Big bust and a baby boom

First woolworths, then the officers club, ghost, zavvi, now viyella. Then I read on dressed and pressed's blog that the mosaic group c/o oasis, warehouse, principals and more was in trouble.

The face of the British highstreet is changing forever, and not neccessarily in a good way. Without choice there is no competitive market; without Zavvi we have to buy our non-chart CD's either online, or in HMV and who knows what that will do to the prices?

But today I read in the Independent that it's not all a downward spiral in retail terms, believe it or not. Evidence seems to be showing that the money we women seem increasingly guilty about spending on ourselves we are instead lavishing on our children.

What baby doesn't need an animal print D&G bottle?

According to several fashion companies, little sizes are turning into big business as designer childrenswear is experiencing buoyant year-on-year growth and bucking the trend of impending doom and gloom the rest of the retail industry is experiencing. The sector has become so profitable – Dolce & Gabbana has just announced that its kids' sales rose by 30 per cent in 2008 – that chic designers have taken to including childrenswear in their clothing lines. John Galliano and Marc Jacobs already produce mini designer gear, and soon Jean-Paul Gaultier will feature children's fashion. Boutiques and websites specialising in mini couture are springing up.
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Well done to the clever designers jumping on this trend and finding new ways of keeping their ailing business afloat. Because designer fashion doesnt come cheap, no matter how tiny the clothes are. This quite frankly frightening collection of baby-adult clothes from little marc jacobs costs almost as much as the adult range.

Not that I care about what crazy parents choose to spend their money on. What worries me about this though is the toddlers and children padding around in their diamond encrusted nappies or galliano trainers. See, where I come from kids look like this: They play out, they get grubby. They tear holes in their jeans climbing trees. They grow, really quick. And I wonder if the parents investing the money that, according the world news, they dont have in these expensive clothes will let their kids be kids in them or will fret (like I do over my betsey johnson handbag or my favourite suede heels) about them getting scuffed, torn, damaged. And what kind of life is that for a child? And what kind of values does it teach them? That having designer clothing makes you important, special, less able to play with the other kids?

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What right do I have to decide what kind of values a child should be given anyway? I don't even have one! And any boom in the British retail situation should be celebrated given the current crisis. After all, if we lose anymore highstreet stores, there won't be much of a highstreet left for me to shop on, and then where would this blog be??

Apologies for the slightly off fashion nature of this post, but it's worrying when there are 6 year old babies with better wardrobes than me. Learning which designer label you like best is something you can do at any age. Learning how to ride a bike or climb a tree are things you do in your childhood. Or maybe i'm just jealous because I don't own anything by D&G....and I can't ride a bike!

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Love Tor