Back to School-Kid’s Stores

« Read the full blog

August 5, 2010 by Pansy | Comments (0)

My favorite back to school outfit was a bright blue button-up smock dress with a white collar. It had two big side pockets and an artists brush and painter’s pallette appliqued on the right side. I remember how great I felt when I waltzed into homeroom fashionably late (chaotic carpool) the first day of 4rd grade and whipped out my new pencil holders, erasers, and tablets from my equally cool new backpack. I had the right look and the right tools to get that schoolyear going. But after visiting several boutiques in Austin with back to school in mind, I would love another crack at starting back to school with the even cooler fashions and accessories available today. I could really rock fourth grade!

Since it is stunningly hot here in Austin for back to school, the water bottle is a must. Fortunately, fashionable water bottles are available. PerriBerri has CIGG waterbottles in all colors and are made out of recycled aluminum. Perfect for your new backpack! And who knew that school supplies were now so trendy. Japanese erasers are very cutting edge in all shapes from soccer balls to iced cakes. Tom’s shoes are comfortable, lightweight, machine-washable slip-ons in every color imaginable. When you buy a pair of Tom’s, the proceeds go to buy a pair for an underprivileged child. perriberri.com

Izzy and Ash is for the chic kid. Rock band shirts and graphic tees are great for jazzing up a pair of shorts. Nano and Monster Republic give boys the edgy, LA look: you know, casual, energetic and devilish! The ultra cool backpacks from Dante Beatrix are owls, ladybugs and dinosaurs. Zio Sport is an Austin-based company that makes activewear for kids so comfortable that they never want to stop playing! They offer a great assortment all of which are perfect for the August return to school. izzyandash.com

For the back to preschoolers, Bright Beginnings has nap mats that roll up neatly like a yoga mat. You can buy the matching pillow and lunchbox to go with the mat, too. Personally, I love the wall of socks at Bright Beginnings. It’s such a great time to start off with complete pairs of socks and trendy ones at that. They have backpacks on rollers so you can glide down the hall like on the way to the airport and not have the backache. I especially loved the annual keepsake books they have from preschool to 6th grade. That’s a good way to keep things organized each schoolyear rather than throwing papers into a huge storage box to be gone through “later.” My third grade insider, Allison, tells me the candy wrapper accessories are the IT item. The wrappings from Reese’s, M&M’s and Double Bubble are used for headbands and purses. So so cool. bestdressedkids.com

Trendy Bella Mi has a room dedicated to tweens. Juicy Couture clothes, handbags and jewelry are in great colors. I really wish they had my size in Twirly Girl because the dresses, skirts and leggings were adorable and reversible and all designed to express your inner twirl. They even have the under twirls you wear when you are wearing a skirt or dress but have to do a spontaneous cartwheel or simply twirl. Good thinking! The Lelli Kelly glittered sneakers are fabulous as are the ballet flats and cowboy boots by Willits. Room.it.up has all sizes of brightly colored backpacks and lunchkits. They also carry groovy journals and legal pads. bella-mi.com

Leave a Reply