Kids' Fashion: How Much is Too Much

If you've been on a celebrity news website today, you'll probably have noticed Holly Willoughby's name floating around, linked to the words 'expensive', 'designer' and 'daughter'. Put those words together and you'll get this general gist: Holly Willoughby took a photograph of her daughter in a pair of £400 Giuseppe Zanotti sneakers and posted it on Instagram next to a photograph of Blue Ivy in the same shoes. She captioned the image: '

Blue Ivy going to the VMA's... Belle going to a birthday party at the farm! #giuseppezanotti@giuseppezanottidesign 💙💕💙'.

For illustrative purposes, here is the original post:

Now, to me, Holly has always held a special place in my heart for being so damn gorgeous, smart and hilarious, and therefore I've always had her down for being real. Today, this hasn't changed one bit. For me, anyway.

After reading through the comments on the Instagram image, I found some users bashing Holly for 'bragging' - for example, the below comment:

‘Don’t show off with ridiculously over priced trainers holly… For a child as well, who will grow out of them in weeks and scuff them in seconds…. Bragging wasn’t something I had you down for… [sic].’

Now, hold up just one second. Wasn't Instagram built on bragging? From posts depicting an awesome bacon sandwich you made yourself for breakfast, to a photo of your fresh-out-the-box engagement ring, we've all bragged on Instagram at some point (I hold my hands up if you haven't. Get down with your righteous self).

Secondly, wasn't designer clothing built on bragging, too? I know there are some people, myself including, who prefer the lesser known, less ostentatious brands, but there are also those who will buy designer items just to show off to their friends/family/colleagues. Most of us secretly like that feeling of having something that others don't. It makes us feel special.

So isn't that what Holly's doing here? Just making her daughter feel special? Sure, she doesn't NEED to do that with a pair of £400 shoes, but if she can then why not? Who are we to judge what amount a mother spends on her child?

Another commenter said:

‘She’s loaded and doesn’t live in the real world. Like Beyoncé and her offspring.’

Um. Can we just define what 'the real world' is here? Like, is there some sort of alternate reality where only celebrities and the rich can frolic, wandering through life without having to obey laws, pay bills or taxes and not work a day in their lives? Okay, maybe there is a slightly altered version of this for a privileged few, but in Holly's defense, she is a mother (which is an unpaid job 24 hours a day, seven days a week) as well as a TV presenter (yes, that's a job, too), she owns a house and therefore pays bills, and to the best of my knowledge she lives by the law. Come on. Give this woman some slack.

What's your opinion on Holly's Instagram post? Let me know in the comments below!