Maternity Fashion Clothing Pregnancy Wear

Older girls Autumn inspo

6 Sep

I thought I’d do a little autumn edit of girlswear. Hopefully a few of you will find this useful if your daughter, like mine, has grown like a weed over the summer and literally nothing from last years wardrobe fits. (I know a lot of us struggle with pre-teen fashion too, so this might save you having to shop around, assuming you/your daughter has similar tastes in clothing to me/mine!)

My oldest daughter is eight but quite tall for her age. She now wears age 9-10 in most brands, and sometimes even age 10 in the more designer and European labels. (Isn’t it weird how the designer sizing thing is the same for kids as it is for adults?) The higstreet can be really tricky as a lot of the styles on offer in her size are generally a little too grown-up or sporty for my tastes. However I have noticed that things are starting to change a little, as you will hopefully agree.

The most obvious highstreet destination is Zara. (I also head to Mango and Next, but nothing amongst their older girls offering has really taken my fancy so far.) I am normally one to moan about Zara’s collection for older girls, but this season I have found some really lovely casual styles, some of which I have already purchased. I loved these jeans as just one example. Neither of my daughters like wearing skinny jeans so I just don’t bother with them anymore. (To be fair i’m never that comfortable in skinny jeans either, even more so now i’m pregnant!) These Zara ones are the perfect denim alternative. Annabella finds them really comfortable and they also make a change from dresses, which aren’t always appropriate to wear. Zara have the perfect basic ribbed tops too, which go perfectly. I got the foral print and a blush pink one.

I tend to steer clear of dresses from Zara and the other highstreet favourites. They always look great in the picture online but generally I find the quality pretty poor. More often than not the hem will come away after the first wash, for example. For dresses I instead like to stick to independent brands like Olivier baby and La Coqueta. The styles are beautiful and timeless and the quality is faultless. For obvious reasons they are a little more of an investment but I don’t mind as I know I can pass them down to Evelyn. (You can also sell them on second hand really successfully.) Benedita is another beautiful European brand I love, especially for dresses. I have my eye on this as a possible Christmas party outfit for both my daughters. In fact we have so many birthday and family gatherings starting from October, so this would be perfect for them all. (I have no problem them wearing the same outfit over and over. Isn’t that the whole point of buying something you absolutely love?)

I also like to shop online at Scandi mini. They have a great collection of Louise Mischa and Tocoto vintage, two other really pretty independent labels. They now also stock Little Cotton Clothes which is another absolute favourite (and more of a highstreet price point) – They do all the best colours in ribbed tights and socks as well. (Sadly Little Cotton clothes only go up to age nine, so more for Evelyn who’s five. But it’s nice to be able to put together a joint basket and only have one shipping cost.) Not my usual style but I also quite like this coral leopard-print dress by Piupiuchick, one of Scandi Minis new brands.

Going back to the highstreet I must also mention La redoute. They have some really cute autumn pieces for older girls that I first spotted via Littlespree. I ordered a dress and skirt and was extremely impressed.

Lastly when it comes to knitwear I love this chunky knit cardigan from Boden which both girls have. It literally goes with everything (layer over dresses, skirts, jeans) and I love how their sizing is so generous. You can usually get two seasons wear out of it . They also wash really well and are definitely not itchy. This is nice too, for a smarter knit. It also comes in red.

There is also a really lovely second hand website that I am always stalking, in the hope some of the styles arriving will be the right size. Littlestluxuries is definitely one to bookmark for pre-loved designer childrenswear. If you are lucky you can pick up Bonpoint from as little as £20!