Note: Our reviewer, Lil B, has been under the weather so we are unable to offer pictures like we did with our recent Lola et Moi review. However, as soon as he gets better you can bet that we will be posting plenty of pictures of him in his adorable new Babar Pants.
Spike & Annie can best be described as a couture clothing line for children. Suitable for babies up to the age of around eight years old, Spike and Annie offer limited edition items that are well made, adorable, and sure to be one of a kind in most American locations. I have to admit, prior to being approached by Spike and Annie, I had never heard of them. It only took one look before I was immediately interested in their line though. I found most of the boys clothing to fall into two immediate categories; fun and playful or adorably handsome.
The first two things I noticed were the Babar pants (which were sent to us for review) and the Beach Casual Shirt, which I knew would have looked absolutely adorable on Lil B. When the Babar pants arrived in a pleasing Lime Green shade, I was excited and couldn’t (and still can’t) wait to see Lil B put on his new pants.
If you’re new to the Spike & Annie experience too, you shouldn’t feel bad. Other than their online shop, Spike & Annie clothing is only sold in a few select cities. In fact, unless you’re from Dallas, Honolulu, Los Angeles, La Jolla, or the Southhamptons (in the U.S., of course) then you probably haven’t heard of them. Still, it will only take one look to get you in the mood to pick up some of their adorable summer beach wear for your kids.
Clothing Offerings
Spike & Annie were nice enough to send us a pair of the Babar pants. You can see a white version of the pair we received through the Spike & Annie website. Considering these were one of the things in Lil B’s size that I had been looking at I was pleased to see that we were lucky enough to receive them. The pants that we received will be perfect for the summer.
These will end up being more like long shorts as opposed to pants, which will work well because Lil B loves hanging out in his beach wear and attending summer events. Unlike the white Babar pants that are available on the website, these awesome pants are a light, lime-ish green color with darker green elephants on them. They are too cute!
Fabric/Material Quality
The Babar pants by Spike & Annie are made of a special Batik fabric that is actually formed from an All Natural cotton. The result is an incredibly soft garment that looks nice and comfortable. One important thing to note about Batik fabric is that it has a tendency to bleed the first time you wash these in the washing machine. While there are no specific, special washing instructions you will want to be careful what you wash them with the first time to ensure that you do not get green dye on your other items. After the first washing this should not be a problem. When it comes to drying you have the option of hanging these up and air drying them, or partially drying them in the dryer and then air drying the rest of the way.
The pants have pockets in the front and back and offer an added seam around the knee area that gives them a look similar in style to a pair of carpenter jeans. The pants have an elastic waistband in the back and a drawstring in front so if they are too loose you can tie them up, but they will also offer some give room as your child grows. A wonderful feature on these pants that I rarely see is a velcro fastener as opposed to a button. You just pop the velcro apart and the zipper slides down easier than ever. This makes these pants great for the young ones that occasionally have problems with buttons and snaps and I’m sure that it helps to minimize any potential accidents!
Price
The green (or white) Babar pants are available through the Spike & Annie website for $67.00. Naturally this is going to be high for a lot of parent’s. If you can afford it I am positive that you will find they are worth it. They are unique, fun, and comfortable, which makes them worth every penny in the minds of most parents. I admit that I would have had a hard time deciding to purchase these if I would have been shopping for some beach clothes. Lil B has a tendency to grow pretty fast.
One of the positives to Spike & Annie is that these pants appear to be a little bigger than he needs them to be. With the sizes running bigger and offering elastic backs this means that these pants should last Lil B through this coming summer and possibly the next. If I finagle the cost a little bit that takes it down to $33.50 per summer, which isn’t horrendous. Additionally, if you have more than one child that are spread out a bit in age then this isn’t so bad. The quality is certainly good enough to be able to let one grow out of these and give them to the other.
Adorability Factor
I remember when Babar was all the rage. Even though he’s not as popular as he once was, he’s still as cute as ever. The design on these pants appears to be hand drawn or designed, which is just excellent in itself. Meanwhile, the color is just fabulous. They are just great pants. I can’t wait to post the pictures of Lil B wearing them so that you can see how good he looks in them.
While these shorts are just adorable on their own, I know they are going to look so much better with him (or another young child) wearing them. While I admit that I would have probably passed these up if I just looked at them on a website, seeing them and being able to feel the fabric does make all the difference in the world. After being able to check them out, I wouldn’t hesitate in picking some up or recommending them to others that can afford them, in the future.
Lasting Appeal
While most of Spike & Annie’s line isn’t something your kids will wear year-round, it is something that will be pulled out for multiple summers permitting they continue to fit for more than one summer (some kids grow much faster than others, especially little ones). Additionally, even though it is more expensive then you might normally spend, these are made well enough that you could easily hand these down to other kids in the family or to your family friends that have children that could use them.
This design is timeless. It’s cute, especially for younger kids. I don’t know how well this design would jive with an eight year old or older child, but any child younger than that will likely enjoy the fun and carefree look to these pants.
Parents, especially mom’s should love the cuteness factor that comes with most of Spike & Annie’s clothing. It’s nice enough to know that your child will be unique, but each clothing item makes your child look good without making them look older than they should. So often kids try to grow up too fast and look older than their age. With Spike & Annie children have a chance to look cool according to their own standards without having to try and advance their age. I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I really did find these to be adorable.
Bottom Line
While these are more expensive than the standard beach-wear that most average moms will buy their kids, if you’re looking to splurge this might be a great way to do it. Spike & Annie offers some well made, fashionable clothing that is age appropriate. While this line won’t be for everyone, due to price and other factors, I think the majority of people that see these clothes will love them.
Spike & Annie has done a wonderful job at creating a carefree, fun, and fashionable line of couture clothing for young children. If you have a young child of your own or know one that you’ve been looking to spoil for some special occasion, Spike & Annie’s would certainly be a good way to do it!
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Technorati Tags: Spike & Annie, Clothing Review, Pants, Toddler, Young Children, Boutique, Couture
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
