Millie BHS outfits for child and doll

On a rare Sunday afternoon shopping trip we popped into BHS to look at clothes and spotted the Millie range of clothes for little girls with matching outfits for their Milly or Molly or Mandy cloth dolls.  The moment I clapped eyes on the outfits I knew these would fit a Sasha doll - the proportions seemed right and having spent the previous day at the Chat n Snap I was pretty familiar with Sasha doll sizing!

The child outfits are sized from age 2 to age 8.  My girl is small for her age (nearly 10) and could just about get away with wearing the age 8, but it was annoying that the size range stopped at age 8, as I would have preferred to have bought her the age 9 or 10 size if it existed.  Why does society expect that children should stop playing with dolls or not be seen in public with their doll companions at such a young age?  Why do we expect children to 'outgrow' such 'childish' playthings and graduate to mobile phone games, lipstick and sophisticated clothes so early?  Often in recent years when clothes shopping with my girls, my elder daughter has looked askance at some of the pre teen and early teen fashions and exclaimed that she wished she could still wear the funky, amazing designs created for children under the age of 9 rather than the often skimpy or cheap looking clothes created for children her age (clothes designer attempts at allowing teens to feel they are rebelling against parents or against being children any more).  Of course, plenty of teens like such styles, but the lack of well designed choice always annoyed my elder girl, who has evolved her own individual style (which is not 'childish') almost in rebellion against the expectation of what society thinks a girl her age would wear.

We decided to buy the leggings and tunic set with matching outfit for the doll.  As soon as we got home, my younger girl tried it on and although the leggings are fractionally short (which can be hidden in boots), the outfit will do for this winter.  And the doll clothes fitted Laura perfectly, just as I knew they would (velcro fastening unfortunately).  Considering the price of children's clothes (and the price Sasha doll collectors often pay for doll clothes), £22 was a very good deal for matching child and doll outfits.

My girl and Laura wearing their matching tunics and leggings

Laura in her tunic and leggings, with the JJ shoes

close up of the tunic, the embroidered writing says 'you are my best friends'

the doll tunic and leggings