The Best Dress-Ups!

Although I wrote here that I don't much like shopping, the truth is that I recently spent some very happy moments purchasing not just one or two, but..  (ok, I don't really want to count them up because it might have been a lot) - perhaps I'll just admit to several gorgeous complete outfits with all the trimmings.  And you should be imagining full-length confections perfectly suitable for a princess and the occasional fairy or two, because I'm talking dress-ups!  With Christmas coming up you might have a daughter, niece, grand-daughter or friend who would love these too..   ?

       

With five little girly grandchildren aged four and under, you can believe that dress-ups had already re-entered our lives in recent months.  It has taken me back to the days when our children loved to ransack the dress-up basket to produce an ever-amusing parade of sartorial splendor!  (I'd show you photographs but they might have to kill me.)  All this led me a few months ago to a dedicated internet search for the best (and best deal) in children's costumes.  And Readers, we have a winner!

   

All of these images are from are from the Little Adventures website.  The business was started ten years ago by two mothers in Utah who were themselves looking for high-quality, affordable dress-ups to buy.  When they couldn't find any to buy, they began to sew and sell their own designs.  You'll find Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Jasmine,  Rapunzel, Snow White and others here.  What I like about these costumes is..

  

They are so pretty!  (And modest too.)  Because the bodices are made from a stretch velvet, the children quickly learn how easy it is to dress and undress themselves - there are no buttons or zips or even velcro to worry about.  All the clothes are machine washable.  The fabrics are light and cool for our climate.  Once ironed, I've found them to be crease-resistant.  (I know, no one else will probably even care about this, but I'm happy :)  None of the fabrics are the least bit itchy, and the inner seams are well finished.  Various reviews highlight that they fit well, are comfortable, long-lasting, well-made - in short, as the Little Adventures company promises: they are 'affordable, comfortable, washable and adorable'!

   

(The price for each of these outfits is $29.99 plus postage.  Although you can find a few of these costumes on the odd Australian site, I've found it much cheaper to buy directly through the US site, where there is also access to the full catalog. You can see what they have available on their wholesaler's catalog here.  This won't show the prices, but you can view the entire range.)


Since these beautiful costumes and their various accessories arrived, we have hosted many very happy play dates with several different lots of children.  Although I did not think the boys would be too bothered, I've found that I completely underestimated their interest, and have since ordered some boy costumes for them to enjoy too.


Who doesn't love getting dressed up occasionally?