Have your say: How much is too much for kid’s clothes?

Nov. 3, 2009 5:11 PM PT

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Stella McCartney designed a collection for GapKids and GapBaby that she calls “accessibly priced” in a news release. But is $78 for a Stella McCartney for GapKids girl’s tuxedo jacket or $38 for a boy’s Western shirt still priced too high? A reader from Santa Monica, Peggy Jo Abraham e-mails All the Rage:

Reading your article, “Mind The Gap” it is obvious that not only did Stella McCartney grow up in the Wings decade, but she also grew up the daughter of a Beatle. While I’m sure her children’s designs are adorable, it’s ridiculous for her to call these ‘accessibly priced.” How many mothers, especially in this economy, will find a trendy military jacket for $128 or sweat pants for $78 affordable items for their kids? Clearly both Ms. McCartney and GapKids are not in touch with the plight of the average consumer. It will be interesting to see how holiday sales of these clothes stack up against sales at the discount stores.

Point taken. But Stella McCartney’s collection for kids might be accessibly priced compared with her designer-label collection where recent women’s styles including accessories cost around $1,000 and upwards (the Stella McCartney for Adidas collection retails mainly at a more accessible $200).

On Friday, JCPenney is launching Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Olsenboye, a tween and juniors collection priced from $20 to $50. Retailers Target, Kohl’s and Wal-Mart can go as low as $10 for children’s clothes. However there’s the question of quality and manufacturing -- a dress from a made-in-USA brand such as Little Ella by Ella Moss retails for $32 at the Mini Social, a children’s online retailer based in Burbank.

“The quality tends to be better with domestically made garments,” says Melinda Marinack, co-founder of the Mini Social.