Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece is a regular at the Paris couture shows of Jean Paul Gaultier, Chanel and other top fashion houses, made Vogue Daily’s best-dressed list for the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and is a member of Vanity Fair’s international best-dressed hall of fame.

Now, the mother of five is using her high-fashion pedigree to make a name for herself in the world of children’s clothing.

The 42-year-old princess was in Hawaii last week to open her luxury Marie-Chantal children’s boutique at the DFS Galleria Waikiki, her first store in North America.

"Hawaii offers a great international market," said the princess, who is normally addressed as "her royal highness."

She also has three shops in London, and her pieces are sold in Harrods, Saks Fifth Avenue and other stores in more than 20 countries and can be ordered from the Marie-Chantal website. Among her regular customers are Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Claudia Schiffer, Elizabeth Hurley, Reese Witherspoon and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.

Inspired by her children — daughter Maria-Olympia, 15, and sons Constantine Alexios, 12, Achileas-Andreas, 10, Odysseas-Kimon, 6, and Aristidis-Stavros, 3 — Princess Marie-Chantal said she wants her pieces to capture the innocence of children. She describes some of the styles in her collection as "contemporary chic" — clothing that offers a clean, crisp look with a playful twist.

"It’s hard not to be inspired when you have kids," she said.

For the boys line she sticks to the classics — a preppy, more conservative look.

"For the girls it’s more about fashion, the trends, colors. … If I had a younger daughter, I’d dress her in comfortable, appealing clothes as opposed to something that’s too intense for little children. … Children should dress like children," she said.

"There’s a little element of the tomboy in the collection, too. I was very much the tomboy growing up."

ALTHOUGH NOT official royalty, Princess Marie-Chantal’s father was American billionaire Robert Warren Miller, co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers, Ltd. Born in London, she spent time in Hong Kong, at a Swiss boarding school and in Paris.

She studied art and design at the New York Academy of Art and New York University.

She married Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece in 1995, in what was described as the most lavish royal wedding since Prince Charles and Diana Spencer’s 1981 nuptials, and now lives with her family in London.

Her first children’s collection in 2001 was designed for newborns and kids up to 8 years old. The princess designed a onesie with angel wings, her best seller, when she was pregnant with her third son.

"They are so cute and cuddly as newborns. They live in these kind of clothes for the first six months, so I wanted to create something perfect for babies. It comes with a keepsake box where you can jot down information and include a lock of hair or other special things," she said.

As her own children have grown, so has the range of Marie-Chantal fashions, now dressing youngsters up to 12 years old.

Princess Marie-Chantal said she also plans to expand her collection to diaper bags and other essentials for moms.

She said her clothing line allows her to tie together all of her interests and ambitions: to become an artist, designer, mother and entrepreneur.

Although aimed at the luxury market, Princess Marie-Chantal said comfort and durability are key design elements in her fashions.

"It’s about incorporating styles from all over the place," she said. "Kids are so opinionated today. They know what they want to wear. They know what feels good, what fits good and what scratches, so we use really soft materials.

"The clothes are well made and can take a good rough and tumble. We have everything from everyday basics to party and formal wear. I pair a lot of formal with casual."

Catherine Forbes, North America operations manager for Marie-Chantal, said the princess is meticulous about her designs and manufacturing and is deeply involved in the business.

"She’s always in the office and looks at all of the details. She checks the pockets, the zippers, the buttons and seaming. She even checks the tags because they have to be just right," Forbes said.

While in Hawaii, Princess Marie-Chantal was planning to get in some family time and sightseeing, and had already tried surfing.

"I have bruises on my legs. … That’s why I’m wearing pants," she said. "I didn’t realize it was so hard."