We gave a boy and a girl $59 each to buy new outfits. The results will surprise you.

There’s a certain age when kids start becoming selective about what they want to wear, which is a sign that they’re becoming more independent little people. Congratulations mum – your baby is growing up.

From learning how to take care of themselves to understanding social etiquette, there are a number of benefits to letting your children pick their own clothes. But the most important one, in my opinion? Giving them an avenue to express themselves.

Clothing is a great way for kids to communicate to us how they’re feeling at any given moment. We decided to see what would happen if we gave kids the chance to decide what they want to wear (sorry parents). We took two special little people to H&M and gave them $59 to spend. The results? We kind of want them to style us now.

The kids.

Meet Summer and Ante.

Summer and Ante excited for their shopping trip. Image: Supplied.

Five-year-old Summer has a fun, vibrant personality and her presence commands attention. She was bolting around the shop from stand to stand, commenting on everything that caught her eye.

Ooooohs and ahhhh I LOVE this! echoed around the store as she enthusiastically searched for her perfect outfit. It was amazing to see how confident she was in her opinions and preferences – this is one girl who knows what she likes and has a strong sense of self.

"She's always been really independent and known exactly what she's liked. She's been like that since the get go," says mum Rikki. "Summer has such an amazing, colourful personality: she's good fun and expresses herself in all areas of life. She adds so much light to our family."

"Summer has such an amazing, colourful personality." Image: Supplied.

Ante, on the other hand, was more considered in his approach to clothes hunting. Sweet and quiet in nature, this four-year-old was more refrained in his commentary.

However, he is quite the little creative, with his mum telling me he has a gift for art and music. He took his time to navigate the store and consider every piece.

“I think he gets it from me,” laughs mum Michelle, “As my eldest, he’s used to following me around and watching how I style an outfit for myself, so he’s picked up an understanding of what colours and cuts go together. Now he’ll even give me advice about what I should wear – and I must admit, he’s very good at it!”

Ante on the hunt for the perfect outfit. Image: Supplied.

The results.

With the current $14.99 top and bottom deal happening in-store at H&M, each child had enough money for an entire outfit – including shoes. Here’s what they picked up.

Summer’s choices were a perfect reflection of who she is: bubbly and fun. Her outfit consisted of a graphic white tee ($7.99), sparkly blue tutu ($14.99), spotted tights ($14.95 in a two pack) and shiny sneakers ($24.95).

Twirling and whirling around, she gleefully exclaimed that she loved the tutu. When asked why she loved it, she said "because the sparkles make me feel pretty,” before striking a pose in the change room. In fact, she loved it so much she wanted to wear it out of the store.

Outfit total (with top and bottom deal): $54.89

"Sparkles make me feel pretty." Image: Supplied.

Ante’s outfit was super stylish, with his skinny pants and hoodie combinations bringing out the cool, calm and collected side of his personality.

When looking for his first outfit, he noticed some black jeans ($14.99) hanging on a low rack. His eyes widened and he exclaimed “oh mum, I love black. It’s soo cool!”

Teamed with a graphic tee ($7.99), blue hoodie ($19.99), grey high-top sneakers ($14.95) and a slogan beanie ($7.99), Ante looked quietly pleased with himself as he gazed upon his choices in the change room mirror.

When asked about what he likes best, he replied “the robot on my t-shirt.”

Outfit total (with top and bottom deal): $57.92 

"I love black. It’s soo cool!” Image: Supplied.

Instead of the groans and moans that parents can expect from a shopping experience, Summer and Ante were all smiles and laughs throughout the whole experience. They each left looking extremely pleased with themselves, proud of having shown their mums that they could do it.

Having gone through this experience, both mums were impressed how well the kids took to the challenge and made it their own.  And we were all pleasantly surprised to learn just how damn stylish two little people can be.

How do your children express themselves using fashion?

This post was brought to you with thanks to H&M Australia. To be the first to know about H&M’s fashion news and deals, sign-up here.