海角大神

Sophia Saverese attended her first day of kindergarten last week wearing a delicate floral print dress, ballet flats and a bow in her hair, no thanks to the displays at the mall promoting glittery mini-skirts, wedge sandals and one-shouldered tank tops in kiddie sizes.

鈥淪he did see the other stuff, and she picked it out and said she liked it,鈥� said Nicole Saverese, the Glen Ellyn, Ill., mother-of-three, who, with her mother-in-law鈥檚 help, steered Sophia away from the adult styles during a recent shopping trip.

鈥淚 know girls who dress their 6-month-old babies in mock leather pants and in those shoes that look like they have a stiletto,鈥� Saverese said. 鈥淏ut I just feel that she鈥檚 5. Why would I want to dress her older when she鈥檚 going to get older already?鈥�

The age-old question has taken on new meaning in an era of bikinis for babies and skinny jeans for 6-year-olds channeling Suri Cruise.

Across the U.S., mommy bloggers, educators and parents say the mature designs for little girls are hard to avoid these days, with even stores like Forever 21 offering to dress their darling daughters.

鈥淲hat a challenge it is for a parent to hold your ground,鈥� said Cynthia Kalogeropoulos, principal of Grove Elementary School in Barrington, Ill. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 even know if parents have a choice. You鈥檙e not going to find a pair of Bermudas.鈥�

Retail experts confirm parents aren鈥檛 imagining the trend. While many adult clothing makers entered the children鈥檚 apparel industry between 2002 and 2006 offering trend-setting designs not seen before for that age group, the economic downturn put growth of the market on hold. That momentum has picked up again as the economy bounces back, prompting pint-sized designer duds at boutiques and trendy knock-offs at discount stores, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst for the NPD Group in New York.

And sociologists monitoring the trend say fashion for young girls has never been more provocative. In a study released last year, Kenyon College researchers found that a third of the clothing at 15 popular stores in the U.S. had 鈥渟exualizing鈥� characteristics, revealing or emphasizing body parts and sexiness, according to Sarah K. Murnen, who co-wrote the study.

鈥淵ou can walk into any teen/adult retailer and you begin to see how they鈥檙e taking it younger and younger,鈥� Cohen said. 鈥淚 shake myself in disbelief and say, 鈥楧id I just see that?鈥� It鈥檚 a 4-year-old dressing like she should be at a college bar.鈥�

Seven years ago, trend watchers at Synclaire Brands in New York noticed an untapped market in children鈥檚 apparel. Company officials were convinced that as technology and media exposed children to more than ever before, buyers would jump at the chance to buy little girl shoes bearing the names and designs of high profile women鈥檚 designers Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman and Cole Haan.

鈥淚 have an 8- and a 10-year-old. They know things that I鈥檓 shocked that they know,鈥� said Evan Cagner, president of Synclaire Brands. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 just how information moves, quite honestly, and they鈥檙e just more aware of what they鈥檙e wearing.鈥�

The company鈥檚 new venture took off 鈥� Synclaire Brands now offers dozens of women鈥檚 inspired shoes in sizes newborn to 11 鈥� and was soon joined by a rush of other companies eager to cash in as well, Cagner said.

Shoppers encouraged the growth by spending money on their children instead of themselves, another trend that surfaced during the recession, said Cohen, the retail analyst, who noted that shoppers spent $12 billion on clothing for 5- to 10-year-olds in the last year, a growth of 4.5 percent. Women鈥檚 clothing sales remained flat in the same time period.

At Water Tower Place in Chicago, shoppers used to rely on anchors such as Macy鈥檚 or the American Girl Place for children鈥檚 clothing. Today, adult stores such as Billabong and Adidas have added kids鈥� lines, said Katie Lindsay, marketing manager.

鈥淎s times have evolved, the products that they鈥檙e making for children are also evolving,鈥� Lindsay said. 鈥淚 think moms want the opportunity to dress their children exactly how they鈥檙e dressed.鈥�

But while Cagner insists that Synclaire Brands goes to great lengths to design shoes that look like women鈥檚 but keep little girls in mind, companies that don鈥檛 make the same efforts 鈥� or, even worse, go out of their way to push the envelope 鈥� have become a common complaint among parents.

Jennifer Gersten of Barrington Hills, Ill., was alarmed when she began taking note of the short mini-skirts and midriff-baring tops sold at her 9-year-old daughter Eleah鈥檚 favorite stores.

鈥淚 have to go shopping without her so I have a little bit more control over what she is drawn to,鈥� said Gersten.鈥滻t鈥檚 not her fault. She鈥檚 just drawn to what everyone else wears.鈥�

Laura Kleyweg, 40, in LaGrange, Ill., surprised herself by giving her 9-year-old daughter a serious talk about her body and being conscious of showing skin when Ellen was in the second grade.

鈥淚鈥檓 hopefully laying some good ground rules to start respecting her body,鈥� Kleyweg said.

And, as school started back up at Grove Elementary in Barrington, principal Kalogeropoulos made sure a box of extra clothes in the nurse鈥檚 office was ready for students who might show up in an outfit that showed a little too much or sent the wrong message.

鈥淭he fleeting years of childhood, you have that little portal of time to just be carefree and innocent, and to have that robbed and shortened, even by a year? It鈥檚 so hard to imagine,鈥� Kalogeropoulos said.

After noticing a steady stream of parental rants on this subject online, Jessica Ashley, who writes a popular parenting blog on babblefish.com, posted helpful tips on how to keep children both fashionable but appropriate for their age in today鈥檚 shopping world.

First, Ashley suggests sticking with well-established children鈥檚 clothing companies, who are less likely to try flashy new looks because they have an image to uphold. She also recommends developing clear-cut wardrobe rules for your family, explaining not just what your kids can鈥檛 wear 鈥� but also why.

鈥淧ay attention to what you鈥檙e allowing on a regular basis,鈥� Ashley said. 鈥淲hen is your daughter being sexualized by the clothes that she wears when she鈥檚 not even aware that鈥檚 going on?鈥�

Keeping your own standards in mind is important, especially because at today鈥檚 stores, the styles can pull you in when you least expect, said Kristi Stec, 31, of Chicago.

Earlier this summer, Stec took her 3-year-old daughter to a popular high-end children鈥檚 clothing store in search of shoes. At first, she was tickled to find a pair of wedge-heeled sandals next to the store鈥檚 regular Mary Janes and sneakers.

But when she fastened them to Savannah鈥檚 feet, Stec knew her daughter was years away from runway looks.

鈥淵ou definitely get tempted,鈥� Stec said. 鈥淏ut she couldn鈥檛 even walk in them. She doesn鈥檛 care what her image is. She鈥檚 not trying to attract boys. She just wants to have fun.鈥�