Posts Tagged ‘clothing’

Not for your little one the harsh dyes and artificial fabrics you’ll find at the cheapie clothing stores like Target and Old Navy. No, your baby will be swaddled in the softest natural fabrics, preferably those featuring gender-neutral designs and simple graphics. San Francisco designer Rachel Pearson has the number of all the progressive parents in the Bay Area, crafting clothing under her Speesees label that’s almost fiendishly cute and high-minded.

Pearson began her line with organic cotton onesies a few years back and kept expanding, to pants, t-shirts, hats, dresses, and bibs, even a few toys. Everything is colored with low-impact dyes and easy on the eye: uncluttered shapes, sophisticated colors, nothing cloying or tacky. Baby kimono onesies are easy to wrap and unwrap on a squirming infant in need of a change; baby yoga pants are loose enough to comfortably accommodate the cloth diapers many hipster parents prefer. This is the kind of clothing that you hang on to for baby #2 or #3, or reluctantly pass on to your friends, telling them “This was my favorite onesie.”

You can buy Speesees clothing at various San Francisco boutiques, like Ladybug Ladybug in Noe Valley, or at Rainbow Grocery and Whole Foods stores, but once you get addicted you’re going to need to visit the Speesees store, 2325 Third Street (at 20th Street), Suite 342, San Francisco. Call 415-552-5808 or visit speesees.com.

The cheap/cute Liz Lange Target line aside, maternity wear is expensive if you want anything at all stylish. It’s a little nervewracking to splash out and pay $200 for a skirt that you’ll drop like a hot rock after your nine months are over.

Your alternatives: the scanty selection of flowered tents at consignment and thrift stores, cheap schmattes from Ross, empire waist tops from the mommy shops. Or the discounted designer clothing available at Maternity Xchange.

Each month, the San Francisco Maternity Xchange is held in the Sports Basement store in the Presidio (by Crissy Field). Shoppers can buy quality used clothing from better labels (”Gap and up,” says the Xchange website); moms get to drop off their used maternity clothing and receive 40-50% of the selling price.

It’s a win-win for everyone. Stylish pieces are priced in the deeply discounted $30-$80 range, meaning that those who consign their clothing get a nice bit of cash when they’re sold. This is where you should look for that nice pair of black pants that’ll stand you in good stead until you deliver. Just don’t be depressed if you’re still in them three months after your kid is born.

The next Maternity Xchange sale is at the East Bay Baby Fair, 7/12, 11am-3pm, at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1345 Portland Avenue (at Ramona Avenue), Albany. The next San Francisco sale is Sat. & Sun, 7/19-20, 11am-4pm in the Presidio Sports Basement, 610 Mason Street (at Sutter Street), San Francisco. Call 510-814-1848 or visit maternityxchange.com.