Outfitting a Little Girl for the Year

Every year about this time, I start thinking about what clothing items each family member needs because we usually do a little bit of outlet shopping after Christmas. The first year after Jessica was born I don't think I had to buy her a thing except a winter coat. The next year I bought her a pair of overalls, a couple pairs of jeans, several winter tops, a couple summer tops, and a white sweater. I felt like I did a pretty good job since I got everything for about $50 and I knew she would change sizes throughout the year. I supplemented her summer wardrobe with homemade items. However, this year I had an epiphany!

My first experience with outfitting a little girl for the year.

First and foremost I learned this year that Jessica prefers light summer dresses to pants. With that in mind I realized that I could make her several classic summer dresses in a cotton/poly blend and buy some long sleeved shirts to go under them in the winter. This means that the only things I would need to purchase this year would be: some long sleeved white shirts, maybe a couple short sleeved white shirts, a neutral cardigan sweater, and a new coat. I would make her some summer dresses and maybe another pair of leg-warmers. It seems to me that this is one of the most economical ways to outfit a little girl for the year, and I should be able to pass these items on to a later child because they are all classic styles! What do you think? Do you have any suggestions for outfitting little girls for the year? What about boys?