I have a six year old son I could tell you about for hours. He’s awesome, he’s funny, he’s the smartest – just like your kid! This morning he went to school dressed in some navy cords from Kohls, a Star Wars Lego t-shirt that cost like $7.50 at Peebles (on sale and he picked it out) and a sweatshirt from Old Navy. I think I got his shoes at Walmart. As terrible as that sounds to those of you who pay attention to the plight of workers in the third world it was cheap and we don’t have the disposable income to buy expensive clothes for our son. What’s more is that if I was rolling in it I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on clothes that my kid will grow out of in a few months anyway. Designer clothes on children is a pet peeve of mine.
In Gwyneth Paltrow’s latest Goop she talks about getting your kids clothing from lines that are producing “very unique, very cool, and not yet ubiquitous things for the little ones in your life.” I guess that could be cool if you have the money for it, but like most things that Gwynnie does it smacks of elitism. Sometimes she’ll throw some clothes from Top Shop or H&M into her clothing newsletters, but in this one there’s nothing mass market to be found. You can read the post here and I’m not going to excerpt it. The cheapest thing is a pair of knee socks that cost $24 USD (after currency conversion) and the most expensive is a hooded sweater/”jumper,” “made exclusively in Bolivia from local Alpaca wool” that retails for $105.
So it’s not quite insanely expensive like Suri’s wardrobe, but these are clothes for kids. They will gladly wear t-shirts from Target and think they’re cool, they just won’t look well dressed to the other well heeled mommies. Isn’t that what this is really all about? Isn’t that what Gwyneth is all about? Maybe she’s just helping some clothing designers out though, right?
Gwyneth is shown on 1/3/11 and 10/18/10. Credit: WENN and Fame
I up-scaled just yesterday with a 15% off coupon at Target. It’s nice to go in there just to see how the other half lives.
Unless I missed it, Goopy’s husband, a musician, was absent at the Grammy Awards. Is her marriage done?
Goopy doesn’t deign to do mass market.
*Your little man sounds very cute & put-together, CB!*
I don’t know who that dude is standing next to her in the header photo, but the look on his face is DELIGHTFUL.
Anyone else grow up wearing hand me downs? My two sisters are 14 years apart (I am in the middle) and there are pictures of all three of us in the 70s 80s and 90s in the same dresses handmade by my Grandmom. It’s such a waste to buy really expensive clothes on kids when they are only going to grow out of them.
I also never understood the idea of buying designer clothes for a kid – as you said, they’re going to grow out of it VERY quickly.
most of my friends would buy clothes at children’s consignment shops. Yeah, you get the standard grandparent/friends/family gifts from Baby Gap and others, but you can get GREAT clothes at consignment shops, and they’re almost always in good shape because they weren’t worn that much before the kid grew out of them.
Wonder if she can advise me on how to dress my Pomeranian??
No hand me downs, but I had a brother…so it’s not like my parents bought girl things before I was born.
I think children only pay attention to clothes (like the brands and labels and cost) when they get into their pre-teen years (middle school). Young kids shouldn’t be put in super expensive and nice clothes- especially when they’re doing fingerpainting and shit.
She’s a douche but some of those items were super cute.
She’s got cakey mascara. Who would take advice from her?
Kids grow at a rate of 1 inch per hour (exagerated), it really does not make sense spending too much money on expensive clothes that would not fit them the following next week.
If her angle was about the non-use of child labor to make these items or some eco-friendly material rather than some fashion statement, then maybe I would bite.
The queen of pretentiousness reigns on! :0)
What a golden day; a goop post and a leann crimes post all at once!
I don’t have kids, but if I did I sure wouldn’t spend $100 for a sweater they’ll outgrow and likely spill something on at some point. Heck, I don’t even like to spend that for me, because I usually spill something sooner or later too!
But I guess when you have millions, that sort of thing doesn’t matter.
Anyone else think she’s had a little work done recently round the eyes?
We do the secondhand clothes too, I just didn’t mention it. I like those “Once Upon a Child” shops when I’m in the US. Also church bazaars are good places to find kids’ clothes.
– Edit – and when we visit my MIL in Germany my son actually wears clothes that my brother in law and husband wore when they were his age. She saved a few things, including a purple sweater she handknitted like 35 years ago that my son always wears on Easter. It’s so cute.
#13-
you took the words right out of my mouth!
Little kids don’t care what they wear and most of us don’t have the income to dress them in $105 sweaters.
Goopy tries way too hard. People who try too hard are usually trying to cover up for some other shortcoming in life, such as a failed career or marriage. In her case, maybe both.
She’s been rather ubiquitous herself, of late. Not to mention loquacious.
CB as a mother of small boy as well, I also LOATHE designer clothes for children.It just so silly, I spend a little extra on some extra cute t-shirts for him (superheroes,STAR WARS, sesame street)but almost everything i buy I get on sale especially at gap and old navy they have some wicked good sales through out the year. A nice piece here there for pictures or a special day is one thing but lets be real, anything that is “dry clean only” should not be worn by someone whose bowl can suddenly become a hat.
Totally off subject but remember a few weeks ago when you were trying to determine if ti was really Blythe Danner who G get her goop from?!?!? Well I recall an interview with a young G in which she states that her mother demanded they move back to the east once they started school becuase the west coast schools were terrible. Apple. tree.
A $105 WOOL sweater for a child? I am really trying to not dislike her but making me believe that a child willingly wears a WOOL sweater is a lie.
Yeah, I have a pet peeve about expensive clothes on kids too, Kaiser. Totally pointless IMO (note: I don’t have kids, but I do have kid relatives). Its one thing to buy good quality and hand it down to another kid, that makes sense. But designer clothes for kids, all the time? Really? I used to work at Macy’s and it will blow you away what some average income parents will buy for their kids. It amazed me at first to realize that stuff like that was even being manufactured. I have a sister who’s 2 years older and you guessed it-I have a lot of hand-me-downs! I got hand-me-downs until we were teenagers and I got to be taller.
My five- and six-year-olds wear hand-me-downs all the time (from cousins and friends) and let me tell you, they are super excited whenever a bag of “new” clothes arrives because they can’t wait to see what they get to wear to school the next day. The idea of buying anything for them that costs more than $30 MAX is just repulsive to me, because THEY DON’T CARE!
But I have to remind myself that GP and her celeb friends live in a whole different world. To them, $105 for a sweater is chump change.
Another Goop poop *heavy sigh*….I’ll just go out now and buy some Harry Winston bejeweled collars for my cats because they clearly don’t want to appear ubiquitous….
“Also church bazaars are good places to find kids’ clothes.”
and not JUST kids clothes. when I was a pre-teen and teenager, you could get the COOLEST old t-shirts/sweatshirts/jeans from church bazaars or rummage sales. Better yet, you could even sometimes find varsity jackets from random high schools and colleges, which were some of the coolest things to wear, at least when I was in HS. I had an old Dennison College Lacrosse windbreaker that I LOVED!
EDIT: my dad actual got a beautiful tuxedo for $25 at a church sale!
CB, I think my 6 yo has that outfit too! LOL
My brother has two boys 10 and 8 and they give me all their boys clothes for my boys 6 and 4. So I am a BIG fan of hand me downs, Now I only buy what I really think is cute!
She is so far removed from what really people are like. in this economy who would pay 24 dollars for socks??? Crazy bitch.
Ubiquitous? So, she doesn’t want her kids in clothing that is seen everywhere? That’s funny, because kids WANT to be dressed just like everyone else.
I usually buy one nice hip outfit from my daughter a year. It is the one she wears for her yearly photo. The rest of the time, we relish in the fact that she has six girl cousins older than her and we are drowning handmedowns. Handmedowns are the cheapest and greenist option!
Okay, she can be pretentious at times, but if you’re not wealthy and it bugs you, don’t read her website. She’s never marketed herself as an advisor to families on a budget – she’s rich, so she buys nice stuff. I would if I could and I do when I can. I don’t get the snarky harping on her for advising other rich people. So what. I like her recipes, and she’s actually pretty charming in her cooking videos. Yeah, the name dropping is a bit much, but eh.
My kids live in Gap, Old Navy, and sale Gymboree. We buy a few nice pieces but mainly for portraits and Sunday best. I don’t mind spending a little more for a pretty dress but Fishsticks Paltrow acts as if I should be sending my kids to the park in a 100 dollar sundress. LMAO!!! She’s so delusional.
$100 is like $1 to her. Would you really believe her if she pimped out clothes from the gap, gymboree… I think people would find that pretentious that she tried to be like the “little people”. Anyways, you’re talking about a woman who thinks nothing about spending $1,000 or more on a pair of shoes she might wear a few times per season. It’s all relative.
I read most of her Goopy recommendations with a grain of salt. Sometimes she has some good ideas for everyone but a lot of times it’s for someone in her tax bracket.
The sickenly pretentious Goop monster needs to hide under a large rock and stop talking/blogging forever.
what’s funny is that the last time I saw a pic of Moses he had a Star Wars t-shirt on, so clearly her kids do like to dress like other little kids
i won a gift cert. to a fair trade shop where i bought my 4 yo an alpaca wool sweater for like $30.
she hated it.
“He’s awesome, he’s funny, he’s the smartest – just like your kid!”
wow cb, that was great.
you guys are too good for words
She sucks. I mean, she really does.
I’d take Paltrow’s advice if I wanted my kids to grow up to think that image was EVERYTHING and that it’s okay to judge people based upon the specialness and cost of their clothes. This woman is a loon.
when will Goopy STOP trying to give advice–everything out of her mouth is almost always inappropriate..
Goopy go find your husband, if you can remember what he looks like!
she thinks she is a trendsetter??
hardly
I have zero interest in putting my kids in anything that shouldn’t be covered in mud and paint.
Very unique? For shame.
I have read GP’s blog and sometimes thought it was a little over the top and a lot of the harsh criticism undeserved but her latest really blew me away. I mean, what WORLD does this girl live in? It is sad that someone who has been blessed with so much is so disconnected from the reality most of us live in. Very sad indeed.
Some of those outfits are absolutley ADORABLE (the Bondi beach suit? I would wear that in a heart beat!) But $96 for a sundress? I’d rather go on a date with John Mayer than spend my hard earned money on that!
My mom bought me beautiful handmade dresses from the Junior League thrift shop for, like $2. Of course I promptly climbed trees & played in my mud kitchen in them, but for thats what little kids do! My SIL’s best friend has 3 small boys & they sent us 23 POUNDS of clothes for my Bean when he gets here. Its easily $200 worth of stuff & I am so thankful for it all (and for the fact that we won’t have to buy our kid clothes until he is a year old!)
Here’s my thinking on this. If you have so much disposable income that you can afford to spend $24 on a single pair of socks, why not spend $2 for a pair of socks and use the rest of the money to buy food or vaccines for an animal shelter, or food for a food bank, or school supplies for impoverished kids? Seems like that is such a better use of $24 than a single pair of socks.
I am surprised no one pointed out the obvious more than likely she gets most of this stuff for free because she is a well-known celebrity who is known to blog. Alot of times these companies just send clothes to celebs & their kids hoping they’ll be photographed wearing them.
She’s concerned that the public is mean to her. It’s too funny.
Babies are so much cuter than their clothes and I don’t want other mothers to feel uncomfortable so I think normal clothes are best. I don’t really need anyone to see my kid as worth kidnapping for ransom – not that that will ever become an issue.
@ Melanie “A $105 WOOL sweater for a child? I am really trying to not dislike her but making me believe that a child willingly wears a WOOL sweater is a lie.”
She’s talking about Alpaca wool, which is incredibly soft and silky. Kids may not like the color or style, but it’s not itchy. She has money and spends it on cute clothes for her kids. I don’t fault her or begrudge her for that.
I agree with you on the whole kids in designer clothes. I mean, WHY?
But oddly enough, I had a conversation with my husband last night about how Gwen bugs me. And when he asked me why, I was like “I’m not sure…”
She’s done decent movies, but this Goop nonsense is obnoxious. Then he brought up the point that she probably has NO IDEA what it’s like to be a real person. And that’s what’s annoying…when she tries to relate to, or BE a real person.
I remember her being on SNL about 10 or more years ago, and she did such a perfect impression of a WASP-y, rich, preppy wife hosting a cocktail or dinner party. I thought to myself, “Wow! She’s really got that type of person down. What an actress!” Now it seems as though she probably was NOT acting.
Can we just staple this dumbass’ lips closed. Shallow, vapid asswipe.
I don`t think these are designer clothes. Designer clothes are much more expensive. Little chanel etc.
I think she does not know it`s expensive für the most of us.
I buy clothes at kindergarten bazaars and hand-me-downs and a few better shirts and jeans. They last longer. Better in my world is still much less expensive then her clothes.
The most important thing I think about these clothes – my kids wouldn`t wear them!
They look kind of sweet… but kids love pictures, like cb`s son star wars; my son loves dinos and a shirt without dino or tiger is a ugly shirt for him…. and my daughter loves pink… mommy loves clothes like that, but children???
I don`t want to force them into clothes that look totally different to the clothes of their friends (here in Germany: H+M)
by the way: children clothes are in the US cheaper than in Europe, I think!
we have a few really cheap shops but the quality is really really low, full of chemicals.
My 16 month old twins (girl/boy) rock the hell out of Target and they are superfly. In fact, my daughter’s preschool teacher commented just yesterday that she always wears the prettiest clothes. They also wear a lot of Macy’s, which I get mad cheap on sale/with coupons (I rarely pay more than $6-$10 for an individual item). They have some pricey stuff but that comes from my Italian in-laws. My SIL works for Armani in Milan and sends them Armani stuff that she gets with her discount. I reckon the teachers think I am bonkers when they see the Baby Armani label. :-))
I’m happy to have a good mom network. We hardly ever meet up anywhere without a bag of clothes being exchanged. Thrift stores fill in the gaps.
Morons. Its not about designer labels or trendiness. I think her point was more along the lines of eco-conscious. Oh right I forgot, fuck the earth my kid needs a superman shirt from Old Navy that was made by some half starved kind in Indonesia. Who gives a flying F so long as its not MY kid who makes it.
I like individual, non-ubiquitous clothes for my kids. I like nice clothes. I enjoy buying them for my children. I am not a millionaire and if it brings me pleasure, good for me. I just find it easier to cope with an obnoxious 2 year old having a tantrum because the earth is round or a leaf fell to the ground when they at least look good. So I make my own clothes out of vintage fabrics I find at op shops.
As in…I buy the fabrics…but I do also but the odd nice piece and if it costs more thats ok because teh quality is better and no 7 year old slaved in a factory to make it.
my $.02 for all it’s worth …
gwyneth’s disposable income far exceeds what most of us could only dream of. that being said, she probably thinks $100 for a pair of socks is a deal. if she’s gonna throw her money at someone, it’s cool she’s promoting artisan communities.
personally, i think hand-me-downs rock. hello, 3 Rs! no to mention, there’s plenty of non-ubiquitous style to be found at thrift shops (and i especially love the ones that support non-profits!).
btw, my kids will not wear wool. tried. no matter how cute it looks, the itch factor alone will keep it buried in the back of the closet.
@bored – Even if that were her point (which I can pretty much guarantee isn’t), she doesn’t have be so condescending about it.
I can only speak for myself, but I certainly care about both the Earth & child labor. But if the choice is either food for my family or $100 pair of pants my son will outgrow in 3 weeks, I certainly know where my money is going. Unfortunately thats the way the world is & you can either bitch about it & tell people how awful they are or you can actually do something to change it.
I have a 3yr old boy and a 2mo old girl, and I buy most of their clothes at consignment shops or craigslist with a few new pieces from Target mixed in. So, I’m grateful to frivolous rich people who spend the big bucks on kid’s clothes because then I can buy those barely worn clothes secondhand!
I don’t care for GP; never have, but gosh people are harsh on her. Give her a break. She was raised by famous wealthy parents, and having to be in the media spotlight all the time (OK, maybe her stardom is waning, whatever. But compared to any of us common folk she is still a celebrity) – you can’t seriously expect her to have the same shopping/spending habits as the average person on the street!
@bored are you serious??? How is it environmentally friendly to buy expensive clothes which can only be worn for several months by a child? Hand-me-downs and thrift stores and hand made clothing are much more eco-friendly. BTW nowhere in her post does she mention whether or not the clothes were made in a non sweatshop environment and many times high end designers are the worst offenders.
@hyuch you sound really cool. Will you adopt me and make me clothes. LOL
My son is 11 and most of his clothes come from Kohl’s and Old Navy and that doesn’t bother him a bit. I asked him if he wanted some stuff like A & F and Aeropostale and his respond was “Why, so I can look like everyone else?”. He definately takes after his Mom. I always wanted to be individual in my dress also. Not, weird, but not a clone of everyone else.
i don’t have kids, but i dress up my dogs in sweaters woven by rare spiders who excrete the finest cashmere from their bottoms. my “little ones” also enjoy wearing rain boots (it is seattle after all!) made from crocodile teeth and lemur droppings. at night they snuggle into their non-ubiquitious pajamas made by oompa-loompas and rest their weary heads on pillows stuffed with feathers from angels’ wings.
i like the childrens place, old navy, target, and others that are more regional, and i also shop at thrift shops to see if i can find any nice used stuff. for myself as well. spending a lot of money on clothes is not smart, especially for kids. even if i had a lot of money i wouldnt.
Exactly what GeekChic said:
“If you have so much disposable income that you can afford to spend $24 on a single pair of socks, why not spend $2 for a pair of socks and use the rest of the money to buy food or vaccines for an animal shelter, or food for a food bank, or school supplies for impoverished kids? Seems like that is such a better use of $24 than a single pair of socks.”
It would be great to live in a world where someone like Gwyneth (or ALL of the Gwyneths!) thought this way.
LOL @original kate! As long as they are fair trade spiders! 😛
“He’s awesome, he’s funny, he’s the smartest – just like your kid!”
Sweetest thing ever. Thanks for finding a non-competitive way to talk about the joy that kids bring!
My MIL is a genius at finding used children’s clothes at ridiculously low prices. Between that and gifts, we’ve had to buy very few things for our daughter–and at 10 months old, she still has a wardrobe several times larger than mine.
And when we’re done with them, we pass them on to others. But I think the most I’ve paid for a single item is about $25 for an Old Navy snowsuit. I certainly am not going to buy $100+ sweaters for my child. I don’t buy them for myself, for heaven’s sake.
I worked part-time at a bank in a swanky part of town – very upscale clients. One 20-something client apparently only brought her toddler clothes from Paris (i.e. France). I told this to an older client (40-something) and she laughed at how pretentious it was to do this. She said that in Palm Springs (where she had a home), the “old money” wore faded blue jeans and drove “used volvos”. ‘Nuf said. Goopy is very pretentious – why does she think she should tell anyone what to do or how to live?
Guess who got a thesaurus for Christmas!! Goopy had better be careful using those big words. She’ll give herself a migraine. And she’s become as ubiquitous as dogsh*t, forcing herself on us at every opportunity. I’m thinking her husband didn’t show at the Grammys because he knew what was coming. What must it be like for a musician like him to have a spoiled, tone-deaf wife who decides she wants to be a singer and gets invited to sing at the Grammys? Anybody else think he’s going to get real tired of her real fast if she continues this career path?
Goop is actually beginning to remind me a lot of Martha Stewart before she did time and became nicer. In other words, she’s a snotty biotch. I think she’d look fab in an orange jumpsuit, available at the state prison for $5.54.
Anytime she makes recommendations for children all I can think is, “Bitch, please. You named your kid APPLE for God’s sake!”
Um, she carries her own Sharpie for autographs???
I regularly hit up the Goodwill stores and other thrift and consignment stores for outfits for my younger cousins (ages range from 10-1). My uncles and aunts absolutely love all the stuff I find for them, and they wear those clothes all the time.
Hell, most of the clothes I buy are from Goodwill or consignment shops. I’ve found many a rare jackets and such just shopping at my local Goodwill that are all the envy of my friends. =]
There are some designer stuff that if I could afford, I would buy, but that’s not going to happen on my salary, and the money could go to something more useful, like paying my rent or buying food.
But then again, what’s hot this year most likely goes out of style in the next year.
I’m kind of all over the map on this one. At times I’ve bought pricey clothes, some I loved (if they were great quality, well worn and loved by the child etc),, some I’ve loathed and kicked myself over. Sometimes I like to buy cute outfits from small businesses – often run by moms – and because theyre smallscale they run pricier. Once again, hit or miss. But 90% of my kids’ wardrobe consists of things bought on sale or hand-me-downs. They wear a uniform to school and families of older students are the best at passing things along – both uniform and casual. The one thing I never cheap out on is shoes. I’m a stickler for good shoes.
This was a long way of saying that, yes, Gwyneth is pretenious and out of touch, but I like the idea of supporting small businesses. The ritzy French and Spanish stores was really silly for a North American audience. Oh, Goop.
I don’t buy $100 sweaters for MYSELF. The most expensive item I’ve purchased was my prom dress all those years ago for about $120. And I wore that sucker several times. Only item to outdo that will be my wedding dress… and not by much.
Today, Gwyneth gets the “BITCH, PLEASE” and the “SIT DOWN AND STFU”
Does she say how much the panties cost that she flashed in her stupor?
Did she get her eyes “done?” Or is that just the result of too much botox? She looks weird in that photo.
I’d rather be around your kid now than hers, but 20 years from now I’d insist.
Designer fashion for babies is obscene. It’s like eating gold leaf or burning money in front of an orphanage.
And just so we’re clear:
Ubiquitous = Most Kids, right?
Very spiritual to insult the clothes of most kids on web where no one will see it!
“…my “little ones” also enjoy wearing rain boots (it is seattle after all!) made from crocodile teeth and lemur droppings..”
Thanks, Orig. Kate – Diet Coke on the keyboard (& up my nose) with that…
One of my favorite things about her post is that it features items from a Parisian clothing company named Zef, which, in South African means “white trash” – recently made cool and popularized by the band Die Antwoord.
My kid wears Star Wars and Super Mario Bros t-shirts from the Gap and Old Navy. And he’s universally cuter than Moses. So there.
Quote: ““He’s awesome, he’s funny, he’s the smartest – just like your kid!””
That made me laugh!
You know what I do, I shop a lot in Jan/February (end of season) and buy UP a size for my twin 7 yr old girls! You can get winter clothes, coats, vests, leggings, pants, dresses, etc NICE quality clothes, Land’s End for $5/$10 at Sear’s! I just got 2 winter coasts for next winter for $8 each! Orig. $42 ea.
But I doubt Gwyneth Paltrow who’s married to the uber rich Coldplay frontman needs to think about end of season sales. Her GOOP is definitely geared to the upper class families.
Gwyneth lost me with this Goop writeup months ago when she gave tips to women on how to balance life & career. The elitism screamed off the pages..ha.
http://goop.com/newsletter/112/?utm_source=Goop+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ba4427f2b8-Goop112_01_13_2011&utm_medium=email
” Got Apple all fed and dressed in her uniform and ready to go but no sign nor sight of Moses at 8 am and we have to be out of the house by 8:20.
I went up to arouse the little man from slumber and he quite happily got up and crawled into my arms.”
I’m by no means one of these turds in the cult of grammar, but I must note that “unique” is absolute and should not have a modifier (“very” in Goop’s copy). I know she’s a genius and should not be questioned, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves. Xoxo
So she’s doing an another Glee episode, singing Prince’s “Kiss”. She just won’t go away this time, I hope the rumor she is living in New York isn’t true or she may be back for good 🙁