Washed Sky · Bébé by Minihaha Denim Baby Pinafore, 2000s
Washed cotton denim · cross-back straps · crochet trims · lined gathered skirt · Bébé by Minihaha · Australian · 2000s to 2010s · AU size 3, approx 3 years
Washed cotton denim in the blue of a sky with all the glare washed out of it, cut into a little cross-back pinafore with a gathered bubble hem over a pale cotton lining. The straps cross at the back and fasten over a stitched yoke. At the edges of the bib: crochet fringe, worked in the same blue as the denim, which is the detail that lifts this from lovely to genuinely considered.
Bébé by Minihaha, the Melbourne label's baby line, 2000s to 2010s. Minihaha was the Australian children's label that understood that a small person's clothes could be beautiful as well as practical, and the Bébé line carried that sensibility down to the youngest wearers. Crochet trim on denim is a specific choice that takes more patience than most finishing options; someone decided it was worth doing, and it is. The cloth is light and supple from washing, with the kind of softness that makes a pinafore genuinely comfortable to wear every day.
Beautiful everyday piece with enough personality to feel special.
Care
Cold wash inside out to hold the indigo. Line dry. Press warm if you like a crisper finish.
More on looking after vintage pieces in our care guide.
Size
Measured flat: length 50cm, chest 28cm, waist 29cm, skirt width 50cm. Fits approximately AU size 3, around 3 years.
Our size guide explains how vintage sizing is read here.
Condition
Very good. The denim is soft and even, the crochet trims intact. No damage or staining.
Our condition lexicon explains the grades we use.
Before it reaches you
Someone loved this before you did, and I try to honour that properly. Each piece is hand washed, or cleaned in the way that the fabric permits, then steamed until it softens and straightens and feels newly attended to. Wherever a button was missing, it has been replaced with a vintage one from my long-kept collection. Wherever a hem had given way, I fix it by hand. By the time it leaves this room it is genuinely clean, pressed, whole, and looked over one final time before I let myself believe it is ready. Not restored. Not made new. Just returned to a state where it can be loved again, by someone who was not there the first time.
The blue was a whole sky once, until somebody washed the glare out of it and kept only the calm part, which is the part a baby prefers anyway. Crochet fringe worked in the exact colour of the denim is a small act of patience, and patient things have a habit of passing their patience on to whoever wears them. The bubble hem holds a pocket of afternoon air and lets it out slowly across the day. On overcast mornings it is said to be the bluest thing in the room, purely out of sympathy.