THESE, people:

I’m kind of surprised I haven’t mentioned these before; there’s no way I could keep all of Claire’s outfits perfectly organized in our tiny apartment without them.  The “bottoms” – be they pants, leggings, or tights – are easily held by the clips while the top hangs over on the hanger.  You can find them here on Amazon.

So here’s what our closet looks like.  Nope, no shoe obsession here!  But really, these hangers are just so nice.  The outfit bottoms are held nice and high, leaving plenty of closet space below:

Nope, no shoe obsession here!

That extra space also enables us to use our closet doubler – that silver pole you see hanging from the standard closet rack.  This way, just one tiny closet easily holds all of Claire’s outfits (top row) and all of my son’s outfits as well (bottom).  I love that I can see everything at a glance, and easily select whichever outfit best suits the day!

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Mini Boden dress/cardigan combos are some of my absolute favorite outfits.  I find myself using them for most of our professional family pics because they’re timeless and classic, making it easy to match the rest of the family in terms of style, but they still also allow some room for creativity in terms of the bold colors and prints.

Our current favorites from this spring/summer:

Mini Boden Pretty Tea Dress with Pointelle Cardigan. See lots of Mini Boden, 40% off and shipping free from Nordstrom by clicking HERE.   Shoes are Mini Melissa – LOVE.

Mini Boden Pretty Collar Knitted Dress (all sizes) with Pointelle Cardigan. 

Note:  The cardigans run very big.  Claire is wearing a size 12-18 months in the above pictures, even though her dresses are size 2-3 and she usually wears a 2T.

Here are some examples of how these outfits work so well in family pics:

The dress/cardigan combo allows you to incorporate a fun print in your outfit scheme and still keep a single flattering color up by the face (most striking for portraits).

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ClairesClosetBlog.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  ClairesClosetBlog.com is also a participant in other affiliate advertising services that provide a small % affiliate credit for other sites including Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, Nordstrom, Tea Collection, Zulily, and others.

This just might be our #1 fave this summer, so I’m delighted to be able to share part of it with one of you!  Here’s the lineup – all Persnickety:

• The Avery Top from this spring’s “Alpine Daisy” collection;
• The Olive Headband also from Alpine Daisy; and
• The Lisel Leggings from the “Forget Me Not” collection.

So gorgeous – special, but not too frilly.  And playable – you can wear this anywhere!

Persnickety Avery Top, Lisel Leggings, and Olive Headband.  Shoes are Mini-Melissa “Ultragirls” off a flash-sale at GILT.

The giveaway is just for the top, which runs $68.00 full price but can currently be found on sale for closer to $50 on both Addy’s Closet and Persnickety.  It is a size 2 and runs slightly small; barely fits Claire and she is a pretty narrow 2 year old.  It is NWOT and there are two minor flaws, too tiny to photograph but the amazing customer service at Addy’s Closet sent me a new one, enabling me to do this giveaway.  I will definitely be doing more giveaways in the future so stay tuned!

The actual top, Size 2

To enter, just go to Claire’s Closet’s Facebook Page, “like” the page, and comment on the link to this blog entry by tagging the friend you most credit with having introduced you to boutique kids’ clothing!  You do have to “like” the page to win, but you can unlike after the contest of course.  Today is national Best Friends Day!  Let’s celebrate!

XOXO, Lisa

I stalked Oilily for a long time before finally buying.  The rumors… their prices… everything seemed to be telling me that they were ah-mazing.  Sadly, they no longer have stores in the US and get this:  $45.00 to order off their website where everything is shipped from the UK.

But they kept appearing on Zulily and MyHabit.  So I kept stalking.  Finally I couldn’t take it anymore!  Hoping I could rid myself of the obsession by ordering one outfit and maybe not falling in love, I took the plunge.  I know you guys are on the edge of your seats and will be shocked to learn the outcome:  Against *all* odds, my plan backfired.

Oilily Daantje Pinafore and Turquoise Cardigan – runs 1 size small in U.S. sizes. LOVE IT.

Yeah, so un unfortunately this set turned out to be gorgeous.  And unfortunately there is no truly cheap way to get Oilily.  With shipping this hit me about $100 (off Zulily) and I think I’ll be lucky to sell it for $40 (resale here would be either Ebay or European Children’s Clothing Resale Group on Facebook).  If by chance you’re new to MyHabit, they still have some Oilily dresses up and you could apply your $20 new customer credit (to any order >$50).

But there you have it.  A few IRL (“In Real Life”) pics for the curious.

Cannot.

Say.

Enough.

About these dresses!

Llum is probably my #1 “flash-sale brand,” meaning, a brand that is often featured on flash-sale sites but never seen anywhere else.  It does have its own website, but there’s no way I’d ever pay $90 for a child’s dress (sorry Llum!).

What’s To Love:

• Stunning prints in striking colors;
• Soft, playable, high-quality fabric;
• Cinched waist for definition;
• Big, gorgeous bow ties in back, and… the real magic…

• The “petticoat” layer with its different colors and textures:

Where to Find:

As mentioned, these dresses are $90 if you buy off Llum’s website.  Not happening!  I most often get them off GILT where they run $40-45.  (GILT is just like Zulily, but features higher-end brands… DEFINITELY pay the extra $2 for 30 days of free shipping if you order, I always end up using mine and getting AMAZING deals that way!).  Keep in mind that you will resell for $20, that makes getting them off GILT a $25 purchase, less if you use your free shipping on other items.

Llum Petticoat Dress: “LadyBird”

Llum Petticoat Dress: “Silhouette”