I am always on the prowl for amazing outfits & swimwear for my daughter. She's a mini diva, and can't ever have too much to wear. Right now she's ga-ga for dresses and swimsuits... I don't blame her. It's finally warm enough for the beach, and when you're as cute & sassy as she is---- you have to flaunt it!
Easter was her time to shine. Wearing her favorite dresses, and having so much fun! Now, shes getting ready for summer. Today, she decided to put on a swimsuit show for me. Showing off her latest faves, and reminding me that she's growing up way too fast.
Check out her latest looks!
Easter was a weekend affair for Madison. Which, meant she got to wear TWO "fancy" dresses. She was beyond thrilled. She attended an Easter Egg-stravaganza at the preschool she will be attending this fall, so she had to look amazing. I gave her a few outfit options, and she chose a super cute floral dress by Bonny Billy.
The material is comfortable, but a little stiff. It reminds me of the broadcloth style dress shirts that I wear to work. It's a modest dress, and covers everything that needs to be covered. However, it is sleeveless. This works out well for us, since it's quite warm in southern Florida.
Aside from the beautiful shape of this dress, my favorite feature is the print. It's a busy, floral print, but the colors are bold and very appealing. Plus, they hide small stains well. She's a diva, but she's 3 and accidents happen!
My only complaint about the dress, is that the sizing is a bit off. It's available in a variety of sizes, but it runs very small. Madison typically wears a 3t- 4t, and I ordered this in a 5. The 5 fits perfectly. So, I recommend ordering up a size. The dress does have ties, so if it's a tad big, you can always adjust it a bit.
Following her preschool Egg-stravaganza, was Easter day. Since I had the day off, we all dressed up and headed to church. Usually I work weekends, so this was a big deal! Not to be outdone, Maddie chose the perfect church dress, by Brightly.
This dress made her feel like a princess! The material is lightweight, and has a crynolyn underskirt that helps to keep its puffy shape. It's a gorgeous dress, and totally twirlable--- Which is what's most important to a little girl! That, and the fact that it's covered in tiny pink flowers!!! Also, the adjustable pink bow at
I was going to end here and pick up with swimwear, but I have to take a moment and mention our 2 newest pieces from Bonny Billy. I wasn't expecting them to arrive so soon, but they're here & I'm dying to dish on the newest dresses!
These are cotton, sleeveless dresses. They're lightweight, and fit like a glove. Each dress comes with an adjustable sash, so you can easily tie them at the waist for a better fit. Plus, the dress is available in 4 different styles/ prints. The only drawback is the sizing. These dresses run quite small, so you will need to measure your child for optimal fit.
Madison has this dress in the retro 70's style flowered print, with orange belted sash. She also has the misc. car print (pictured), with leopard trim & bowed sash. She's a huge fan of leopard print, so she immediately fell in love with the leopard trim. However, the retro floral print is super cute too! We can't pick a favorite, so we're going to show off both! The dresses are durable and low maintenance. They're definitely made to last, and I foresee us getting a lot of use out of them!
There's 4 styles to choose from, so click the link below & see which is your favorite!
And now we reach the swimsuit portion of our mini fashion show! I promise, I won't keep you long. In fact, I only have 3 to mention.
Swimsuits come in so many styles these days, it's hard to pick just one. However, when they're reasonably priced, it's always nice to have a few on hand. Especially if they see a lot of use. Rotating swimsuits helps to increase the life of the elastic, and gives you a dry option in the event that the previous days fare is still damp!
If you're looking for something with great sun coverage, I recommend a 2 piece rash guard set. Carter's makes a fantastic rash guard set, that covers well & comes in adorable prints & styles. The only set back is the sizing. Carter's rash guard sets are available up to a size 24 mos. However--- Carter's runs quite large! Madison wears a 3T- 4T, and the Carter's 24 mos. fits her (with just a tiny bit of midriff showing).
On a less conservative note, you can always go for something a bit more fun! This 2 piece is available in blue or yellow, and is solid color throughout. It features a super fun skirted bottom, and has a bias sash on the top. Unlike the Carter's suit, this runs quite bit (maybe half a size or so). It's a super cute swimsuit, but not at all as durable as I'd hoped. After 3 uses, the mesh material that's used on the sash and skirt, has started to fray a bit. Aside from that small issue, it's a decent suit--- with a reasonable price.
Finally, for those of us who go all out, and have to have the most amazing swimsuit possible... There's a 3 piece strawberry bikini. This is by far the cutest swimsuit ever. The material is thick and durable, and the colors are steadfast. It's one of the most well made swimsuits I've come across, and I love that it includes a hat!
This swimsuit is a mock grown- up bikini with a ridiculously cute girlish flair. The top is a standard modest top, with ties for the neck & bust. The ties are thick, and stay in place without issue. Each side has leaf appliques added, and a strawberry charm attached in the middle. The bottoms are well fitting, full coverage, with an added skirted waist band. The bottom also has a dangling strawberry charm, to match the top. Then there's the 3rd piece... The hat. The hat is so stinkin cute! It's also functional! It fits snugly, and keeps the hair in place while swimming. It is NOT a water proof swim cap, but does stay on quite well in the water. If your child has thin hair, or their scalp burns easily, this hat will work perfectly to provide sun protection.
The strawberry bikini fits as expected, and has so far been the only swimsuit that's been true to size. This includes swimsuits in- store, as well as online!
Aside from being budget friendly, the clothes & swimsuits above are all relatively low maintenance. They wear well, and maintain their color and shape.
With the exception of the black & pink dress, and 2 piece outfit (and swimsuits obviously), all of the dresses mentioned above are able to be washed and dried without issue. The black & pink dress is much more delicate, so I'd recommend dry cleaning. You could also wash on a gentle cycle, and hang dry. As for the 2 piece outfit, it can be washed normally. I wouldn't dry it though, we hang dry ours--- it dries quickly.
For swimsuit care, I always recommend rinsing suits in cold water, immediately after use. Then, hang dry. Since we do a lot of swimming, I do machine wash swimsuits---- once a week. NEVER dry them in the dryer!!! Hang them to dry every time. Also, do NOT use fabric softeners on swim wear.
Products provided complimentary, for testing & review purposes.
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