I’ve posted photos of Gigi’s favored attire below but when it comes to Gigi’s wardrobe, I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on her most favorite clothing items of all: her princess nighties (or “housecoats” as Scott calls them).

Genevieve has six polyester princess-themed nightgowns from Target that are her favs. They come in a large range of “three-year-old girly colors” like lime sherbet green, strawberry frosting pink, lilac purple and soft Cinderella blue. They are made completely of polyester; the arms of the long sleeved designs are fashioned from a tutu-like netting that must be extremely itchy. No matter.  The nighties are Genevieve’s fashion statement and much of Saratoga has already come to recognize her trademark style.

“Is your little girl sick today?” the grocery store clerk asks, noticing the pink nightgown that Gigi sports at 1:00 in the afternoon.

“Oh, no. She just loves to wear her nighties,” I say.

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A sweaty group of Max’s pals crashes our house for a snack break late on a Saturday afternoon. Gigi greets them at the kitchen door, adorned in one of her most spectacular presentations, an almost fluorescent green smock that features Tinkerbell.

One tall, sweaty, muscle-bound teen looks down at her and asks, “Is that a nightgown or a costume?”

Max responds, “That’s a princess nightie, dude. It’s kinda her thing.”

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Charlie awaits our arrival at the car pick-up line after school. There is a small group of boys and girls waiting with him.  Class mates?  Friends? We pull up; I unlock the car doors so Charlie can get in. He opens the back door of our CRV and gestures toward his sister, who looks over at the gaggle of second-graders from her car seat perch.

“Everyone, this is my sister, Genevieve!”

“What is that she’s wearing?” one kid squawks.

“Is that a nightgown?” another kid inquires, craning her neck to get a better view. All the girls press closer now to assess the sister in the nightie.

“Ok, that’s enough,” says Charlie, pushing the crowd back as he hoists his backpack on his shoulder and climbs into the car. “She’ll wear another nightie tomorrow.”

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Gigi is always quick to throw on her smocks upon returning from any outing where “regular” clothes might have been required, such as nursery school.

“Gigi, go wash your hands from school and then I’ll fix you a little lunch.”

“Ok, Mommy. But first I have to put a nightie on.”

“Oh, Gigi, can’t you just keep this nice outfit on for a little while longer? I thought we might go to Whole Foods for a quick shop after lunch.”

“Nope, the nightie is much more comfortable. I can breathe better. After school I need to take a break from clothes.”

I know what she means…..