Photo: Martha Tuber
In middle school, I wore a size 6 shoe and desperately wanted a brand new, pair of black Dr. Marten’s boots. My mom, who wears a size 10 and knew all of my shoes would be too small for me by graduation, refused to buy them. I ultimately talked her into an on-sale pair of the same style in royal blue (which I still think looked very cool, but definitely didn’t have the cachet of classic black), and I left the store maybe 75 percent satisfied but also kind of mad that she wouldn’t just pay full price to buy me what I actually wanted.
Now, I get it. My daughter, Georgia, is 5, and she already has very strong opinions about personal style. She also has an undeveloped sense of time and zero financial sense, and there’s no doubt that whatever fits her now will be too small by this same time next year. I would love to buy her whatever she wants; and, if it were up to me, she’d be dressed exclusively in niche minimalist brands, and indie designers with handmade-in-Scandinavia aesthetics. But like my mother before me, I also find it very hard to justify the cost-per-wear ratio buying her anything too pricey. This sweet little cardigan makes us both happy.
I found it while trolling Amazon for things with a Mini Boden aesthetic, and the quality is shockingly comparable, especially for the very fair price of just $26. It’s made of a thick, 100 percent cotton jacquard knit that’s machine-washable with zero shrinkage or fading, and it doesn’t fuzz or pill even with daily wear. Even the buttons are sewn on well. Not only does it feel much more expensive than it is, it also looks it — it’s rare to not have at least one stranger comment on it whenever Georgia wears it out. Maybe I should let them imagine it’s something hand-knit that we picked up while vacationing in Europe, but I inevitably hear my disembodied voice exclaim, “it’s from Amazon, can you believe it?” every time.
I first bought it just before Georgia turned 1. She’s always been tiny and the cardigan runs big, so she wore the 6- to 12-month size for over year. I sized up to 3-4T next, and she’s finally wearing that one without the sleeves rolled up. Simplee Kids cardigans appear to max out at size 4-5T, and I’m guessing she’ll be able to get a good year out of that before we have to move onto something totally new. I’m already on the lookout for a new cardigan we’ll both be happy with.
(from left) Age 1, smiling because she’s most likely receiving a compliment about her sweaterage 3.5, in a bigger sweater and covered in sidewalk chalkPhotos: Martha Tuber.
(from left) Age 1, smiling because she’s most likely receiving a compliment about her sweaterage 3.5, in a bigger sweater and covered in sidewalk chal…
(from left) Age 1, smiling because she’s most likely receiving a compliment about her sweaterage 3.5, in a bigger sweater and covered in sidewalk chalkPhotos: Martha Tuber.
A fancy cashmere sweater for the price of a fairly basic sweatshirt.
This set has an air of Mini Rodini.
It’s fine to let people think this is a Barbour waxed jacket.
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