Now before I get into my criticism, I will attach a very large caveat. As most people who know me know, I am something of a clothes horse and certainly not one who enjoys buying their clothes at Target or Walmart. I have a large collection of Brooks Brothers and JPress dress shirts, ties, sweaters, suits, etc. And this is not something that happened in my twenties -- this is something that I've cultivated over many years. Just ask my mother; there are many, many Easter photos of me and my brother (I know! Shocking!) dressed in neat, navy blue blazers, conservative ties, and grey trousers, running around looking for Easter eggs. My pre-school graduation photo is of me and my father dressed nearly identically: grey pants, red suspenders, blue dress shirt, and a paisley tie (it was 1986). It's cute; trust me. If I ever have children, then they'll likely be dressed as small preppies. It's inevitable.
Anyway with that said, here's my criticism. The truth is this is materialism run rampant. This is for parents who apparently feel that nothing is too good for little Madison or Tucker, so let's indulge them with pricey jeans at age 5 or a designer handbag at 3. It creates unrealistic expectations for these children, not to mention a raging sense of entitlement (as though that was not already being developed). If you're already wearing Gucci at the age of 3, then why not a Birkin bag at 14? Or 12? The author of the article seems to think that this is all good clean fun. I fail to see that. It strikes me more as a sad indictment on the rank materialism that has consumed America's upper class. Washington Post columnist, E.J. Dionne, recently wrote an op-ed that argued that former Rep. Anthony Weiner's scandal was part of the growing decadence of the American political class. Well, frankly, baby designer fashion is part of the growing decadence of broader American society.
Baby fashion is clearly only a very, very small piece of broader societal issues, but it does help illustrate it. Since 1970 the top 10% of wage earners in this country have seen real wage growth -- the majority of this concentrated at the very top (the top 0.1% saw their wages increase 385%). However, the bottom 90% have seen a slight decrease (1%). The United States is now more of an unequal society than either the UK or France -- both of which have traditional aristocracies or in the case of the UK, a hereditary monarchy. This is not a good thing. When that happens, you end up with high-end baby fashion. Enjoy the ride!
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