After the holidays, they seemed to be on nearly every tiny foot dangling out of a Baby Bjorn  — scrunchy little fleece baby boots with a stay-put buttoned ankle strap.

The brand: Zutano. The style: Cozie Booties. The big deal? They're not only pragmatic (they keep socks firmly in place on all manner of chubby feet) and pediatrician-approved (because they're all-fabric, letting growing feet do their thing).

They're also super, duper stylish — a far cry from the faux tennis shoes, flowered flats and odd little leather hockey puck-esque slippers comprising the bulk of baby shoe offerings.

The super-soft boot, which comes in sizes suitable for newborns up to 12-month-olds, resembles a classic Eskimo moccasin boot, only in washable fleece instead of leather hides. The booties look cutest when worn on top of leggings or legging-tight pants.

"They started getting popular when the rain started here," said Carla Escobar, a staffer at The Pump Station baby store in Hollywood, which sells the shoes in various colors for $17.95 -- but has already sold out of several sizes online. "People like them because they clip on, so it's not like the baby can kick them off, like socks."

The fuzzy footies are also available at Amazon.com for between $15.95 and $17.95, depending on the color availability.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photo: Zutano Cozie Booties in tangerine and black. Credit: The Pump Station

Faced with more than 50,000 kids' items displayed in an airport-hangar-sized warehouse, it's hard not to panic.

But somehow, the L.A. Kids Consignment Sale, which is held in different spots within Greater L.A., is actually quite manageable — and the prices make the trek to dodgy warehouses in places like Santa Clarita, Monrovia and, last weekend, Burbank, well worth it.

First off, the sale is well organized. At the Burbank sale, clothing was kept in its own area and meticulously categorized by gender and size — so there was no digging through heaps of garments or any such foolishness. Big-ticket items, including cribs, strollers and jumperoos/saucers, also had their own areas, with lots of open space around them for test-driving and in-depth inspecting.

And these "necessity" items were smartly kept apart from the sale's endless bins of toys and books, which occupied another whole room inside the warehouse.

Prices are good -- and get better the final day of each sale, as a ton of merchandise is marked down to 50% off. Baby clothes, for example, range from $2 for a graphic tee or simple onesie to around $8 for nearly-new outerwear.

Though some of the gear wasn't so nicely priced (a seriously faded Oeuf "bouncy" chair, for example, was a jaw-dropping $67), there were major bargains to be had on used toys and books, which were priced at $2 to around $16 for new, unopened Melissa & Doug wooden games.

I walked away with a bag of baby-boy clothes — 10 items in all, including two Gap onesies and a groovy tie-dyed cotton bodysuit my son would hate me for later — for a mere $37.

But getting out of the sale wasn't nearly as easy as getting in. The line to pay took 40 minutes to snake through. So, do like I did and bring a funny friend to chat with. Oh, and leave baby at home.

Upcoming L.A. Kids Consignment sales:

Oct. 22 to 24: 24901 Stanford Ave., Valencia.

Nov. 12 to 14: 1625 S. Magnolia Ave., Monrovia.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photos: Inside last weekend's Burbank sale. Credit: Emili Vesilind / For the Los Angeles Times

Think your kid is ready for his close-up? Gap is launching its fifth annual Casting Call contest, a nationwide search for the next faces of babyGap and GapKids.

This year, the mega-retailer is asking parents to submit photos of their kid(s) sporting their favorite pair of jeans.

Kiddos age 4 and younger are eligible for babyGap; kids ages 5 to 10 can vie for billboard stardom through GapKids.

Simply upload a photo at Gap.com/castingcall; Entries will be accepted through Oct. 24. Judges will select 20 finalists -- 10 for babyGap and 10 for GapKids –- who will participate in a Gap photo shoot in San Francisco and receive a $500 Gap gift card.

The 20 finalists will be displayed online on Dec. 6, at which point America will vote for the winners. In February 2011, the four winners will be revealed in Gap store windows nationwide (they will also receive a $1,000 Gap gift card).

Tempted to upload an image of your little one? Below are some photo-taking tips from child photographer, Stefano Azario, who shoots campaigns for Gap:

Get close: Zoom in to get as close as possible to your subject’s face so it’s clearly visible. If your subject’s too far away, they’ll get lost against the background.

Show personality: Truly memorable photos let your subject’s personality shine through. Avoid stiff smiles and forced poses as they can come across as artificial and generic. Instead, take your time and follow your subject as they relax in or move through an environment that’s comfortable to them. Also, avoid hats –- they’re cute but we want to see faces and hair!

Watch the background: Shoot the photo against a simple background so your subject really stands out. Don’t forget to move anything nearby that might be distracting.

Try different angles: Try angling the camera or shooting from different perspectives to make your photos more memorable. It’s also important to photograph kids at their eye level rather than standing over them.

Use natural lighting: Sunlight is much more flattering than indoor lighting. Use filtered, natural light to enhance colors and skin tones. Try not to shoot with the sun behind the camera as it will likely make the subject squint and will also cast strong shadows.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photos: A few current babyGap models. Credit: Gap

Splendid, the high-end, L.A.-based casual wear brand, is co-hosting an artsy weekend getaway for families this fall.

Crafting Community, a hands-on retreat where families are guided through various arts and crafts workshops, will take place Oct. 8 to Oct. 10 at the Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs. Co-hosted — and founded by — children's art company Kimmel Kids, the annual event offers interactive workshops, with a focus on reusing and repurposing natural materials in art.

Workshops will include Sew Splendid, a "pop-up studio" where families customize their own Splendid branded gear. Kids and parents will select their own fabric and design their own personalized label before modeling their one-of-a-kind creations in a family portrait session shot by a professional photographer.

There will also be workshops in stenciling, underwater photography, felting, succulent gardens, airbrushing, dioramas, pottery, creative cookies and macramé — taught by event founder Karen Kimmel and fellow artists Clare Crespo, Cathy Callahan, Richard Mulder, Tanya Agiuñiga, Cheryl Cambras, Kate Burger, Steven Visneau of Small Magazine and musical duo Nikki & Rich.

In between all the crafting will be lengthy pockets of rest and relaxation time. And for those interested, Kid Concierge — an L.A.-based company that hooks parents up with kid-friendly activities — will organize group activities including morning yoga, skateboarding 101, music and storytelling around a campfire and (the camp standard) s’mores under the stars.

There's also the lure of the Ace Hotel's huge, heavenly pool, with its shallow kid-friendly section and — for those crafted-out adults — fully stocked bar.

The retreat will set you back $695 — a package built for a family of three  — which includes two nights lodging (in a standard king or double room) at the Ace Hotel, two days of art instruction and supplies, a Friday night taco dinner, fireside s’mores and games, two continental breakfasts, the Splendid-styled family portraits and a Kimmel Kids tote filled with goodies. Families over three people can attend for an additional "crafting fee."

Organizers ask that you reserve your family's spot by Sept. 24 by calling the Ace Hotel (760-325-9900) and referencing the promo code "Kimmel Kids Crafting." For more info, visit kimmelkids.com/crafting.

--Emili Vesilind

Photo: Scenes from 2009's Crafting Community event. Credit: Kimmel Kids.

Little princesses love to dress up, no matter where they are.

If a little princess you know is spending a lot of this Memorial Day weekend at the pool or beach, she might appreciate a swimsuit that incorporates a favorite fantasy character and that can give her the chance to change her mind. The suit on the left is one of Disney's new reversible character suits, some with fairies or Disney princesses on one side and  -- presto chango -- a whole different look if you turn it inside out (in this case, colorful stripes on one side, solid on the other).

Kids' suits are on sale this weekend for around $12.99 on the Disney Store website.

--Susan Denley

Photo: Reversible suit on the left, two-piece with ruffles on the right  Credit: Disney Store

If shrunken-down AC/DC T-shirts aren't your idea of cute baby clothes, Noko's pretty, colorful, Japanese-style dresses might be right up your alley.

The L.A.-based label, which was launched in 2006 by Maureen Chianese and Jennifer Friese, two American moms who were living as ex-pats in Tokyo, specializes in Asian-influenced designs for baby and toddler girls.

The classy duds have been seen on tiny trendsetters including Suri Cruise and Sara Jessica Parker's twins, Marion and Tabitha. And the brand will soon roll out a knit layette program inspired by "the outfits that our daughters wore in the hospital in Tokyo," Friese said. Sold at Pumpkinheads kids boutique in Brentwood, among other retailers, Noko is also planning its first boys collection ("Now that I have a 1-year-old son, it felt only fair," Friese said).

"We design with a deference to the Japanese aesthetic, while being conscientious not to be costume-y, and to create clothing that is age appropriate," she added. "We resist the trend to dress kids as mini-adults. Instead, our dresses celebrate childhood."

-- Emili Vesilind

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Photos: Asian-inspired looks from Noko. Credit: Noko

Few can resist a 5-year-old girl dolled up like an icon. Which is why Marie-Chantal, the Crown Princess Pavlos of Greece who designs an eponymous children's collection, based her spring 2010 line on the legendary looks of Jackie Onassis and Chanel, circa the 1960s.

The high-end collection, which launched in 2000, borrows the structural shapes of Swinging Sixties, shrinking them to mini-me proportions. There's a tweed suit jacket that's pure '60s Chanel, along with trapeze-style coats boasting oversize buttons and peter pan collars and boxy cardigans.

Ranging from $75 to $230 apiece, the swanky collection isn't daily wear (at least for most of us), but offers pretty looks that promise to impress at christenings, weddings and other special occasions.

-- Emili Vesilind

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Photo: A striped trench, $232, by Marie-Chantal. Credit: Marie-Chantal

Saurette, the pricey New York-based children's collection that specializes in exquisite little get-ups for girls, has commissioned L.A. visual artist Jessica A. W. Cooper (known simply as "Cooper") to lend her whimsical artwork to its Fall 2010 collection.

Boden, the British clothier known for its high-quality, colorful clothes priced for the masses, has finally found a Stateside home for its baby and kids' collection, Mini Boden.

The vibrant line will debut exclusively in Nordstrom stores in February, bringing its Technicolor cuteness to cities across the country. 

The collection, which is priced from around $20 for a pint-sized fisherman's hat to $56 for a polka-dotted girl's trench coat, specializes in upbeat prints and graphics, i.e. Ts with googly eyed dinosaurs and turtles wrought in a rainbow of hues -- in addition to mini-me looks, including camouflage jackets for boys and Mod-inspired swing dresses for girls.

“We’ve admired the Mini Boden brand from afar for some time," said Gary Flynn, the national merchandise manager for children's wear at Nordstrom, in a press release. "We’re proud to be the first and only retailer to be carrying the line in America. We love the brand’s pure design sensibility and we think our customers will too."

Robin Howard, director of men's and children's wear at Boden, said the company was flattered to be chosen by the department store, adding, “After working with Nordstrom’s management we are all refreshed to find they have a similar sense of humor to ours – that means a lot to us Brits."

--Emili Vesilind

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Photos: Spring looks from Mini Boden. Credit: Boden.