What is it with Beijing’s fashion choices for kids?
Oh, the bedazzlement! How overcome I was when I first saw the kids' clothing available in Beijing. The sequins, lace and frills. The English language slogans in need of a sober proofreader. The Disney characters emblazoned on hems from here to Middle Kingdom Come. I soon found out why clothes are so cheap here, and it was a rather depressing realization.

You see, I just adore kids’ clothing. When we first came to Beijing, my kids wore expensive designer duds. Their long-sleeve tees alone cost ￥300-a price any taitai would feign a faint over. I was a kids’ clothing snob-or aficionado, as I prefer to say.

But alas, kids grow, and over time their expensive designer duds became smaller. It’s then that I was faced with the real Beijing Clothing World. Oh the terror. Maybe I did it because Beijing taught me how utterly blind-sided we are by clothing prices in the West. Maybe it was actual real life emergencies-like when my daughter’s legs stuck out of her jeans like Huck Finn. Whatever the reason, I succumbed. I began trawling markets and department stores; and slowly, amongst the Garfield tutus, I found some finds. The prices may not be Ya Show standard, but they are still well below the home-country cost.

My picks? Okaïdi for tees with fun ecological motifs and divinely whimsical girls’ gear. Zara is trendier and pricier, but great finds abound, especially at sale time. Plastered T-shirts are perfect for retro Beijing designs and Rouge Baiser, a French linen boutique, cannot be missed if you crave something more exceptional. Finally, Little Star, run by a French/Chinese couple, has stunning, China-inspired pieces using gorgeous French cottons in fanciful patterns. While these scrumptious shops feed my addiction, I must admit that part of me has also grown fond of Chinese kitsch. My daughter owns a Betty Boop tracksuit and my son has polyester Chinese pajamas. Maybe the clothing snob in me has finally been taken down a notch-or at least a peg or two.

Tania McCartney