Childrenswear is booming and Britain’s fashion-conscious young have never had so much choice. Whether you’re after something durable for Swallows and Amazons adventuring, or more dressed up for that family wedding, there are collections to suit everyone. And no longer do we require our children to become Little Lord Faunt-leroys or befrilled Shirley Temples to look well-dressed: tomboys, princesses, skater boys, young men about town – all are catered for.

At the top end of the price range, designers such as Ralph Lauren are doing adorable adaptations of classic polo shirts and dresses, tweed jackets and cashmere cardigans, while Chloé and Marc Jacobs are producing quirky, fun takes on their adult ranges. Interesting prints and misplaced frills make these pieces to treasure.

Impossible to ignore, though, are the fantastic offerings on the high street. You can’t fault Gap for its on-trend, hard-wearing childrenswear. With fresh deliveries to shops every six weeks, its clothing is robust, affordable and constantly changing.

Comptoir des Cotonniers, which launched in the UK last year, specialises in designing clothes for mothers and daughters. The girls’ clothing is an almost identical take on the grown-ups’ (its advertising campaigns feature real mother-and-daughter models), and the pieces are in lovely natural colours and fibres that complement each other without jarring with our perception of childhood innocence.