Style 101: Top 10 places to shop babywear in Honolulu

August 9, 4:36 PMHonolulu Style ExaminerSophie Sun

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Honolulu Style Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Cach Cash boy bodysuit at Neiman Marcus, $14

To rake through the options in getting cute baby clothes in Honolulu, I conducted a survey of the babywear stores in town by focusing on one style for one gender and one age group: baby boys' bodysuits for 6~9 months, because the particular sector has a relative small selection compared with girls and say 0-3 months. The ranking is based on this brief survey, totally subjective and mainly concerned with its value.

#1 Macy's Kids At basement of Macy's, back to back with Men's, wallpapered in pink and yellow stripes, the babywear is divided clearly into girls and boys. I found a set of 3 units bodysuits of 100% cotton made in China at $8.98, in white, stripes and prints of bikes and cars. It's a great price at less than $3 per piece, beating Walmart. Macy's has the best value in babywear.

#2 Walmart The kidswear department has over 20 racks of girls clothes and only 10 racks of boys. The navigation is not easy without age-specific signage and it took me extra minutes to zoom in to my target piece. The camouflage print neck-button bodysuit is made of 95% conventional cotton and 5% organic cotton. Sale at $3.44. Decent products and good value, though not a customer-friendly place.

#3 The Children's Place is a relatively big store devoted to kids and baby wear. Navigation is easy. Basically its left side is boys and right is girls. Newborns of both genders are put in one department in the back side. The romper, long-legged bodysuit with buttons on center back and kangaroo pocket in the front sells at $10 from $12.5. Its has a shelve of bodysuits organized by prints at $12/ 2 pieces. I prefer buttons at neck to on the back, because the center back closure may be uncomfortable for babies. The store offers good value and easy orientation. Its location at the far corner of the third floor makes it less accessible than other stores.

#4 Baby Gap has babywear in the back of the kids unit. It has a table of 100% organic cotton bodysuits at $12.5 or $22 for two. A two-color bodysuit sells at $12.99. I find a novelty fabric shirt-style made-in-India bodysuit at $15.99 after several discounts. It's different and well made.

#5 Gymboree has the babywear at the back of the oblong lively decorated store with a TV set broadcasting children's programs and a couple of small chairs. Gymboree may be the best in presenting itself as a children friendly store, from its logo to the store to product design. In the back room two racks of clothes are constantlyon-sale, while its new arrivals are on the wall. Its guitar print 100% cotton made in China bodysuit sells at $19.75. An elephant raglan sleeve piece with three buttons on center back sells at $8.49, discounted from $24.75.

#6 Janie & Jack is a cozy little store, located on the third level nearby the Nordstrom. I have the impression that the brand has crochet jackets as the core pieces for the fall. Orientation is easy: the left side is boys and right is girls, with the sales items on racks in the middle of the room. Its merchandise is clustered on collection, all sizes together, with the exeption of the sales items displayed by sizes. I find a nautic bodysuit with a pirate applique at $15.99. It feels soft, made of 100% cotton in Thailand. Its matching overall with a sailboat embroidered on the tummy pocket is $26.99. The sales associate is helpful and friendly.

#7 NM Kids shares the third floor with designer women's apparel. The high-end department store creates a cozy place for babywear with diffused lighting and unclustered space.Both Kissy Kissy bodysuit ($36) and Victoria Kids ($38) are made of soft pima cotton in Peru with embroidered animals such as bees and frogs. The tank top style bodysuit ofVictoria Kids must be very comfortable. Currently Neiman Marcus is having two racks of babywear at 50~65% discounts. Cach Cach ombre-print elephant tee discounted to $14 from $32, as featured in the photo. Luli nehru-collar shirt-style plisse striped bodysuit discounted to $26 from $58. I hearted these cute designs.The styles and fabrics are distinctly different from the rather homogenous babywear market. Neiman Marcus offers premium babywear at premium prices.

#8 Nordstrom Baby & Kids has a great shopping environment and knowledgeable sales associate to orient me. I find trendy brands like Volcom, Roxy and Quicksilver in the kids section. The merchandise is organized in brands with all sizes together. It has a higher end selection as well as more affordable ones at $9.99. The one I focus on is Ed Hardy bodysuit with tiger print on both the front and back in a jungle background. It sells at $34, 10 times of Walmart's bargain. But you have a great enviornment and variety.

#9 Disney Store goes hand in hand with its entertainment, They are more about selling the fun and fantasy than clothes. The front and center of the store are dominated by princess-inspired pinkish girls' clothes. At the back wall, only two or three units of boys' clothes start from 2T. Only when boys grow old enough to hook onto Disney's programs can they yearn for a Disney themed wear. The Wall-E tee with a matching jumpsuit sells at $16.50. On its "Spotlight of the Week" table, graphic tees sell at $7.00.

#10 Sears Infant On the third floor, where men's and children's on sale, a yellow sea of clearance with $4.99, $6.99, 50% off or 75% off signs everywhere announces the depressing fact of merchandise unable to sell, which can partially attribute to its bad store smell (that I cannot bear to stay there for long) and chaotic merchandise display. I had to look here and there to find my target piece and I could only find a few newborn pieces. Majority are above 12 months old. Unlike other stores, the age grouping is rigidly divided in a particular month. For example, it's either 6 or 9 months without a range like 6~9 months. The Osh Kosh yellow-black-red striped piece sells at $9.6 discounted from $16. Price/product/store-wise, Sears loses to others. No wonder I can barely see a soul on the third floor.

There is one more store Miki House to be opened in Ala Moana, a brand from Japan. Hope it can bring us something different and of great value.

 Please view the slideshow for a sample from each of the ten stores.