Barbie dolls to Barbie girls

As Susie Bubble pointed out, there's always been a fascination with young children in the fashion industry. Their childlike innocence and ability to pull off anything has made them a formidable advertising tool, from Dakota Fanning in Marc Jacobs to the latest editorial in Pop Magazine scanned by Susie Bubble. Everyone in fashion seems to be young these days -- 15 year old Ukranians are uniform on the runway, Kira Plastinina is a freshman in high school with over 30 stores to her name, and Cory Kennedy (isn't she my age?) writes her own column in Nylon Magazine.

A year ago while prom dress shopping, I came across two eight year old girls in matching Abercrombie Kids miniskirts, Chanel tote bags, UGG boots, and Lacoste polos -- looking for dresses with their mommy, who was also carrying a Chanel tote. I thought about when I was eight -- dressed in bright red jumpers, polka dotted pants, rainbow-colored braids, and princess tiaras everyday. I enjoyed dressing up as a child for the longest time -- and I still have a tendency to pick out "little girl" dresses, as my mommy puts it.

So it blew my mind away that little girls nowadays are more aware of the clothes on their back than ever before -- and the fashion industry has caught on to our fascination with ephemeral youth. I'm not too pleased with the idea of little girls in "grown-up" clothes.(Photo Credit -- Style.com)While skimming through the Charles Nolan Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear Collection, I was both pleased and surprised to find this photo. This little sweetheart, in a pair of white Mary Janes, black tights, and lime green peacoat almost as big as herself, is a perfect example of the beautiful innocence and playfulness in children that we shouldn't exploit and cover up with garish paint.

I mean, I still eat peanut butter straight of the jar and sleep under Disney princess blankets.

ex.oh.ex.oh
Miss Couturable