Preteen Fashion Fanatics

"Rebecca, feel the material. See how it feels." The mother holds out the pajamas, beseeching her six-year-old daughter to at least glance in the direction of the pajamas she's pulled from the shelves. But Rebecca is preoccupied with jeans. Flared jeans, low slung jeans, jeans embroidered with butterflies and flowers. She barely turns her head. Her mother retreats, defeated.

"No? I guess that's a no. Rebecca, is that a no?"

Welcome to Limited Too, where sisterhood is powerful IF you're between the ages of six and sixteen and have your own (or your Mom's) money to spend. In August, the stores spun off from The Limited, an established chain known for modern, casual, mid-priced women's clothing.

The move came after the division's sales reportedly rose 46 percent in just two years. Limited Too is one of a number of retail outlets catering to a newly powerful and profitable group of consumers: Preteen and pre-preteen girls. Designer Tommy Hilfiger launched a line of children's wear. Donna Karan's designer duds also come ready made for fourth graders.

"They're ten going on thirty," laughs Kim Millman, director of Girlfriends LA, a clothing and accessory company that sells to teens and preteens via catalog and the Internet. "When the kids want it, they want it. They're very vocal. I think the idea of Moms picking out pinafores isn't happening anymore."

Small sizes, big money
There's big money to be made. Market research firms report that girls eight to fourteen account for $48 billion in annual consumer spending, and visit the mall 40 percent more than other shoppers.

"It's the Happy Meals theory," reasons Millman, referring to the kids' meals packaged and sold with a toy at MacDonald's. "It's the idea that you're building brand loyalty at a very young age."

Though sizes are smaller, prices frequently aren't. At Limited Too, crushed velvet blouses with fashionable three-quarter sleeves cost $28.50. Embroidered jeans are $38.50. There's a full line of accessories, and even body products: Glimmer body lotion, sparkling shower gel, even press-on nails made for tiny hands.

Are parents stamping their feet as they empty their wallets, wishing for the good old days when kids were kids and parents made clothing decisions? Not at all.

Anne, mother of two girls ages six and twelve, remembers growing up with four sisters and one brother, and always wearing hand-me-downs. Now, despite occasional second thoughts, she is only too happy to shell out top dollar for the clothes her daughters pine for.

"I spent so much time looking for a pair of flared jeans for my six-year-old," she confesses. "I ended up getting a pair that didn't quite fit and getting them tailored. It was incredibly expensive, but it was worth it because she feels good about herself."

Still, Anne harbors doubts about her spending.

"I question would we have to work so hard if we weren't so materialistic?" she wonders aloud, holding an armful of tops and pants she's picked out for one of the girls' birthdays. "But then again we have more fun with the vacations and the clothes. With my own parents it was work, work, work just to survive."

Survey says...
Those sentiments are what Eric Brown of the Center for a New American Dream terms a "Boomer Backlash." The children raised by Depression-era parents, who understood the value of thrift and saved for a rainy day, are now reluctant to deny their own children much of anything, even if they have to go into debt or give up family time to pay for it. Brown's non-profit organization, dedicated to "responsible consumption" through less materialistic lifestyles, recently polled 400 parents and found that:

• Almost a third were working longer hours to pay for things kids felt they needed.

• More than half of all parents admitted buying a product they disapproved of because the child wanted it "to fit in with their friends."

• Almost half of those surveyed said their children began asking for brand name products by age five.

"We're seeing that it's breeding this generation of hyper-consumers," says Brown. "Madison Avenue spent two billion last year directly marketing to kids. It's really hard for parents to combat that influence."

Madison Avenue is betting its money on parents like Anne, who isn't about to try fighting a trip to the mall.

"If my girls look good, they feel better about themselves," she says. "And then they might do better in school."

Get tips on how you can tell your kids "no" when they ask for 50 dollar blue jeans.

More on: Family Values