when: September 2004


"In the Country"

How do you dress children for stone skipping, apple picking, leaf jumping or stylish party hopping over the course of a fall weekend? In the softest cotton knits and featherwale corduroy, naturally. Find them at BELLA BLISS, a children's clothing company based in Midway, Kentucky, that specializes in hand-embroidered cotton sweaters and separates. Co-owners (and busy moms) Kelley Farish and Lisa McLean share an eye for details that capure the innocence of childhood without turning saccharine: succulent strawberries, gamboling frogs, chunky choo-choo trains that round the hems. Above, from left (all clothes are 100 percent cotton): Navy frog sweater ($80), worn over a red gingham button-back dress ($42). Navy tractor sweater ($80), worn with green corduroy pants (unlined, $34; lined, $44) and a white Eton-collar T-shirt ($32). Green corduroy jumper with ruffle detail ($50), worn with a white Peter Pan-collar T-shirt ($32).