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Editor’s Letter

Oct 2 2014
Magic Act
You don’t have to be Houdini to create an enchanting customer experience, but a little beguilement doesn’t hurt. A few weeks ago, I stopped by a local burger spot for dinner. The scowling employee behind the counter was, to put it politely, not happy to be there. In protest, he blasted X-rated tunes from his […]
Sep 3 2014
More Than Just Stuff
You can never have too many possessions that preserve irreplaceable memories. Two tiny pairs of bronze shoes have graced my mother’s dresser for three decades. While other objects—candles, jewelry, picture frames—have come and gone, the shoes have never been replaced. That’s because they are actual pairs my sister and I wore as toddlers, preserved in […]
Aug 1 2014
Welcome to the Jungle
Fashion’s mélange of styles means standing out is more crucial than ever for children’s brands. Here’s an interesting experiment, ladies: Take a look at the jeans in your closet. I bet there’s an array of silhouettes and colors. Slim, dark denim for casual date nights. Ripped and faded boyfriend jeans for the weekend. White capris […]
Jul 7 2014
Requiem for the Mall
Can a little creative thinking save the classic American shopping center? Attention mall shoppers! If that phrase rings a bell—if it leaves you reaching for a fake plastic credit card dubbed Fast Cash or Easy Money—then you were probably a child of the early ’90s. Why? It was the siren’s song of a popular Milton […]
Jun 4 2014
The Outsiders
Never underestimate the value of a novice—especially in fashion. Graduation. Aside from being the time of the year when kids’ retailers see a post-Easter spike in dresswear sales, it’s also that weird and wonderful season when teens and twentysomethings across the country don polyester caps and gowns and march en masse to the strains of […]
Apr 28 2014
Everyday Magic
Cast a spell over your customers with a little help from Mickey Mouse and friends. A few weeks ago I braved the brutal Florida heat and crowds of squealing youngsters to wait in line for hours and purchase an overabundance of overpriced trinkets. And I loved every minute of it. I’m not alone. More than […]
Mar 3 2014
Weather or Not
Will record cold and snow finally convince the retail commmunity to shift its calendar? Walking past the Bloomingdale’s windows one weekend in February, a beautiful Diane von Furstenberg dress caught my eye. Then I looked down at the sidewalk, still covered in slushy snow, and at my leather boots, coated in a filmy layer of […]
Feb 4 2014
Feeling Foxy
How a wily woodland creature snuck into kids’ hearts—and onto their clothes. This month kicks off the year of the horse in the Chinese calendar—but for children’s retailers, it just might be the year of the fox. I overheard more than one retailer declare, “Fox is the new owl,” as I browsed the aisles at […]
Jan 7 2014
On The Edge
For today’s girls, fashion rules were made to be broken. A few weeks ago a reporter called asking about a blog post that made the rounds online, featuring menswear-inspired looks for flower girls. Forget froufrou dresses—the post was packed with velvet blazers, bling-adorned button-downs and sparkly high-tops. She wanted our take: Is it a trend? […]
Dec 4 2013
Getting to Yes
Make a resolution to reel in shoppers next year with a mix of new media and tried-and-true personalized service. Here’s a little-known fact about Earnshaw’s: We share an address with a rotating cast of tech start-up firms. In what’s become a bit of company lore, Ashton Kutcher even stopped by the building once to check […]
Oct 3 2013
In the Loop
Summer’s hottest bracelet proves once again how fast-growing accessory fads can be a retailer’s best friend. After a quick glance at the parents in the Earnshaw’s office, it’s clear the watch is no longer the de rigueur wrist accessory—instead it’s a woven rubber bracelet crafted by the kiddos at home. That’s because the Rainbow Loom, […]
Sep 3 2013
It’s Easier Being Green
Unlike a decade ago, the organic market is becoming increasingly stylish and affordable. A longtime friend just had her first baby. It was a difficult pregnancy, and her son was born early and spent more than two months in the NICU. After he finally made his way home, I had the joy of watching her […]
Jul 29 2013
Confessions of a PANK
Have you spotted a PANK in your store? If reports are to be believed, she will be toting a designer handbag and possibly a latte, with no kids in sight. Even so, she will spend big on children’s apparel and gifts. That’s because a PANK is the latest demographic dreamed up by marketers: A professional […]
Jul 9 2013
Royalty Payments
Summer’s high-powered new parents are poised to set off a sales bonanza for a few lucky kids’ brands. It’s safe to say we’re pretty excited about the arrival of the royal baby here at the Earnshaw’s office. Two years ago, Fashion Editor Angela Velasquez feted the nuptials uniting Wills and Kate with scones and clotted […]
May 31 2013
Once Upon a Patent Leather Mary Jane…
Finding the right shoes for little feet is a fairy tale come true. Blame it on Cinderella. When a prince comes calling with a perfect glass slipper in tow, what girl wouldn’t swoon? How can we be blamed for a lifetime obsession with shoes when our earliest introduction to fine footwear is so tempting? It’s […]
Feb 7 2013
Call of the Wild
It’s a jungle out there in Fall ’13 tween fashion. We shot our February tween issue not in the African savannah but in the urban jungle of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Photographer Katrina Tang set up a denim background, while models donned leopard and floral print jeans, animal graphic tees and funky headgear like cat headbands and […]
Jan 8 2013
Tag, You’re It!
Skater-style duds, cool coats and skullcaps roll in for Fall ’13. I grew up thinking the New York high school backdrop to the TV show Fame was the coolest school in the world. After visiting New Design High School for our latest photo shoot, it’s clear this school joins the ranks, namely for their “best […]
Nov 27 2012
Bright Skies Ahead
Retailers recover from Sandy and look forward to a brighter spring. We can direct so much in retail, from our merchandise selection and the layout of our stores to our window displays, but weather is something that’s simply beyond our control. Slightly skeptical after the hurricane media overload from last year, when Irene took a […]
Sep 25 2012
Farmhouse Rock
Tweens re-write the fashion rules. Paging through old issues of Earnshaw’s from the ’60s, I laughed out loud when I learned we called those 8 to 12 inbetweeners “sub-teens.” Now they’re simply dubbed “tweens.” But both these names betray the fact that we haven’t quite figured them out. They are more sophisticated than toddlers, but […]
Aug 27 2012
Slice of Life
Fifties Americana takes over infant and toddler fashion for spring. it’s a new era, that’s for sure. Although springtime fashion harkens the ’50s, an idyllic decade where children frolicked outside with sweet naivete and mothers were a staple of the homestead, this modern take is manufactured just as female CEOs with babies on the way […]

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