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11-Year Old Fashion Designer: Prodigy or Brat?
11-year-old Fashion Designer
By all measures, Cecilia Cassini, the 11-year-old fashion designer, is a bonafide prodigy. She has had a passion for fashion since she was a baby and began sewing and designing clothes at age 6.
Cassini has designed outfits for Miley Cyrus and other young stars and already has her own collection. But blogger Tara Ariano recently declared the 6th grader “the most insufferable child alive.”
Like Ariano, I hate to criticize a child, but Cassini’s performance on “The Nate Berkus Show” was pretty unbelievable. Cassini wore knee-high black boots and a short leopard-print mini-dress. She seemed to be doing her best impression of a jaded fashionista. Even Berkus seemed surprised by his precocious young guest’s grown-up outfit and mannerisms.
Berkus asked Cassini to create new “looks” for three young girls on the show. The outfits Cassini designed for the “models” seemed better suited to “Ladies who Lunch” than kids.
CBS “Eye on Parenting” blogger Amanda Cochran writes that although she admires kids who ”follow their dreams and do amazing things,” they wonder if Cassini, who is in 6th grade, is “entering the adult fashion sphere a bit too soon.” I wonder the same thing — and clearly, so does Berkus.
“I do have to say one thing to you,” Berkus said to Cassini at the end of the broadcast. “You have to promise me one thing: It’s fun to come on TV and you do a great job with this and I think some of the details in your collection are amazing…But you have to promise me that you’ll take the time to be a kid, too. To do kids’ stuff.”
Cassini agreed, but I wonder if she has any interest in jumping rope or going to the playground with her friends.
On the one hand, it’s great for kids to pursue their dreams. But on the other hand, fashion is a very grown-up world. Watch the clip and tell us what you think of the precocious designer.
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Photo and video: The Nate Berkus Show
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14 Comments
Stephanie commented on Oct 21 10 at 10:32 amI only got through about ten seconds of that interview. Too much.
Laura commented on Oct 21 10 at 10:56 amAll I could think about was “What must her mother be like?” Yikes.
MissLadyTay commented on Oct 21 10 at 11:07 amBrat.
JEssica commented on Oct 21 10 at 11:42 amShe sounds Californian to me and so I guess her speech pattern may not appeal to everyone. But other than that she seems fine to me.
Sophie commented on Oct 21 10 at 1:29 pmWhy so snarky everyone? She’s cute and enthusiastic with a lot of personality. Good for her!
sue commented on Oct 21 10 at 1:50 pmisn’t she just imitating the people around her…that’s how ppl in fashion talk, no? just like a little corporate entrepreneur would talk all business professional, she’s just speaking the language. she’s cute and she seems very talented. i’m amazed that she can cut and sew like that!
Gretchen Powers commented on Oct 21 10 at 2:09 pmYeah, I agree with JEssica and Sophie…
fraizerbaz commented on Oct 21 10 at 2:38 pmWait… just what exactly was so wrong with this girl? She seems perfectly well-adjusted to me, and not at all “bratty”.
She is clearly talented, and she is designing clothes that the other girls on the show very obviously loved! She’s having fun and doing what she loves to do.
Let’s not be so hard on her – give her a break!
Laura commented on Oct 21 10 at 2:47 pmObviously I should never move to California because that speech pattern annoys the heck out of me. :-)
lea commented on Oct 21 10 at 7:18 pmmost of us californian’s do not sound like that.
JEssica commented on Oct 22 10 at 8:17 amNot all people from Boston have a boston accent, doesn’t mean a boston accent doesn’t exist. And I have met many Californians that sound just like that. I am not even sure she is from California. For all I know she may be from Maine.
Laura commented on Oct 22 10 at 9:24 amMaybe it’s a specific region of California (like LA or something) because I’ve known quite a few Californians who sound like that. I live in Texas, and most people don’t have a Texas drawl in the big cities. But if you drive to east Texas… whoa. It’s skeery out thar.
Marj commented on Oct 22 10 at 11:45 amFor child fashionista, I like this one a LOT better.
Kelly commented on May 11 11 at 11:48 pmher outfit was inappropriate. she’s ELEVEN. Well, actually, I don’t think women should ever wear tight mini skirts, but I realize not everyone would agree with that. regardless, I feel sorry that so much of her childhood is wrapped around what she or others are wearing.
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