The Absolute Joy of Dressing My Baby
"Pagliacci in the streets, marshmallow in the sheets"
When I had my baby shower last October the real highlight (aside from the fried chicken) was the impromptu baby clothes ‘show and tell', which involved me disappearing into my bedroom and emerging, piece by piece, with the trove of etsy treasures I had ordered earlier that summer. Baby clothes are such a delight and in those early days of pregnancy searching for special pieces helped to offset the constant morning sickness - baby retail therapy. I’ve always loved dressing myself as an extension of my mood and personality and to say I have been having a ball building an (albeit ephemeral and ever-changing) wardrobe for Lucy is an understatement.
Before Lucy was born, my mother had said to “not even bother” getting clothes under 12 months size, which we quickly realized after Lucy’s arrival was total hyperbole and we had almost nothing that fit her. We rushed to get newborn sizes for those first weeks. Her uniform at that time was a Petit Bateau crossover onesie with a pair of extremely soft purple footed pants with cherries printed on them (thank you Bobo Choses). Then she experimented with some pattern mixing of agnès b. stripes and the tiniest floral pants that reminded me of the clothes I wore as a child. Winter was a blur of dressing Lucy like a lamb or a teddy, in cream fleece and brown cashmere. Or marshmallow mode in her thick heart printed white pajamas or a ruffled onesie that we used as her base layer for walks (‘Pagliacci in the streets, marshmallow in the sheets’). In the spring she wore a chic black agnès b. tracksuit onesie which I ordered from Parachute.
Somehow eight months have flown by and we are deep into July and the joy of summer baby outfits - caterpillar arms and legs out!
As I’m writing this, Lucy is wearing a little cotton dress from the 1970s, navy and red, with tiny white polka dots and one single fish at the bottom, all trimmed with eyelet lace (which is now awash with watermelon juice). The dress was under 12 dollars and part of the aforementioned etsy trove.
I've already mentioned some special baby items here, here and here (fancy pajamas, baby beauty routine, children’s clothes and toys made by a dress historian, respectively).
Below the paywall are some more of Lucy’s summer wardrobe highlights, favourite children’s brands, a unique and magical baby gift suggestion, where I like to shop for vintage baby clothes and a selection of secondhand items I’ve found in case you are in the market for some adorable bubble suits, overalls and/or bloomers.
On the subject of baby hats:
