Do you colour code your kids clothing?
Pink to make the boys wink? Well maybe not anymore. A survey by new company “Box Upon A Time” showed that the majority of parents of 0-3 year olds surveyed are happy to dress their children in non gender specific colours with 82% of parents saying they like blue clothing on girls and 47% saying that they like pink clothing on boys.
So where did this all begin? I personally love pink on James and it’s also one of my favourite colours for men’s shirts so maybe I should have lived back in 19th century, as back then in England, pink ribbons or decorations were often worn by young boys. In fact boys were simply considered small men, and while men in England wore red uniforms, boys wore pink. In Michael Kimmel’s book, Manhood in America: A Cultural History, he points out that clothing wasn’t colour-coded in America until the early twentieth century. Before this little boys and girls were dressed pretty much identically.
Clothing for children in the 19th century was almost always white, since, before the invention of chemical dyes, clothing of any color would quickly fade when washed in boiling water. Queen Victoria was painted in 1850 with her seventh child and third son, Prince Arthur, who wore white and pink. In the 20th century, pinks became bolder, brighter and more assertive, in part because of the invention of chemical dyes, which did not fade.
In Kimmel’s book he quotes from a 1918 editorial called “Pink or Blue” and interestingly it states that “There has been a great diversity of opinion on the subject, but the generally accepted rule is pink for the boy and blue for the girl. The reason is that pink being a more decided and stronger color is more suitable for the boy; while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”
Pink strong, blue dainty? I genuinely can’t get my head around pink being strong because I’ve always associated it with girly things and dresses. The transition to pink, as a sexually differentiating color for girls happened gradually, during the 1930s and 40s. In the 1920s, when people were describing pink as a masculine color, the stores actually found that people were increasingly choosing to buy pink for girls, and blue for boys, which then became the accepted norm in the 1940s. As marketing and advertising has grown in strength through the decades it’s now quite clear to see why we associate these colours with each gender.
I do think we’re waking up and making up our own minds though these days and its great that parent’s no longer feel they have to dress their children in stereotypical pink and blue. Nicolas de Rosen, one of the founders of Box Upon A Time, which is an innovative subscription box service offering parents a brand new personal shopping experience for their children, have found a huge trend in parents moving away from simply dressing their children in gender specific colours and they have found that parents are looking for more variety when it comes to their children’s wardrobes and want clothes that will express their own personal taste and style.
Box Upon A Time is a unique concept that allows parents of children aged 0-3 to receive a monthly or quarterly box of stylish clothing tailored specifically for their child which has been hand-picked by an experienced personal stylist and delivered direct to their door. Not only does each box contain the best premium childrenswear brands from across the globe but subscribers also make a saving of up to 60% off the retail value of the clothing.
This is such an amazing gift idea. Aunties and godparents could gift a subscription for 6/12 months and make it a Christmas and birthday present wrapped into one. I also know as a busy mum I would love this!
They have over 60 childrenswear brands on board including Their Nibs, Marmalade & Mash, Fina Ejerique, David Charles, Point a la Ligne, Egg by Susan Lazar. plus many more.
Getting your subscription started is simple. Visit www.boxuponatime.co.uk and fill out some information about the child’s age and sex and completes a quick fashion questionnaire to determine their fashion profile. Based on these results, Box Upon a Time’s team of stylists will hand-pick a personalised and beautifully curated selection of branded baby or children’s garments to suit the shopper’s style, which will be elegantly packed and delivered direct to the recipient’s door each month or quarter.
There are three types of boxes to choose from as either a monthly or quarterly subscription or as a one-off gift.
The Silver Box, (£29 per box,) offers 2 to 3 garments worth £50-£60 with up to 50% off retail prices
The Gold Box, (£49 per box,) offers 3 to 4 garments worth £80-£120, with up to 60% off retail prices
The Platinum Box, (£69 per box,) offers 3 to 5 garments from luxury brands worth £120-£170, with up to 60% off retail prices.