I jokingly refer to myself as my daughter's stylist and hairdresser.

Yes, she's not quite 3 years old, but it takes a surprising amount of time and energy to keep her in clothes that are clean, neat and cute; to keep her face and hands dirt-and-snot-free; and to keep her long curls untangled and groomed.

I admit I can go overboard. She NEVER leaves the house with messy hair. She's NEVER barefoot, unless she's at home. And she's always color-coordinated. The sad thing is, I invest more energy into her appearance than I do into mine...

But I digress. Thing is, I like shopping for her and picking out her outfits. I have fun dressing her depending on the occasion or the climate...hence this outfit, bought especially for our recent trip to Connecticut. We went apple picking, and I think she looked quite seasonal!

But I'm not into making my daughter look like a mini-me, even though that's an emerging trend, according to this article.

Think baby mohawks and tiny concert shirts; Lilliputian handbags and low-rise toddler jeans:

To Robert Lanham, author of "The Hipster’s Guide," a tongue-in-cheek look at the world of the up-to-the-minute urbanite, this is a natural evolution. "As more and more [of the Gen X and Gen Y parents] get older the inevitable question is: Can I still maintain my hip credential and be a parent?" says Lanham. The conclusion many parents reach, he surmises, is that while it may not work out perfectly at least they can hang on to some shred of coolness through their children.

Or maybe they even believe they can increase their coolness.