As you probably already know, Swedish Polarn O. Pyret is one of my favorite Scandinavian clothing brands for children. Their clothing is classic Scandinavian, with fresh looks, bold colors and signature stripes. It’s children’s clothing meant for everyday use, clothing that will last for playtime after playtime, wash after wash.

Here are some pictures from Polarn O. Pyret Spring 2012 collection for children.

What I really like about Polarn O. Pyret, they let kids be kids, and while they have trendy skinny jeans, or graphic tees, it’s all suitable for kids, and meant for kids – not mini-sized from adults clothing.

What’s not to love, right?

PS. Check out the Polarn O. Pyret fall/winter sale by clicking the picture below. Clothing is 60% off or more and you don’t even need a coupon!

Abercrombie & Fitch Kids has a secret sale today; all hoodies and sweats are 50% off and hoodies in this sale start at $19.75 and no other discount is available. But they also have a 40% off everything code for the site and when you shop at the Clearance section you CAN combine the lowered price with the coupon making the clearance section hoodies start at $17.94 and tees starting at $7.74!

Sale Find: A&F Meacham Lake Hoodie
Normal price: $49.50, sale price: $17.94 use code: 25444
Shop: A&F Kids

Also Abercrombie & Fitch has the same sale going on as well, today only – 50% off all hoodies & sweatpants + 40% off Entire Store! On www.abercrombie.com the 40% code is 15444.

Sale Find: Tea Collection Androna Layered Dress
Normal price: $35 Sale price: $29.20
Shop: Tea Collection

20% off use code EXTRA20YAY ends 11/11/11.

This is a new feature at Skimbaco Lifestyle. Simple sale alert posts of great deals to help you to save time and money this Holiday season. Many of the deals are available only for a limited time, so don’t wait!

UPDATED: This giveaway is closed. The winner is Tracy and she has been emailed! Thanks for everyone for participating.

H&M Back to School Collection hit the stores today and I couldn’t be more excited! H&M’s Back to School collection is designed to be as fashionable as it is practical and H&M’s kids clothes are durable, safe, and comfortable and you will not believe the prices! Tees starting at $4.99, pants $9.99, jackets from $14.95 and with the money you save on clothes you can do something fun with your kid before the long school year starts. Or with the money you save on back to school clothes shopping for your kids, you can get something for you too!

20% OFF COUPON

For additional savings, print out the 20% off coupon and save 20% off of children’s clothing at H&M between August 4- August 14th.

SMART & STYLISH & SAFE

If you have been reading my blog before you know I have written about the safety measures H&M takes when manufacturing their clothing. Many of their children’s clothing in this fall 2011 collection have been made with organic cotton, which has been cultivated without chemical pesticides or artificial fertilizers. Their children’s clothing is also well tested to make sure none of the buttons, ribbons etc. will come loose. As a mom I can trust their clothing is made well and safe for my kids. You don’t even have to wash the clothes before use, since they have been made without chemicals.

See all of the pictures from the H&M Back to School Collection below and enter the $2,000 gift card giveaway! And check out the collection yourself at the H&M location close to you. The collection will be available in most H&M US stores. You can use the store locator to find a store close to you.

$2,000 H&M GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

The giveaway is for $2,000 H&M gift for one (1) winner. The contest runs August 4- August 14th, 2011, 12 midnight EST. The winner is chose randomly. The winner will be contacted on August 15th and given 24 hours to respond back with a shipping address. The prize is mailed in four $500 gift cards one in every 3 months and the shipping is handled by H&M. The giveaway is for everyone over 18 years old within the US and the gift card is valid only in the US.

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:
1. Check out the H&M kids collection photos here or visit H&M Back to School and let us know what you like about the collection the best. Leave a comment here with your email address so we can contact you if you win! Good luck!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
2. Subscribe to Skimbaco Lifestyle Newsletter and leave a comment you do.
3. Follow @skimbaco on Twitter and leave a comment you do.
4. Like Skimbaco on Facebook and leave a comment here you did.
5. Tweet:
Win $2,000 gift card from @hmusa for clothes for one year at @skimbaco http://ow.ly/5VvzK #HMkids
and leave a comment with a link to your tweet.

You can also connect with H&M on Facebook and Twitter @hmusa.

DOUBLE your changes to win and enter to a similar giveaway at Momma’s Gone City!

picture: maan

What Mama Must Know about back to school shopping; shop now!

Back to school time is here faster than you think… To avoid overpaying and overbuying kids clothes for school year, start shopping now. Many summer sale items actually work for school year, just forget about the spaghetti strap tanks and dresses, and focus on polos, hoodies and simple tees; and don’t forget shoes and jeans.

If you are really like me – taking the family to shop at the mall isn’t your bag of chips, and you’d rather even be playing mini-golf or swimming in the pool with your kids than spending a day going from store to store that all seem to sell the same stuff with different labels. My favorite shopping destinations with kids is my own virtual world; the online stores. We also shop when we travel, so my kids favorite tees are usually from our vacation destinations and come with memories. I prefer timeless style, and so do my kids, and it’s easy to pass the clothes around when they get too small. Plus when I buy better quality, they will last longer, and I don’t have to buy as many clothes. But I don’t love anything more than a good sale… here are some no-brainer products for now and the start of the school year, all under 20 bucks!

If you are looking for tips how to save money on children’s clothing, read my post at Lifetime Moms, but if you are ready to shop… here are some of my favorites to buy now for the school year already in mind.

Tommy Hilfiger has currently all sale items an additional 30% off, making some clothes up to 70% off. The timeless polos and jeans for boys are great for summer – and school.

Zulily is a invitation only shopping site for all things for kids (your invitation link is included – go shop!), and I found the Laura Ashley sneakers for girly girl for only $16.49 – talk about a deal, and your kiddo will look super cute in much more individual style that you’d ever find at Payless.

Disney Store is your must stop pit stop if your little school kid loved the Cars 2 movie this summer. Cars 2 backpacks for school now only $15.

Ralph Lauren is offering an additional 25% off all summer sale items. Nothing is more classic than RL and the quality makes the clothing a perfect choice for every day clothing that you wash over again and again. The Lillian Long-Sleeve dress is a find for $17.24.

Tea Collection was one of my best selling brands when Skimbaco was an online children’s clothing boutique and my kids have been using Tea Collection clothing since 2007, and we absolutely love the brand. Only what I don’t recommend is jeans for super active boys, the knees wear off fast.. resulting my son has about 6 pairs of cut off Tea Collection denim shorts. Check out their sale for drool-worthy and classic high quality kids’ clothes. A real find is the Flamenco Dot Drop-waist Dress only for $10!

Gap jeans seem to last a little bit longer for boys than Tea Collection.. And while the cut isn’t as trendy, the price is cheaper! The shorts pictured, only $9.99 on summer sale. Perfect from summer vacation to school.

Little Miss Matched became famous for the missmatched socks sold in threes. My kids either wear basic Hanes socks – or crazy colorful Little Miss Matched, nothing in between. Check out their sale selection for fun accessories for school from notebooks to drawstring bags to socks in threes, starting $4.99.

HauteLook is probably one of my favorite places for inexpensive designer clothing – follow the invitation link and you’ll fin goodies like the Da Lil Guys long sleeved motorcycle tee for only $8.50

When I started planning on starting my own children’s clothing store years ago, I realized that there are so many great brands and great stores that focus on clothing for babies, or clothing up to size 4 or 6. The smaller the size, the bigger variety. One of the biggest challenges for me was to find clothing over size 6 that would still be children’s clothing, and not just mini version of adult clothing, or sometimes even worse, mini version of teen-clothing. And while I love fashion, I love even more the timeless looks for children, and quality that lasts beyond the child outgrows the clothing – my friends know that I might show up with a bag of used children’s clothing to give for their children.

I don’t know why I felt like writing this long intro, I guess so you know how passionate I am about great children’s clothing, and that when I say I love Swedish Polarn O. Pyret, I mean I love Polarn O. Pyret. I have been a fan ever since I remember. Really, the company is around the same age as me, and as a fellow Scandinavian I have been using the brand literally since a little girl. Their values are what I think every children’s clothing manufacturer should have. Their clothing is timeless, high quality and fun! But beyond that – they are practical and kids can be kids and play outside, play indoors and the clothing is comfortable and makes the kid feel like a kid (again). And- several styles go to up to size 11 years, even more styles go to up to size 8.

Please scroll down for an interview with Gunila Axén, the Polarn O. Pyret designer, and before that – check out some of my favorites from their Autumn 2009 collection.

I wonder if they had something like this when I was a kid? I can totally see my mother dressing me in something similar already in the 70′s. The prints – so cool! And the materials, soft velour!

Rain gear the Scandinavian way! These clothes are for active kids allowing kids to play outdoors no matter what the weather. You can call them mud clothes or pants even rubber pants – covering your kid even in the muddiest conditions.

O so pretty! The colors, the prints!

Check yourselves! And check out the interview with Gunila Axén and also – learn how to pronounce Polarn O. Pyret.

I literally grew up with Polarn O. Pyret when growing up in Finland. Polarn O. Pyret is a brand Scandinavian moms have trusted since 1976, and now their crisp and simple designs of high quality soft cotton clothes and accessories are available in the US. I am so excited about PO.P being available here, and it makes me almost wish I hadn’t closed down my store in December – Polarn O. Pyret is something I would love to sell!

See it yourself – aren’t these cute or what? And what is the best is the quality – the cotton is soft, and lasts from kid to another (I have three kids, and I love getting clothes that last from sibling to another). Simple Scandinavian design that has universal appeal. Polarn O. Pyret also has a baby line and a maternity line, and I’m extremely happy that their clothing line goes up to 11 year olds. There are so many cute brands for babies and tots, but I find it more and more difficult to find cute clothes for school aged kids.

Give them a try and you’ll see what I mean with the quality. If you shop now, you can save 30% and get free shipping using a coupon code VIP23.

While my kids are home today due a snow day, the snowy weather even preventing children going to school, it doesn’t mean that I can’t dream of a trip to Bahamas. The crisp whites and bold colors, and the tropical prints of Spike & Annie children’s resort couture makes me to dream of a beach vacation with kids.

Spike & Annie is luxurious children’s resort wear that fits as perfectly to the East Coast beach scenery as to more tropical destinations. I can also see Spike & Annie kids visiting French Riviera, and the crisp whites would go well even in the archipelago of Finland, or Greece. The prints are beautiful and fun, and the details like embroidery are imaginative and giving a nice global feel. Spike & Annie offers classic beauty for modern children. The high quality cotton clothing is hand-dyed, and the clothing is careful thought in every stitch. The clothing is stunning, but what really makes Spike & Annie to stand out, is that the collection is entirely eco-friendly and Fair Trade Certified requiring specific social and production standards.

Spike & Annie clothing items are made in Bali in their own factory. Their employees have fair wages and the company advocates social and environmental standards offering a healthy working environment for their employees. The company uses purchasing and production choices taking the well-being of people and the environment in consideration.

The clothing itself is done by using all-natural and non-synthetic materials that pose no threats to the environment. Spike & Annie’s focus is on quality craftsmanship, made with environmentally and socially friendly practices.

Couture meets green, and luxury meets socially conscious in the Spike & Annie collection. Parents can feel good about purchasing Spike & Annie for their children, and the children will love the fun and carefree looks of the collection.

Spike & Annie is available in selected boutiques and online

When you mix colors, imaginative play, high quality fabrics and mix it with sugar and spice – you get delicious children’s designer clothing. One of my top choices for ultimate deliciousness is Lola et Moi.

As the readers of my blog know, I have been a fan of Lola et Moi since I first saw them in a trade show in NYC a few years ago.

Lola et Moi was created by designer Rania Tohme in Lebanon five years ago, and has taken the world by storm ever since. Lola et Moi clothing brings out the very essence of childhood – the fun, the play, the every day joy and special occasion excitement.

What I as a mom like the best about Lola et Moi is that my girls enjoy wearing the clothes and they feel it’s a special day every time they put on a Lola et Moi masterpiece. I think they secretly also enjoy all the compliments they receive when wearing the colorful and fun Lola et Moi designs.

Another reason why I love Lola et Moi, is the high quality. Quality that you can see stitch by stitch, but also see in every day wear. Many designer clothes that have hand sewn elements like Lola et Moi’s clothing does, do not take the every day wear and wash, and several of the expensive designer clothing also need expensive and inconvenient dry clean care. While some of the Lola et Moi clothing suggest that as well, I have had very good luck washing them at home.

One of the best parts of Lola et Moi clothing is that you can mix and match almost anything in one collection. The collections are large, and you can find several tops to go with every pant or skirt. They call Lola et Moi clothing candy-like and when you go to one of their stores and look at the beautiful clothing and accessories, even you will feel like a kid in a candy store.

The Lola et Moi accessories could be a whole another blog post… the hair clips, the head bands, the scarves and the necklaces.. the pins, brooches and handbags. All amazing to the tiniest little detail, to every stitch and every pom pom or little bell or button. When you are looking for unique gift ideas for little girls, check out Lola et Moi accessories, I still haven’t sent my girls to any birthday parties were they hadn’t been the hit!

Lola et Moi is sold in several upscale children’s boutiques, and online. If you order online, you might want to size up, because Lola et Moi tends to run a little small.