Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/641736
photography by Caroline leed (store); amy buelow (leed) Play On! designer Caroline leed is helping boston kids be kids. There's high-tech underwear, weather- proof outerwear, and lord knows what other advanced forms of children's apparel. Then, there's Caroline Leed's brand-spanking- new Smiling Button collection: pure, simple, clean. "I want kids to be kids," says Leed. For her, that means sassy white pinafore dresses, gold tiaras, and smiley-face onesies. "All of my pieces are meant to be played in." So go ahead, dig in the dirt, play house, bake cookies— Smiling Button's all-cotton threads can take it. Leed, a 23-year- old Back Bay entre- preneur straight out of college, launched the line (all made in the USA) just one year ago. "I was always confident in my vision," she says, and her gut was right— boutiques like Back Bay's Calypso, Nantucket's The Chanticleer, and Andover's The Lanam Club were soon hosting pop-up stores. Leed's next showing is a March 19–20 trunk show at Mulberry Road boutique (128 Newbury St., 617-859-5861; mulberryroad.com). Full-on play all day! smilingbutton.com . Kids Zone: The décor of Caroline Leed's ( inset) Smiling Button pop-up stores ( here: Nantucket) echos the whimsy of its play-tough children's dresses. 82 bostoncommon-magazine.com style launch