Born with style and class: Meet the mini fashionistas!

Fashion has become a child's play, literally! At least, that's what it looks like when we come across some absolutely adorable pictures of celebrity toddlers like Prince George, Harper Beckham, North West and our very own little fashionista Aaradhya Bachchan being toted around in designer wear carefully hand- picked by their stylish mothers! Much like their modish mums, these new ' style icons' of the fashion cosmos are already kicking latest trends with their impeccable sartorial choices.

Crawling around in high street fashion, the celeb kids have cast their spell on many mums across the world, who too want their tiny tots to look as cute and chic as them. Besides expensive gadgets and exotic holidays, the ' good life', which the millennia mum truly and unapologetically believes in, is finding expression in a drool- worthy kids' wardrobe. " If the mum can carry a Prada or Louis Vuitton, the little one can also walk around in a smart D& G dungaree or sweet Quis Quis ballerinas," says image consultant and designer Shweta Singh.

Luxury extended
The jet- setting mums are willing to splurge on high- end labels as they aspire to give their kids the best of fash- ion. " Kids are an extension of our own personality. The way you dress up your kids reflects a lot on your personal style and taste," declares fashion designer Sagarika Mittal Goyal, who also has a luxury kids' fashion label- Coochhie Coo. Agrees homemaker Deepali Wadhwa, " Kids are our closest identity and pride. When it comes to dressing up, we should complement each other."

When toddlers are accompanying their mums to lavish birthday parties, weddings, formal dinners and casual brunches, they also need to be as immaculately dressed as their discerning mums. " International labels like Versace Young, Baby Dior, Ferrari Kids, Armani Junior and similar others not just come with a great brand value, they also offer exclusive designs, brilliant quality, and exceptional craftsmanship, which make a huge difference. You would never pick a run- of- the- mill brand if you want your kids to stand out," believes corporate lawyer Sumedha Sharma Bahuguna, who loves buying glamourous Baby Dior dresses for her six- year- old daughter Trisha and smart Fendi shirts for her three- year- old son Devansh.

Fashion forward
As Prince George set off on his first royal tour to Australia and New Zealand, he didn't know that he would cause quite a furore with a plethora of designer outfits. Everything that this royal tot wears experiences a ' George effect' and is sold out in minutes. This stands as a testament to the fact that kids' fashion means ' serious business' nowadays. With dedicated kids' collections updated with each season and glitzy fashion weeks, the section is growing exponentially.

And India with its rising number of well- heeled mums preferring high- end labels for their kids is considered a big market.

"Industry analysis point out that the kids' wear market size in India is approximately Rs 30,000 crore, 25 per cent of the total Indian apparel category. At a growing rate of 20 per cent, it is expected to reach approximately Rs 80,000 crore by 2016," shares Swati Saraf, Director of Prive Luxury, which runs the capital's two of the finest kids' luxury clothing stores - Les Petits and Cherubs.

Couture calling
When realty TV star Kim Kardashian walked down the aisle in her sensational Givenchy haute couture wedding gown, the diva mum made sure that daughter North West matched her style perfectly. So, we saw baby North smiling and shining in her own custom Givenchy gown. The craze for bespoke and tailor- made kids' clothes is not relegated to celebs only; the ' kids couture' craze is rapidly catching up with mums here as well.

Indian designers are often roped in to lend their name and expertise to designing clothes for special occasions like birthdays and weddings. " I regularly get requests for theme- based couture dresses. From opulent lehengas to fairy- tale- inspired dresses, the mums enthusiastically take part in deciding the design, cut and colour of a dress.

And yes, money is never a constraint as long as you give them something truly unique and aweinspiring," shares Mittal.

In fact, many luxury fashion houses ( think Fendi, Missoni, Versace, Armani, Gucci, Dior, Burberry and Marc Jacobs) churn out mini versions of their men's and women's readyto- wear lines or logo heavy accessories to keep the patrons and their tots happy.

Worth it
"It's more about indulging myself than the kid," shares Chef Parul Shirazi, who looks at designer wear as ' collectible pieces'. She adds, " My eight- year- old daughter loves Fendi, which suits her androgynous style, while I love indulging in Quis Quis because it is ' oh- so- girly'. You can call them ' heirlooms' as my daughter's clothes get passed on to her cousins, which makes them timeless and great value for money." This apart, factors like easy availability of high- end brands in the past couple of years, higher disposable incomes and ' onechild' preference in urban families have also fuelled this trend.

"I love dressing up my twin girls. There is an emotional value attached to what your child is wearing, and buying high- end brands anyway gives you a ' happy- high'; it makes the whole process of becoming a parent fun," says stylist & wardrobe consultant Neha Bakshi.