Classic Custom Children’s Clothing at the Right Price

Penney Lettie has always loved to sew. The first beneficiaries of her talents were her Barbie dolls who enjoyed everything from custom wedding dresses to life jackets (you shouldn’t have to sacrifice fashion for safety’s sake). The birth of her daughter Emma turned Penney’s talent and interest towards creating children’s clothing. And that’s a lucky thing for you and your children.

According to Penney, the original plan was “to take a love of toile and classic styling to create my first collection, which consisted of completely custom designs for girls- mostly, dresses.” This was a big success but customers clamored for more. Based on the response from her initial collection and “a demand for boy’s clothing [plus the] realization that children also need fun, casual clothing” led to an additional focus on casual clothes as well. Today, Gigi and Jack specializes in custom play and casual wear for boys and girls.

Unlike off-the-rack clothes, Gigi and Jack clothes are made to customer requests. “Customers pick their fabrics and trims to create a unique, one-of-a-kind look for their child. All items are available for one and three-letter monogramming (or a name)”, says Penney. The Gigi and Jack Fall Collection features “a hip and stylish line of classic clothing. As always, we will have our signature toile jumpers, pants, bloomers, capris and more…as well as beautiful colors of corduroy, cotton and twill.” Sizes range from 3/6 mo to 12/14 and all the clothes are made in the USA in North Carolina where Gigi and Jack is located. You can see and buy a limited selection of clothes online at www.gigiandjack.com, but most clothes are sold through home shows. We talked to Penney about the home shows and how you can become a home show host.

Clever Parents: Tell us about your home shows.
Penney Lettie: Gigi and Jack offers clothing in a social setting that allows parents and children to relax and make their selections in a more personal way. A select group of creative hostesses present our clothing in their homes at private showings. Because they love children and children‘s clothes, they’ve learned how to effectively assist our customers in making the choices and selecting the fashions that best fit their children. And, they make sure our clothing is ordered with the same care and attention that goes into making our garments.

Clever Parents: If someone is interested in hosting a home show, what do they need to do? How does it work?
Penney Lettie: Trunk shows featuring the Gigi and Jack clothing line are held each spring and fall in private homes. We have hostesses in several states that assist their customers with their selections. In return for hosting a show, the hostess receives a clothing credit based on a percentage of sales. Gigi and Jack will be taking additional hostesses for the Spring/Summer 2007 season, which begins in January 2007.

We welcome hostesses to our program throughout each year. We provide the training and instruction necessary to ensure successful showings. Our hostesses invite family and friends to view and select from an outstanding line of samples, all displayed in the home. (The average number of invitations sent is 100.) They place the orders and we handcraft the garments. And, we’re always available by phone if they need us. Our hostesses also provide valuable input and often inspire changes in our fashions. We take pride in listening carefully and working with them and their inventive ideas in every way possible. Each season our hostesses receive a sample trunk of garments, containing a selection of sizes, styles, and fabrics. During a show, their customers choose to order garments as sampled, or they can “design” each outfit by choosing from our variety of styles, fabrics, monograms, buttons, and trims.

Shows for our Spring/Summer collection begin in early January and run through mid-March. The Fall/Winter Shows begin in mid-July and run through mid-October. We work closely with our hostesses to schedule their show dates and supply pertinent product information and show materials, including invitations. Show times are flexible, but typically are held in the morning (10am-2pm) and evening (5-8pm). Providing the option of open house hours and/or scheduled appointments is also helpful. If someone is interested in hosting a show, they can contact me at penney@gigiandjack.com or by phone at 919-268-0223.