Welcome to Babies N' Fashion!

Well hello there and welcome to my blog! It is about, of all things, babies and fashion. Ever since having my daughter, affectionately to be known as Fashion Baby (or FB), I have become obsessed with baby clothes. The range of clothing that is available for babies today is nothing short of AMAZING! So I am going to be showing Fashion Baby in her various outfits and giving my reviews of the clothes, their price points (which will cover a wide range), sizing, practicality, and over all cuteness. I have to admit that I have a habit of buying things way in advance for her, so I may not always remember where certain items were purchased or their exact cost (prices will often be approximate to the best of my recollection), but thanks to the glorious internet, you'll probably be able to find anything that interests you using our good friend Google.

A little background on Fashion Baby's size, so you can compare with your own baby in terms of how the various clothes fit. She is a long and skinny baby with a good sized head on her little shoulders. At her 6 month check up she was - 97th percentile for length (approx. 28 inches), 25th percentile for weight (approx. 15 pounds) and 75th percentile for head circumference (???). So things that are short on her may not necessarily be short on other babies.

Since this is our glamorous premiere entry, we will start with something on the fancy-pants side. (Though we will be covering all price points and styles here, from party wear to pajamas.) Fashion Baby wore this to come with me to a meeting with some ooh-la-la types...
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Brand: Marie Chantal
Sizes: Coat (Sumner) - 9 months, Dress (Sisko) & Blouse (Sallie frill ric rac top)- 6 months.
Retail prices (approx.): coat $278, dress $150 blouse $79
Fashion Baby's age at time of wearing: 6 months
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The Sumner coat runs pretty true to size. It is still a little bit big on FB, which I think is good since one is likely to layer things under it.

It has a thick padded lambswool lining and since the coat is wool, it really keeps baby warm. The lining is covered with a VERY soft cotton cover material in the signature Marie Chantal print. (Inside of coat, sleeves, underside of collar and inside of pockets are fully lined.)



It is a swing coat style, so it's nice and full which allows it to fit well on babies of varying weights.

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The Sallie blouse and Sisko dress are both in size 6 months. These too run pretty true to size with the blouse leaning to the "slim cut" side. It is 100% cotton, thus it does require ironing.

There is a ruffle that goes all around the collar and splits in the back and there are matching ruffles at the bottom of the sleeves. All ruffles are trimmed in tan ric rac. The blouse buttons all the way down the back.

It is definitely slim fitting. I wash it in cold on delicate and hang it to dry, but it still "just fits" around the ribcage and tummy and Fashion baby is not a chubby girl, so keep that in mind if purchasing this blouse.

The Sisko dress runs more true to size, and given its empire waist and full skirt, there is more leeway in terms of growth and maximizing wearing time.

The empire waist is trimmed in a slim aqua velvet ribbon with a bow at the front. The dress also has four aqua decorative buttons on the chest and the same buttons all the way down the back. The Sisko jumper has lovely box pleating in the front and back beginning just below the empire waist.
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The Low Down-

Sizing: Coat and dress are true to size, blouse is on the slim side
Price Point: Outrageously high
Practicality: For the coat: TOPS! It truly keeps kids warm, and the swing style extends its wearability time. If you're going to splurge, this is the piece to do it on. Plus you can put it on over all your baby's outfits when she goes out to get the maximum use for the price. For the blouse: LOW. There is no way to avoid ironing this blouse and the slim cut means it will be worn for a very short amount of time. For the dress: MEDIUM. Dress keeps its shape and remains looking wonderful wear after wear. It also keeps baby warm while looking stylish. However, if your baby is still at the spitting up stage, that is a problem considering this dress is Dry Clean only.
Overall Cuteness: Tops! I have to say, I just love this outfit. Yes, the price is insane to spend on a child's outfit, especially during the period where they grow at their fastest rate. However, if one doesn't mind spending the dough, you actually do get your money's worth in terms of quality, style, and design. The materials are all top notch and the outfit exudes elegance. (Plus, you can always find great deals when Marie Chantal's items go on sale and also at the store's online outlet!)

Marie Chantal Boutique
Marie Chantal Outlet

See you tomorrow with a new outfit!