A Review: MASH Junior clothes for kids

I’m currently wrapping up my Christmas shopping for the kids, and I have to admit, while toys were easy to pick out, I’ve been a bit disappointed in clothes choices for my kids.  In general, I’ve found the selection for boys limited to branded clothing (and there is only so much Star Wars I can put on my boy), flannel shirts (so not Boo), clothing that make him look a little too hip-hop or bad dress shirts with skinny ties.

And for the girls? Is it me, or is it impossible to find clothes in the 6-12 year old range that don’t look like they were meant for 20 year olds heading to a club? *sigh*

Needless to say, when I was given the opportunity to review the MASH Junior line, I was tickled. MASH Junior is an Italian children’s wear brand that is bringing its’ Spring/Summer 2012 line to the UK this spring.  They have two lines, actually – MASH Boy (for boys, obviously) and MASH Kiss for girls. I was impressed with the quality of the clothes, and the kids really liked how comfy and soft they were.

Boo thought the sweater was “smart” – for a boy who lives in tractor tees and running trousers, he does have a bit of a “dandy” streak and likes to look “smart”, so this was high praise.  He really liked the hoodie, too – the jersey construction is a brushed cotton, and it was lightweight – perfect for a too-warm boy. The sizing was spot on – Boo is 7, but because he is so tall, he typically wears 9/10s, and these were long enough without drowning him.

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll know that my Pea is a bit of a fashionista AND a diva, and her outfit didn’t disappoint in either element.  The jacket is stunning – and fancy, while remaining age-appropriate, something we really struggle with these days. She felt very “grown up” in these clothes.

The trousers…oh, those trousers. Pea is a tactile kind of girl, and these velvety trousers are oh so soft. They have an elastic waist too, which is an absolute necessity these days. They had gorgeous touches like rhinestone studs in on the pockets, too. The sizing is generous – Pea is a very short petite 5/6 (size 5s can run long on her, even if they are snug in the waist) so we had to roll the legs up – if your child is of average height, you needn’t worry about length. They have a lovely stretch to them too, so they were very comfy.

The jacket had some really lovely touches, like sparkly rhinestones in the zipper pulls….and such lovely construction!

Being an Italian brand, MASH currently has limited availability in the UK – you can find some pieces on yoox.com at the moment, but they will have  much more to come for the Spring/Summer 2012 season as Mash Jr hits the  UK in 2012 at independent retailers across the country (just in time for the kids’ birthdays!) Bellissimo!