Aparna and Norden Wangdi’s son, Kaizen, models the kid’s wear designed by his parents; (above) Fun prints and bright colours are the mainstay of the Wangdis’ collection for tots

The kids have got style. Just check out that little boy dressed in a vibrant plaid shirt teamed with a pair of formal trousers and the little lady togged up in a balloon dress that screams high fashion.

Out with the regulation (and ubiquitous) pinks and baby blues as fashion designers are sewing cutesy ensembles to keep the kiddies’ style file on a high. Going around are natty little waistcoats, smart biker jackets and feminine cowls. And of course there are the stripes, polka dots and florals.

Rolling out collections for children — from newborns to the pre-teens — are Ritu Beri, the husband-wife team of Shane and Falguni Peacock, Savio Jon and Aparna and Norden Wangdi among others. Meanwhile, Nandita Basu and Abhishek Gupta’s Fightercock label is making a foray into the market with formalwear for children. “The plan is to keep it exclusive, not for the mass market,” says Basu.

“The look is so stylish that if the garments were some sizes bigger they would be the kind of outfits that grown-ups could wear,” says designer Sangeeta Sen, who has launched her own range of kid’s wear after a stint at Fabindia’s design studio.

Beri has a multitude of looks for children between two and 12 in her Baby Beri collection. “I realised after I had my baby that I could not find many options for occasion-wear for kids,” says Beri, who started getting compliments for the way she dressed up her daughter, Gia, and therefore came up with the line on the ramp in February this year.

A little model flaunts the ‘Victorian Princess’ look by Ritu Beri

She offers four key looks — the ‘Victorian Princess’ with its peasant dresses, skirts and blouses, the ‘Rock Star Babe’ replete with funky denim jackets, waistcoats and jeans and ‘Bollywood Divas’ with eveningwear frocks in chiffon and organza with decorative lace. The fourth look is traditional Indianwear. Prices range bet-ween Rs 999 to Rs 15,000. The proceeds from the sale go to the charitable institution, the Blessed Heart Foundation.

“I don’t want my five-year-old daughter to grow up Disney-centric. And when you go out shopping, that is what you end up with for children,” says Anshu Arora. The designer runs her fashion label, Small Shop, in partnership with husband Jason Cheriyan in Bangalore and has come up with a novel idea to fire a child’s imagination.

Sangeeta Sen’s ‘Pappu the Little Indian’ wears clothes that scream adult chic

Happy animals are sewn into bright silk outfits in such a way that the little wearers can actually play around with the shapes. Her collection is for children between one and five years old with price tags ranging from Rs 1,800 to Rs 5,000.

Arora retails the collection from stores such as Evoluzione in Chennai and Bombay Electric in Mumbai. She also has a more basic, handloom line called Hampi that introduces kids to Mangalgiri and Chanderi fabrics.

Sen’s label, Pappu The Little Indian, is also heavy on the Indian look what with its tiny kurtas and jackets. The collection, with prices starting at Rs 250, at once screams adult chic. Her clientele includes newborns to 12-year-olds who get to wear outfits in a variety of fabrics sans appliqué and embroidery.

Happy animal motifs are sewn on Anshu Arora’s creations for a magical feel

Meanwhile the idea of making clothes for children came to the Wangdis around 2005 when their women clients used to bring their baby girls to their old store in Delhi’s Hauz Khas. Today they dress up children from six to 15 and prices go from Rs 800 to Rs 1,600. The focus is on a limited edition of pants, spaghettis, wrap skirts and balloon dresses. “We use animal and flower prints, tie-and-dye patches and more,” says Norden Wangdi, who also has fun accessories for the tots.

The Baby Peacock collection and the Spendthrift Peacock kid’s wear line by Shane and Falguni Peacock are a far cry from their over-the-top ensembles for adults. The lines — for children upto four years — are available at the Peacocks’ stores in Mumbai. The Baby Peacock range, priced from Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000, offers cotton printed dresses, little ties, shirts, along with hi-fashion silhouettes such as cowl dresses and balloon dresses. The Spendthrift line meanwhile is for the funky child with biker jackets for boys and dresses printed with toy bikes. This line starts at Rs 2,000.

Shane emphasises that the simple look works best for a child. He adds: “The idea is not to make them look like birthday hampers, but more like little angels.”