Thanks to Dirty Laundry Tees, a Vancouver-based children's clothing line, little boys all over the world are having a new kind of temper tantrum. And their mothers couldn't be more thrilled. Modern-day boys are now throwing fits over what they want to wear.
"One client has specially ordered one of our boy's shirts in six colours because it is the only thing her son will wear, every day now, for three months, even to bed!" says Erika Pantages, 36, who founded Dirty Laundry Tees, with designer Teresa Findlay, one year ago.
"Mothers are re-ordering the same shirt when their boys grow. The mothers have to trick them by sneaking the new size into their closets. Today we had a woman stop by our studio with her four-year-old son. She purchased over 10 tees from us. Her son picked them all out. She was so excited because he was into clothing."
If you have a baby boy, admit it, you've wondered if it's easier or more fun to dress him or your husband.
The number one complaint about boys is that there are no good clothes. (Of course, the clothing available for girls these days is the number one reason women want a girl.)
Dirty Laundry Tees, available in Canada at http://www.dirtylaundrytees.com (604-648-2014), Holt Renfrew and Modern Kid in Vancouver, has also had amazing beginners' luck, landing America's most wanted model in its boy clothes -- Maddox. (Do I really have to tell you who Maddox is?)
Along with having Maddox as a fan, Pantages and Findlay have made a name with other celebrity moms of boys, including Reese Witherspoon and Dustin Hoffman, who buys Dirty Laundry Tees for his grandchildren.
The line of clothing is selling in almost every state in America, including the Kitson boutique in L.A. (If you don't know the store, you're not keeping up on your US Weekly reading.) They are also huge in Norway.
Each shirt, with cute, edgy names like Supa Man, Boogie Woogie, and The Chopper, with a dragon breathing fire, is hand-appliquéd so the tees have a two-dimensional touch and look.
"There have always been great little girls' clothes. Nowadays boys are definitely more conscious about their style," Pantages says. "It seems crazy, but individuality starts so early. Our six-month to two-year market is huge."
Who would have imagined a mom's dream would be that, one day, her little boy would have fashion temper tantrums?