One day, not too long ago, I apologized to Rachel (Zoe, our editor in chief) for the way I was dressed for a meeting. She responded, “No worries, you look like my kids.” Hmm, I thought, as this wasn’t the first time I’d been accused of dressing like a toddler. My brother recently sent me a picture of my three-year-old niece, and when I showed it to my best friend, she responded, “You have that outfit!” A vintage fanatic with no loyalty to any particular trend set or era, I always thought I dressed like an eccentric grandma. However, upon further reflection sparked by both of these incidents, I realized that the looks I save on Instagram most frequently belong to children under the age of five, which makes me sound creepy and sad but is also the cold, hard truth. Here, 11 such toddlers and the many ways in which they inspire my style.
This is essentially what I was wearing when Rachel told me I was dressed like her children—high-waisted jeans, a vintage Cardinals baseball tee and old converse sneakers. Wish I had thought of the socks.
I have tried to stop myself from buying short rompers as I have a feeling our fashion editors have added them to the list of things you shouldn't wear into your 30s, but c'mon. I own like ten different versions of this outfit.
Full-length rompers, on the other hand, I have deemed to be 100% appropriate up until death, so my closet is full of them. Sometimes it can be hard to find the right footwear to go with this item, so I like to peep the kiddies for inspo to that end. Also, I'm so generally obsessed with this particular kid—belonging to the lovely Molly Sims—that I have very seriously considered starting a not-so-serious fan page for her. Unfortunately, the thought of creeping Molly out/being ordered to stay a certain distance from her via the courts has deterred me thus far, but stay tuned.
I legit own this dress.
I just bought vintage green Bermuda shorts that look exactly like this, but I have yet to secure a matching top. I do have this exact purse, however, and have just ordered a Turband from Cult Gaia thanks to this little style angel.
This is my go-to daily outfit—vintage floral dress, black boots, a black leather jacket and a top knot. I promise, everyone in my office is LOLing right now because this is so true.
I'm not sure this small human counts as a toddler (erm, I don't have kids... what do I know?) but everything about her look in this photo makes me jealous nonetheless. I've also been known to rock the pigtails on innumerable occasions, which totally look just right on a grown woman in her thirties who is not technically in costume. Sidenote: If you want to feel totally depressed about your life, spend some time on this Instagram. I did, last night, for about three hours, screenshotting pics and sending them to my boyfriend saying, "Why doesn't my life look like this?", which I think he found mildly offensive.
I have several ponchos—all secured via thrift and vintage—like this, though I have yet to find one in red (my favorite color to wear). Space buns are definitely my jam, and I am now officially on the hunt for a well-worn pair of moccasins so I can copy this look head-to-toe.
Okay, so this one is also not a toddler, but what is this getup and how do I get it?!? If you'll note, I even commented "I want this outfit" on the photo, and I've been searching for ways to style myself similarly ever since. I never actually considered layering a white button down under one of my smock dresses—I don't even own a white button down—but after seeing this pic, I'm coming for you, J. Crew.
Red knee socks with sandals! Can I get an amen?!
Wait, these too??? I would legitimately pay $500 for these socks. And with these shoes? A thousand times, yes. #dead
