WHERE TO GET KIDS' DESIGNER AND HIP CLOTHING
• Genius Jones, 49 NE 39th St., Miami; 1661 Michigan Ave., Miami Beach; 305-571-2000; geniusjones.com -- specializes in Little Marc Jacobs garb.• Eanie Meanie, 110 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; 305-531-0200; eaniemeanie.com -- Splendid, Joe's Jeans and more.• Many Baby Things, 1039 Kane Concourse, Bay Harbor Islands; 305-993-6472; manybabythings.com -- Ed Hardy T-shirts and other familiar brands.• noodleandboo.com -- sells items popular with celebs• babesta.com -- everything from Ugly Dolls to toddler-size trench coat• BeachBugSwimwear.com -- mix-and-match swimsuits for tots and moms• popodona.com -- sophisticated designs including those by Neige• KaiyaEve.com -- pettiskirts galore, as modeled by Roxy Andras, 1 ½, a fave among the Hollywood setRetail may be in a funk, but designer Phillip Lim has a new angle on cinched waists and jagged-edged trim.
This season, the Neiman Marcus darling introduced a sophisticated two-tone shift for $325 and orange tea dress for $225 -- both in girls' size 6 or smaller.
Designers of women's wear are increasingly turning their attention to the youngest consumers, one retail sector that hasn't hit a wall.
''Whether it's the trendy luxury field or über-luxury field, they're all getting into the game of baby clothes,'' said Jennifer Cattaui, owner of Babesta, a Manhattan kids' shop and online clothing vendor (babesta.com) that caters to urbane tastes.
''I think there's a big mini-me trend going on,'' she said.
Daniel Kron, owner of Genius Jones kids' shops in South Florida, said in the past six months he has stocked more brands that parents recognize from their own shopping. Marc Jacobs' new children's line Little Marc Jacobs is doing especially well, he said.
''There is a lot of translation from the adult clothing to the kids line,'' Kron said. ``It's a very subtle look. It's really sophisticated.''
Retailers say parents often want brands they wear themselves -- or wish they wore. When it comes to baby, apparently nothing is too extravagant.
''It's kind of like your baby is your accessory now, like dogs were,'' said Caroline Goodman, buyer of baby goods for eLuxury.com, where a Louis Vuitton diaper bag sells for $2,120, a pink Baby Dior onesie for $265 and a Fendi bib will run you $115.
''Babies are an extension of their mother's style,'' Goodman said.
Years ago, Ralph Lauren was the go-to brand for designer baby gear. Now J Brand, Chip & Pepper and True Religion make tiny jeans that can hit $150. Armani Junior has metallic infant flats for $239 and Stuart Weitzman offers pint-size peep-toe mini-heels for $69.
Other vendors of kids' clothing say they've seen a shift away from girly ruffles and goofy T-shirt sayings toward more grown-up styles.
Ana Campos, owner of the Miami Beach-based website popodona.com, said one of her most popular items is the Audry jacket by Neige, a tiny, two-button creation with an empire waist.
''It looks like a jacket I would want to wear,'' Campos said. ``It's doing fabulously.''
Sales of clothing for children younger than 3 spiked by 11.3 percent last year, while apparel sales overall rose only 2.9 percent, according to NPD Group, a market research company in Port Washington, N.Y.
'I think the kids' business is being taken more seriously just because it's been neglected for so long,'' Kron said.
STAR POWER
The styles of Hollywood's most famous children are being chronicled as never before. Blogs that fawn over celebs' tots and virtual retailers that trumpet their garb have fueled runs on everything from $800 Bugaboo strollers to $80 hoodies by Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers line.
When Shiloh Jolie-Pitt -- the 2-year-old daughter of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie -- was photographed for People wearing a Kingsley onesie, phones at Genius Jones started ringing off the hook for the outfit, Kron said.
''You open up the tabloids, and they're all about fancy cribs that Ellen DeGeneres is giving away and the Burberry dress that Suri Cruise is wearing,'' said Pamela Paul, journalist and author of the new book Parenting, Inc. (Times Books/Henry Holt, $25).
CRITICAL THINKING
Paul thinks putting kids in designer clothes is a bad idea. There's research, she said, that shows children take notice of labels by the time they're 18 months old. They have no way of filtering that information, she said, other than to ``absorb this completely.''
Parents are also likely to be more restrictive of children when they're dressed to the nines. 'When somebody gets your child some fancy dress, you can't help but be `no, no, no, don't dig in the dirt,' '' Paul said.
``You're sending this child a message that their clothing is more important than what they're doing.''
Cori Franco, owner of the new Eanie Meanie children's boutique in South Beach, has noticed that brands like Splendid, Joe's Jeans, Little McNeal and Da-Nang, all of which make clothes for adults, are among the fastest to sell. They also tend to be pricier than brands strictly for babies.
''A plan sleeveless cotton dress by Splendid is $60,'' Franco said. ``It's really cute and really soft, but I think you're paying for the brand.''
For some, the brand alone is enough. Goodman, of eLuxury, said certain designers are marketing items as keepsakes. Fendi, for instance, calls its $150 canvas infant shoes, ``Memory Shoes.''
Said Goodman, ``You'll always remember your daughter in those metallic Dior ballerinas.''
