Baby Stilettos 'click' Into 2009 Forecasts
Sun Herald
Sunday December 14, 2008
DESIGNER prams, infant couture and baby bling are all "so 2008".
The designer baby craze for next year has infants channelling their inner Carrie Bradshaw and donning baby stilettos.Created by American mothers Britta Bacon and Hayden Porter, who thought it would be amusing to see their young daughters in high-heeled shoes, the Heelarious line of infant footwear comes in leopard skin, satin and patent leather options for babies from newborn to six months. The shoes retail for $US35 a pair.The shoes, pictured, which are made of soft foam and are marketed as novelty "booties", are not yet available in Queensland, but merchandisers say we could soon hear the click-clack of little baby feet."High heels for newborns sounds quite wrong to me but you never know who could want them," said Lyn Francey, co-owner of boutique baby shop Cocoon Petite Living at Paddington, in inner Brisbane."In our case, we find parents want to buy designer products for their babies because they want quality as well as a label, rather than just a fad."For Cocoon, which also sells online, the biggest trend has been in decorating."The US is far ahead of Australia, and potentially Sydney and Melbourne have been more focused on this than Brisbane, but recent times show that Brisbane mums are now focusing on it more and more," Ms Francey said."Room decoration means the colour palette is thought about long and hard."She said the decoration process started with painting and continued with window coverings, artwork and decals, which were a big trend, and works of local artist Kate Knapp.The trend in prams for next year was a return to basics, Childcare Nursery Products marketing director Priscilla White said.Her company distributes brands such as Maclaren and Bebe Care. She said she had seen a distinct shift from all-terrain-style, three-wheel buggies and a growing demand for simple, light strollers with easily folding mechanisms."A couple of years ago, all people wanted were the three-wheeler jogging prams," she said. "They really were just a fad. Just like how the majority of people with four-wheel-drive cars don't ever use them four-wheel-driving, hardly anyone ever used the prams for jogging."We've had a lot of comments from people that they're far too heavy and bulky."But even the humble stroller has had a couture touch-up. Like Stella McCartney for Target, the $529 Kate Spade for Maclaren stroller comes in the designer's signature stripes and is touted as the "stroller of choice for Princess Mary, Michelle Williams and Uma Thurman ... showing that being a mum is no barrier to fashion!" Style-conscious yummy mummies may have to wait for the latest British lines, including a Burberry model and a stroller by French design guru Phillipe Starck, but they are available on the internet.New parents Joel, 22, and Alyce Maxwell, 21, whose daughter Unity was born at Brisbane's Wesley Hospital just four days ago, said they had avoided pressure to "keep up with the Cruises" - a la celebrity tot and budding fashion plate Suri."We would never consider putting our baby girl in high-heeled shoes," Mr Maxwell said. "Kids are growing up too fast as it is."Our baby will be wearing hand-me-downs, just as babies have done for years."
© 2008 Sun Herald
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