its pretty. as an item, that would really go with my truly, lady like and proper 5 year old niece i really think zsa zsa gabor just came back, because she is really every bit the lady, loves candles soft furnishings, light colors, everything is in order in her life, by life i mean her room and backpack, and perfect barbie doll,1950s, reissue that she chose. and she says she will have a big house and entertain all the time tea parties in long gowns.AGAIN SHE IS FIVE !
*her parents are not like this at all* ………. all this said because this child would love something so cute she would not know its gucci, but i would say she would even appreciate the beauty of it because she wears her little hello kitty bags with care and grace. so its case to case, person to person. that’s why I’m happy all this is still available. i want to get her a LV mini HL,but again that Gucci WOW !
I don’t think kids should be in obvious designer gear. By that I mean designer bags and footwear or anything with logos. I would be terrified that it would make my kid a target for thieves. My kids have experienced thugs in nyc demanding their friend hand over phone to them. I can’t even imagine if they had an expensive bag or sneakers. No way.
does a kid so young need a bag when strolling around?!?!?! let alone a super expensive bag..
I am not against having little ones carry designer goods but I think it’s too early. They haven’t grown up to appreciate what it would mean to carry a luxury good. Plus, to be honest I also think it’s tacky. In my opinion, unless you have a supermodel for a little one, I don’t see why sporting designer goods is necessary at such a small age.
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com