News

Try solving this ready-to-wear riddle. Two weeks ago, I purchased an entire Stella McCartney outfit – tuxedo jacket, blouse, grey cashmere leggings – for just over $200. Normally, you would not even be able to buy one of her tank tops for that price. If you're thinking I scored them from an online sample sale or a friend's clothing swap party, guess again. Here's another hint: Each item was either an extra large or XXL and I'm typically a size four. Yet everything fit perfectly.

If you haven't figured it out by now, I made a trip to GapKids to plunder the treasures that McCartney specially created for a segment of the population too young to understand the cultural contributions of Gianni Versace, O.J. Simpson or Tupac Shakur.

I certainly wasn't the only legal-age clotheshorse who figured out that this capsule collection targeting babies, toddlers and tykes might offer a few pieces generous enough for an adult frame. Within days of the merchandise hitting stores, the largest sizes sold out. People bragged via Twitter about scoring and squeezing into such standouts as the military jacket, the snow leopard sweater and the ombre tutu.

At a time when mass-market designer collaborations have become a surefire way of generating both hype and sales, it seems surprising that it took so long for GapKids to team up someone as obvious as McCartney, who is the mother of two boys and a girl, all under five years old. The clothing is priced from $32 to $128 with some items (such as hi-tops for $48) proving better value than others (like the aforementioned cashmere leggings, not overly child-friendly, for $78).

But the biggest impact of the collection may have less to do with kids getting designer-obsessed before hitting puberty than the eureka moment this represents for big name brands and smaller-sized adults: Stella has officially made it cool to shop the juniors department.

Doing so has long been a well-kept secret among slender moms and savvy shoppers. Ciara Hunt, the editor-in-chief of Hello! Canada, fesses up to shopping in the kids' section of Marks and Spencer when she lived in London (apparently, all the girls at Condé Nast, where she worked, did it). More recently, she has found herself buying the occasional pair of shoes and even a Canada Goose down jacket from Petit Pied and Bon Lieu, the stylish children's boutiques near Yorkville. Well-known children's book writer and mommy blogger Rebecca Eckler is also a fan of Bon Lieu, saying she picked up a hat from TNT Kids just last week. And when Nelia Belkova, who works in finance and pens Styleblog.ca, lived in Houston, she would frequent Target for girls' tank tops and swimwear.

Hunt, whose daughter Freya is now four, insists that she never sets out to deliberately shop for kids' clothes; it happens more by fluke. “I don't want to look like a kid when I dress in those clothes,” she says.

Even without McCartney's help, women have often turned to kids' clothes because they are cheaper (and are only slapped with the general sales tax). Compare, for instance, a Canada Goose down jacket at the Toronto children's boutique Gretchen and Co. for $359 to the adult versions, which range between $450 and $600. Owner Silke Rampf also carries French lines Anne Valerie Hash and Antik Batik and many of the jersey and knit pieces take a cue from adult designs and are forgiving enough for womanly curves. There's also more overlap in sizes so size 16 Diesel jeans (carried at Bon Lieu) are no smaller than some adult skinnies.

“I don't think enough people know,” says Shawna Kelly, manager and buyer for Bon Lieu and Petit Pied. “I see a lot of people discovering it when they come in. They'll say, “This looks like it can fit me,” and it does. And then it's ... an insta-sale.”

Marshall Cohen, chief retail analyst for the NPD Group, a market research company, calls this “crossover dressing” (not to be confused with cross dressing). “There's always some self-purchasing when parents are buying for their kids ... The way in which the crossover starts to grow [happens] when the product is more sophisticated and more stylish,” he says from New York, noting that the collaboration is well aimed at “fickle and frugal” consumers alike.

In an e-mail, McCartney writes that she didn't over-think the line between kids' and adults' clothes, pointing out that she first introduced the leopard in her fall ready-to-wear collection.

“I don't see a huge difference between kids' clothes and adult clothes, and I think that maybe, possibly sets me apart from other designers who do kids. I think that it's really important that they look tasteful and they have really good quality [clothes] that last and are timeless.”

But she must have known her signature muted palette and playful use of materials would spark a frenzy among older style mavens. Her reply: “I designed the collection with kids in mind but knew adults would try to squeeze into larger sizes.”

Including, apparently, men. Mark Rupert, a producer for eTalk, bought the boy's version of the leopard sweater, having never previously set foot inside GapKids. While he was excited to show off his purchase to some colleagues, he expected others wouldn't understand. “I didn't want to tell the camera guy at work because I knew he'd make fun of me,” says Rupert, adding that he doesn't plan to add the store to his regular haunts for no other reason than the change rooms. “I wasn't going to try it on in the store; I [felt] kind of creepy with all the kids around.”

Shop the kids' department

Haven't stepped foot inside a kids' store since you were a kid? Here are some pointers that will help you nab the best stuff and not look like a preschooler when you come out.

Accessories are the easiest place to start. A classic Burberry scarf at Bon Lieu costs $159 versus $325 for the cashmere adult version. Sure, it's shorter, but not enough that anyone will notice.

Be picky about fabrics. While cashmere blends and premium denim may seem excessive for snot-faced seven-year-olds, they're practically begging to be worn by petite-framed Gen-Xers.

Avoid crayon colours. McCartney's collection works well because it hews close to her signature soft hues.

Shrunken can be cute but be honest about something being too short. Hello! Canada's Ciara Hunt, for instance, jokes that her boy's coat has “bracelet sleeves,” but it fits in the body.

Guys, be thankful your hips don't grow. Diesel and Rock & Republic jeans for boys go up to a size 16, which roughly translates to a 33-inch waist. Don't worry, it's our little secret.

If you're too uncomfortable to use a fitting room, ask about the store's return policy. Otherwise, that new checkered shirt may end up in nephew Jasper's stocking … in 2015.

Amy Verner