A baby kimono from Lucky Wang.   (Photo: Jeremy Liebman for New York Magazine)

• Lucky Wang

  799 Broadway, 212-353-2850
  82 Seventh Ave., 212-229-2900

  Too often, designer kids’ clothes fall into one of two camps: expensive, frilly pastels that are no fun to wear or mini-grown-up costumes that make kids look like disturbingly dwarfed versions of their parents. The Lucky Wang house brand of kimonos in bright candy prints, sundresses, karate pants, and mandarin tops hits just the right notes of sweetness and practicality. Side-ties and V-neck cuts make everything easy to slip on wriggling little bodies. Both stores also carry outside labels like Tea collection (layette sets, $98) and T-shirts with rock icons like Bob Marley and the Wailers, Janice Joplin, and AC/DC silk-screened onto the front ($66). There’s a small selection of shoes (Converse silver high-tops, $45– $55), supersoft Jelly Cat stuffed animals ($14–$25), fleece polka-dot Juwel blankets in electric color combos ($30), and accessories like Candeloo night-lights.

From the 2006 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine