The epic task of finding respectable clothes for little girls, when the shops stock such ‘tarty’ dresses

Recently padded bikinis aimed at young children were removed from Primark; the selling of such ‘sexy’ clothing to little girls was called “disgraceful” by David Cameron. Marks and Spencers have been caught out too; in recent months they ran a range of “bra tops” for six year olds, but thanks to campaign pressure these items are gone from Marks. But really, Marks would want to do something about the low-cut dresses and the achingly tight t-shirts for little girls. It’s my God-child’s birthday today, and during the past two weeks, I spent hours flicking through their rails of clothes in an effort to find her decent present. Half-exhausted I almost succumbed to buying a M&S flowery top until I saw the see-through, ‘sheer’ quality of the material…

And why is some of the material so patchy and scruffy in parts, like it’s been washed a million times already? Oh, it’s the grunge look for five year old. I see. Also, what’s with little girl dresses that are cut in weird angles across the chest, dresses that are more appropriate for a sixteen year old who is going clubbing? Or the M&S 1920's slip thing for seven year olds?
There was not one ‘decent’ dress for a six year old in any of the shops that I trudged through. My God-child will be disappointed; she lives in rural Ireland and was looking forward to a 'fancy' dress from Eng-er-land.  Finally, I found a long t-shirt in Zara with rose-print, little pockets and little-girl lace around the edges. But dare I say it; Zara is not a British shop. But why is it next to impossible to find respectable clothes (in British shops) for little girls?