Sparkle, Baby! Inside the New Fashion Line by Toddlers & Tiaras Star Eden Wood
Photo: Getty
Last week, in the middle of New York fashion week, and on a night that felt like the absolutely, most frigid night of this complete winter, I ducked into an indoor pop-up park in SoHo (yes, they exist) to escape the elements and curl up fetus-style on a beanbag chair with my 6″ Italian herbs and cheese tuna sub. What I encountered inside was far less relaxing but about 10,000 occasions far more wonderful. It went a lot like this:
PR-type girl: “Are you right here for the occasion?”
Moi: “Um… no?”
PR-kind girl: “Want to see a fashion show?”
Did I even have to answer that? Of course I wanted to! The PR girl promptly led me down some AstroTurf-ed stairs to a modest elevated runway lined with park benches. I was seated in a chair marked “reserved” with literally no concept of what was about to come down the catwalk. But prior to I knew it, I got my answer: A 40-something blonde woman with bangs and a bump-it appeared on stage, and in an almost comically thick southern drawl, clarified the scenario: She was a pageant mom–but not just any old pageant mom. No, standing before me was the mother of all stage mothers, Mickie Wood, famous for birthing and managing “America’s Sweetheart” and Toddlers & Tiaras breakout star, 6-year-old Eden Wood. And we had been about to witness the debut of her quite first children’s fashion line inspired by her living-doll daughter, aptly titled “Sparkle Infant!” (following the mom-shout-outs heard regularly at child beauty pageants). Clearly, I was in for a treat.
The lights dimmed, a Radio Disney-ready song with lyrics about being a “daddy’s girl” blared, and the crowd began “wooo!”ing. Lil’ Miss Eden appeared first–clearly the star of the show–wearing bright red lipstick, white high-heeled cowboy boots and a bedazzled concoction that could very best be described as Moulin Rogue Can-Can girl-meets 1800s barmaid-meets Tammy Faye.
As for the line? There was a significant tutu trend happening (shocking, I know), and even though outrageous fascinators have been banned from the Royal Ascot, they’re clearly Eden Wood-approved. For the breathtaking grande finale, Eden reappeared as if from heaven, wearing an on-trend pastel mullet princess gown made from seven million yards of tulle. She lifted the sides to reveal a shimmering silver lining and the crowd went CRAY.
Mom Mickie returned to the stage clasping her baby girl’s hand, and amidst the frenzied cheers, began to address the humbled crowd:
“I don’t know how closely y’all follow our story,” she began, her voice steady at first, “but for us to be standing on a stage [here come the waterworks]…during fashion week [weeping]…premiering [regaining composure] a line of clothes that I designed for my daughter [...] It’s just a journey that you cannot imagine.”
The calm-once-far more Ms. Wood thanked us “from the heart” for coming to the show since she was “worried no one would be right here.” Then she knelt before her silent, tulle swathed muse, tiny Eden, and reassured her of just how proud Mama Wood was of all her daughter’s hard operate: They had made it from rural Arkansas to NYC, debuting what was apparently the kindergartener’s “own line.” “We carried out it,” she triumphed. “We did it!”
But what, exactly, had they carried out? I necessary to know more, so I caught up with the Woods the next day at the “park” once again.
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