Trend Setting Childrens Book Characters

For one of my finals I had to design and make a blouse. My inspiration: Madeline, the little french character that we all know and love from the books of our childhoods. This project made me think of how stylish so many children's story book characters really are...I am inspired by so many! I made a list of who I think the top 10 most fashionable/trend setting characters in children's literature are.



All the pictures shown on this blog thus far have been my own; however, all of the photos in the collages below have been sniped from all around the world wide web...

10. Caps For Sale, written and illustrated by: Esphyr Slobodkina

 

Hats--the bigger the better--are always stylish on little girls and middle aged men alike. The man selling hats certainly is fashionable, his stack of hats looks straight off the runway! (Aren't his mustache and red shoes perfect as well??)

 

 9. Corduroy, written and illustrated by: Don Freeman

Overalls. I love them. Corduroy Bear rocks his with the one strap look. No matter what anyone ever says to me I will always wear these wonderful one pieces with pride.

 8. The Tale of Peter Rabbit, written and illustrated by: Beatrix Potter

 Capes.  Blue. Red. White. Or any other color for that matter...are the winter piece of the season (in my eyes at least)...I have a black velvet one that I bought at age 8 at an antique store. I'm really excited to whip it out of storage and give it another life :)

7. The Lorax, written and illustrated by: Dr. Seuss

 The Thneed. No one can argue with me on this one...after all, the snuggie (a very close copy) was one of the top holiday sellers last year. Anything weird and knitted also goes into this category, which I love because the weirder it is the more random limbs this tneed-type-garment keeps warm.

 6. Babar, written and illustrated by: Jean de Brunhoff

Suits so bright they make your eyes hurt. Amazing.

 5. the Olivia series, written and illustrated by: Ian Falconer

Stripes (especially black and white ones) are super chic and can be mixed and matched with pretty much anything...Also adorable strappy shoes are holiday party perfection.

4. Where The Wild Things Are, written and illustrated by: Maurice Bernard Sendak

One peice suits. Animal Textures. Shoes and jewelry that resemble claws. Crowns. All things shredded. Fur. This book is number four for all of the reasons listed above. If you have walked in Urban Outfitters in the past year you will know that the release of the Where The Wild Things Are movie made a large splash among their racks. I want to wear a crown every day.

3. The Rainbow Fish, written and illustrated by: Marcus Pfister

 I think I can guess Alexander McQueen's favorite book...Clothes so sparkly they look like they are practically made out glass. I LOVE this look/I really want to use Rainbow as future inspiration....

2. Madeline, written and illustrated by: Ludwig Bemelmans

Primary colored dresses, peter pan collars, hats, and bows. She is definitely at the top of the list...I mean after all she is French...so white gloves and perfect outfits run through her blood...

1. Pippi Longstocking, written by Astrid Lindgren

Pippi basically started the hipster trend, therefore fashionable people everywhere aim to be her. Braids, mismatched socks and sweaters, random odd layers, and a free spirit. She is fashion perfection itself.

If you think of other childrens books with fashionable characters leave a please leave me a comment! I'd love to hear!