Archive for the ‘A Perfect Fit’ Category

Shoes, unlike clothing, can cause long-term problems for children if they do not fit properly.  Shoes that are too short, too narrow or too big for a child’s feet can lead to discomfort, injury, and even serious foot and ankle problems.

Understanding how shoes are constructed can help you make decisions about the styles that are most appropriate for your child.

Photo courtesy of Morgan & Milo

Heel: The heel is the bottom part of the rear of the shoe.  Shoes should be fitted carefully to your child’s heel so that the heel does not slip out of the back of the shoe.  Keep in mind that trendy girls high heels can put unnecessary pressure on the front of your little girl’s feet.

Toe box: The toe box should provide enough space for growth, and should be wide enough to allow toes to wiggle.  But, there should not be so much room that your child’s foot slides around.

Curve: The curve – or instep – of a shoe is designed like the typical shape of a foot and helps distinguish the right from the left.  Look for shoes that fit as closely as possible to the shape of your child’s feet.  Some children’s shoes, particularly shoes for very young children, do not have a curve since children’s foot arches do not form until a child is 2 to 3 years old and may not completely develop until they are about 6 years old.

Insole: The insole is the bottom inside of a shoe where the cushion is.  Additional insole padding can be added if one of your child’s feet is smaller than the other, so that both shoes fit properly.

Outsole: The outsole is the bottom outside of a shoe that absorbs shock.  The outsole may be made of very light material for pre-walk shoes, but could also be made of leather, rubber, or other materials.

Vamp: The vamp is the top part of the shoe where laces, buckles, or Velcro are used to help tighten a shoe to a foot.  Which type of enclosure you choose may depend on your child’s age.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the material from which a shoe is made can also affect fit and comfort.  Softer materials are recommended to help decrease the amount of pressure placed on your child’s feet. Stiff materials can cause blisters.

Given that, soft, pliable shoes with plenty of room, such as sneakers, are ideal shoe for children.

Reference:  http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00143

Michelle Mokalla is always on the lookout for new talent, but the kind of talent she finds is different from what you might expect.  As the Director of Fit Modeling for Marla Dell Talent in San Francisco, Michelle often helps children’s clothing designers find children that will help them test the products they create.

How does fit modeling affect the clothes kids wear?

Typically, child fit models are hired to test newly-designed clothing items. They try on sample clothing during the development phase of production so that the designers and merchandisers can see how an item fits, how the fabric hangs, what a garment looks like when worn.

According to Michelle, manufacturers, when they can afford it, prefer live fit models because mannequins cannot comment on whether a shirt is too tight around the arms or a pair of pants is comfortable to run, jump, or play in, for example.

In other words, this fitting process helps clothing manufacturers make clothing that fits children’s bodies and activities.  They can use their observations and the child’s feedback on how it feels when wearing and moving in a clothing item to make changes to their designs before it is mass produced and available to you and your kids.

Finding the right fit

It takes a certain kind of child to be a fit model.  First of all, the child’s measurements must fall within a clothing manufacturer’s specific design requirements for whichever size (or sizes) they want to fit.  These size requirements will vary from brand to brand, but reflect the brand’s target wearers.  In her role at Marla Dell Talent, Michelle will:

“…look for children who meet a given manufacturer’s requirements and then introduce them to each other.  Because fit modeling also requires a child to be able to focus, take direction, and share what they think, manufacturers will then meet with the child for a mini-audition.”

These auditions are also an opportunity for the designers to re-check the child’s measurements, see how they interact with their parents and the design staff, and to check for technical items like the child’s posture, the slope of their shoulders and their body proportions.

Creating positive experiences for children who fit model

Fit modeling, particularly as it relates to children, is sometimes criticized because of the potential that such scrutiny and comments have to hurt feelings and self-esteem.  While many manufacturing companies make efforts to prepare staff who interact with children to be sensitive with them and to abide by a class-room style level of respect and behavior, Michelle makes the point that:

“Children hear everything.  I would just caution people who work with child fit models to be careful about what and how things are said around them.  Laughing and sarcasm, even if you think it’s innocent, can be misunderstood and hurtful.”

A positive fit modeling experience, though, can result in a long-term relationship between kids and designers.  A manufacturer may try to find a child whose measurements are at the small end of their clothing size range and then work with the same child until they grow “out of size” for the clothing line.

As well, a child’s involvement in fit modeling gives them an up-close look at the world of fashion design.  This behind-the-scenes involvement, as well as an opportunity to see a garment in a store and know that it fits well because of them, can be exciting and lead to interest in design as a possible career option.

Resources:

• For more information on working as a fit model see Marla Dell Talent Fit Modeling page
• For more information on working with fit models from a manufacturer’s perspective, see The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing by Kathleen Fasanella

Post script: this post provides an outside-in view of the role that fit models play in fashion design.  I would be interested in hearing from technical designers and parents about your experiences with child fit modeling.

Finding ready-made children’s and baby clothing is as simple as going to the nearest department store, mass merchant, or children’s boutique. Finding items that are as unique as you child is a more challenging task. The following are some ideas for finding or creating a very personalized look for your child, as well as a handful of example resources.

Have their clothes custom-made. Custom-made children’s clothing often costs more than ready-made, but if you need a unique look, a perfect fit for a child that doesn’t match the size charts, or a special occasion outfit, this may be a great option for you.

• Over the years, I have run into a number of women in my community that take on sewing projects in their homes. Search your local classified ads or ask around at fabric stores for reputable sewists/seamstresses in your home town.
• A. Anichini, a children’s clothing boutique located in Italy offers beautiful ready-made children’s clothing. Understanding that some children do not fit their sizing perfectly, they allow you to submit your child’s measurements and order clothing tailored to your child’s unique measurements. I’m sure there are similar shops in the U.S.
• Metta Creations, is a mom-owned custom children’s clothing business based in Massachusetts. The owner’s focus is on everyday children’s wear and technical gear for kids.

Sew your child’s clothes yourself. Sewing is the next best thing to having someone else custom make your child’s clothing. My last post highlighted free children’s clothing sewing patterns available on the web. If you are new to sewing, look into a class at a local fabric store, university continuing education or other community learning program, or organizations focused specifically on home arts education. Here are some examples – search for something similar in your city:

• Make – a NYC workshop offering design, art, and craft classes for children and adults.
• The Finishing School – a Salt Lake City program offering sewing (as well as other domestic arts) classes for adults.
• Central Piedmont Community College – offers continuing education classes in sewing, clothing alteration, etc.
• Look to books for possible starting places: Amy Butler’s Little Stitches, Making Children’s Clothes: 25 Stylish Step-by-step Sewing Projects for 0-5 Years, or Carefree Clothes for Girls: 20 Patterns for Outdoor Frocks, Playdate Dresses, and More (Make Good: Crafts + Life)

Look for almost-custom clothing for kids. Some companies offer hybrid clothing. They typically allow you to choose from standard designs and sizes, but customize the overall look.

• Hand Picked Pumpkin – pick a garment, choose a size, customize with your choice of fabrics and trims.
• IzzyB Designs – hand-sewn clothing in standard designs and sizes with numerous color and embellishment options from monograms to bows and trim.

Add embellishments like applique, embroidery, or other add-ons that help customize off-the-rack items. You can do this yourself, visit a local embroidery shop, or look to online stores that specialize in embellished children’s wear. Here are a couple of examples:

• Luv-me-know boutique – offers embellished girls clothing ranging from emboidered diaper covers and tutus to appliqued tees and dresses.
• Dandy-lion Designs – offers ready-made clothing that has been embellished with fun trims and sparkles; similar to the almost-custom shops above, they also offer mix-and-match outfits in your color and garment choices.

Please share your tips for getting that unique look for your child. And, if you are aware of other custom shops, classes, or similar resources to the one’s named above, please let us know.

Update: This post was included here to help parents gain awareness of potential drawstring hazards in children’s clothing. It has been edited to remove speculations as to why the hazards exist and to focus on ways that you can identify and fix clothing products that may be unsafe.

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In 1996, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued guidelines recommending that parents or caregivers completely remove the hood and neck drawstrings from all children’s upper outerwear up to size 12, and that manufacturers follow voluntary guidelines to eliminate drawstrings or ensure that products meet certain safety requirements. Similar guidelines have been implemented by the ASTM standards organization and cover girls’ and boys’ clothing, such as jackets and sweatshirts, generally intended to be worn on the exterior of other clothing.

The safety concern is that drawstrings – even fake, non-functional drawstrings – pose strangulation, entrapment, and entanglement hazards that could seriously harm a child or lead to accidental death.

While these guidelines exist, there are still occasional risks. To find out what products have been recalled recently due to drawstring risks, go to: http://search.cpsc.gov/query.html and type in “drawstring + recall” into the search field.

If you find that one of your kid’s upper outer garments does come with loose drawstrings, the CPSC recommends that you remove the drawstrings in order to eliminate the hazard. Many manufacturers will also offer refunds on affected products.

For more information, see:

• * CPSC Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Resellers
• CSPC Drawstring Standard: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/208.pdf

The other day I asked a bunch of moms what their biggest problem was when buying clothes to fit their children. Boy, did I get an earful. Many of them had the following issues in common. Tips on how to deal with them are offered below.

Fit

While every child’s measurements are unique to them, most kids follow a particular growth pattern that is used as the basis of clothing design. If your child goes through a growth spurt or grows more quickly in one direction than another, then you very likely will run into fit problems from floods to baggy pants and clothes that just don’t fit right. Common problems include:

• Girth and length mismatches. Many parents will comment that pant legs are either too long or too short for their child’s waist size, while other claim that the waist is too loose or too tight for the length. In the end, these parents are all facing a similar problem – length and girth are not growing proportionally. The fix? If your child is slim and has long legs, look for slim sizing, adjustable waist pants, or longer-fit clothing; Gymboree, for example, offers baby sizes that have a longer inseam than their newborn sizes do. If your child has shorter legs than average or their waist is larger than average, buy clothing to fit their waist and adjust the hem, look for husky or plus sizing if available
• Long or short arms. Arm length is a problem for coats, fitted shirts, and other tops with long sleeves that should extend just beyond your child’s wrist. The fix? For longer arms, purchase tops with short sleeves or consider adding a cuff in a contrasting color to extend the length of long sleeves that aren’t long enough. For shorter arms, look for sleeves that can be rolled or pushed up comfortably, or which can easily be altered to be shorter.
• Labels don’t match age. This happens frequently. Sizes vary by brand and usually differ from standards. As well, kids grow at different rates, so that they are often bigger or smaller than the average child of their same age. The fix? In most situations, you will need to ignore the recommended age on the label and go strictly by size chart measurements. Have your child try clothing on if possible.
• Outfits and clothing sets don’t work. Kids will often wear different sizes on top and bottom if they have any of the issues discussed above. Your child may have super long legs, but be perfectly average in terms of their arm and chest measurements. If you buy an outfit to fit their upper body, it will run short in the legs. If you buy the outfit to fit their leg length, the outfit may be very loose everywhere else. The fix? Buy separates.

Design

Another common set of problems has to do with the styles that are available. A friend of mine, who has never sewn before, resorted to making pants for his baby to wear to a wedding this coming week when he couldn’t find any dressy clothes for little boys. He is not alone in his angst. Many parents are frustrated that they can’t find the styles that they want.

• Limited options for boys. There seem to be a lot of clothing options for girls these days, but parents looking for little boys clothes sometimes run into a wall. Sure, you can find a lot of cute everyday clothes, but dressy, classic, and contemporary options are harder to find. As one mother put it:

It’s hard to find conservative, nice looking little boys clothing that is free of stupid dinosaurs, trucks or cartoon characters.

• Too-adult options for girls. Too-tight, low-cut clothing for little girls is a frequent complaint . Many parents want their daughters to dress like little girls and not wear outfits that suggest anything more.
• Inappropriate designs. Finally, while dinosaurs or trucks may not be favorites, skulls and video game characters seem to be even less popular with moms. They are looking for designs that are age-appropriate, reflect their values, and which are fun and creative.

I don’t have fixes for these problems, but hope that clothing brands will come up with some innovative ways to help parents out. Or, if you are one of those parents who takes entrepreneurial action, maybe you will start up your own clothing labels to fix the problem.

What have you done to address these problems with your own children?