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The Modern Guide to The Thing Before Preppy

Wednesday, July 22, 2020

A Reader Question for the Community: Quality clothing for children?


A Reader Question for the Community:
I’m not sure if this question will be of interest to many, but I wondered if your readers could recommend quality clothing for children. It seems as though so many are garish or downright inappropriate. So far, I’m just buying tons of Hanna Andersson, but I’d appreciate any suggestions!

25 comments:

  1. *Sigh* It has become next to impossible to find decent, pretty (without beige or gray undertones), half way well made clothes for children - especially little girls. We've bought a lot of Hanna Andersson through the years but the quality in most isn't what it was although it's still better than most. I bought quite a few of the colorful tee shirts, a few dresses and then some Lily Pulitzer leggings for our girls to wear under skirts and dresses or alone if the shirts are long enough. We've also bought some Lily Pulitzer dresses for "occasions" because the colors are pretty and appropriate. We've also found some at consignment shops although the prices haven't been that great. I will spare you my rant about children's clothes. :)

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    1. I've had great luck with a store called Jojo Mommy based out of Texas. They have very good quality clothes and smaller brands such as Little English, Bella Bliss, and James and Lottie that are beautiful and tasteful. I don't live in Texas and just order it online.

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  2. I'd appreciate the thoughts of the community on children's shoes as well. We found stride rite shoes to be a good value if on sale but their durability could be better.

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    1. This is my second rant. Why in the world does anyone think buying children's shoes without proper fitting is a good idea? We're going to have at least two generations of children who will grow up and be in a lot of pain when they get older because they wore the wrong type of shoes.

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  3. If they are old enough for school, check and see what the other kids are wearing. You might not like it, but your kids will appreciate it! Sixty-five years later I still remember the trauma of moving from Virginia to the San Francisco bay area. I showed up in shorts, and everyone else was in jeans.

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    1. That's funny. I grew up on the beach in California and moved to Virginia in the mid-60's. I showed up in sandals; everyone else was wearing Weejuns. The whole experience was a huge culture shock.

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    2. School uniforms solve so many problems. It's too bad all schools don't just go with them.

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    3. Amen! And as much as I love traditional clothing, a coat and tie dress code puts less affluent kids at a huge disadvantage.

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  4. With four children aged 14 or younger, three boys and one girl, I'm constantly dismayed by the exceptionally poor quality of the options available to them. They older boys can wear out shorts and trousers in a week. That said, Chino shorts and plain t-shirts work well and look boyish not sloppy. I've said no to tracksuits unless they are for sports. The girl, 10, genuinely likes dresses. In the summer, chambray smocks or simple light dresses with small floral prints on cotton. Like all children, she appreciates pockets. The smocks are quite versatile, in autumn a polo neck can be worn underneath along with wool tights. In order to find hard wearing cardigans for her in classic shades - navy, burgundy, forest green - I took to school uniform catalogs. To cut a long story short, it's hard to find nice, unbranded, slogan-free and sans Disney characters type clothes for children these days. It helps to be creative when it comes to sourcing, don't discount chains like Zara or H&M for everyday wear that you don't expect will be handed down. To be economical about finding quality clothes, I buy the next seasons winter clothes in January and size up to allow for a year's growth. Similar out-of-season pattern for summer. I should add, and I think it's important, as children they are going to get mucky and dirty, especially if they spend a lot of time outdoors. I really do try to just let them get on with it, which is why anything more formal - especially during summer - is taken out only when circumstances demand it. Thank goodness they have school uniforms for most the year!

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    1. We are in the same boat! Except my daughter is the baby. I shop second hand. Connecticut was much better than Arizona is for finding nice clothing. For the most part, people lack good taste here so it can be hard to find nice clothing. When I'm lucky, I pick up what others leave behind e.g. light blue or green polo shirts and chinos shorts for the boys in the summer. Darker polos for fall and winter. I've resorted to sewing linen dresses for my daughter.

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  5. Hanna A was good when my son was young. He's now too big for them. We only have a Target, which is okay for socks/underwear. I have bought pants from LL Bean & Lands End, with reasonable results. He likes plain t-shirts and sweatpants. Hanes.com has excellent prices and satisfactory durability.

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  6. Janie and Jack for kids 12 and under. Forget the more gaudy, cutesy party attire, and there is lots of decent looking, ivy/trad/prep-inspired attire to be had, especially for boys. Far more acceptable than the sweats and pull-on pajama style direction that Land's End Kids has moved.

    Best Regards,

    Heinz-Ulrich

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  7. I have also had good luck purchasing school uniform separates for my son. He likes plain, traditional clothes, and the uniforms tend towards the sturdy construction boys need! His school doesn’t require uniforms but much of what he wears daily comes from uniform suppliers. French Toast has good uniform khaki pants and shorts.
    We don’t like T-shirts with slogans or logos, but as we are fans of our state and national parks, he has a good collection of T-shirts from places visited. They’re good for play and school.

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  8. Uniqlo offers great value for kids - preppy style, good quality and very reasonable prices. If you can afford it, Polo Ralph Lauren has plenty of choice for babies and children of all ages.

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  9. In addition to the lines already mentioned, Levi's, The North Face, Marmot, and Patagonia have nice kids offerings. To date myself, my girls wore lots of OshKosh back in the yuppie years. I can't vouch for them now.

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  10. I find a lot of my daughter’s clothes at Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers. As far as play clothes, I have had luck finding some at Target.

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  11. There is a company in Charleston SC, called Shrimp & Grits that has boys and girls clothing. They are designed by their design team but are made elsewhere. Take a look. My daughter in law is a sales rep here in South Carolina.

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  12. A lot of the things from Academy, especially the Columbia PFG and their house brand, Magellan, are great value and wear well.

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  13. I usually buy for grandchildren. I was delighted to find a Feltman Brothers christening dress. Also, Ralph Lauren has shortalls on sale which are wonderful for summer in the south. For the older grandchild, Levi's jeans or chino shorts or slacks. Hanes makes plain tee shirts.

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  14. Slim pickings everywhere. I like my children to look age appropriate and to have clothes that wear well. I have a 9 year old son, 7 year old daughter, and an almost 3 year old son. I like the Edgehill Collection from Dillard’s for toddler boys and for toddler/little girls. Unfortunately, their sizing stops at 6x. I like H&M and Zara and have found classic, timeless options there for all 3 of my kids. Smocked Auctions is great for my daughter and my toddler son. My daughter also likes Lily Pulitzer and Mini Boden. I usually buy Ralph Lauren or Land’s End OCBDs for my oldest son and pair them with cotton chino shorts or pants from Walmart Wonder Nation or Target Cat & Jack (both offer reinforced knees just like Land’s End). I don’t mind polo shirts from H&M/Walmart/Target as long as they’re 100% cotton. We avoid polyester and poly/cotton blends. Good luck!

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  15. I bought all of my daughter's clothes in thrift stores. There can be found gorgeous gently used clothing of good quality brands especially if there is a thrift or consignment store in a more upscale neighborhood.

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  16. Bowden has excellent quality kids clothing. Our son’s stuff is on its fourth family and still going strong.

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  17. Mini Boden all the way. Excellent quality and tasteful designs. The London-based company is still run by its founder, Johnnie Boden.

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  18. http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/kids.html#casual-play

    This link will take you to many options...there is also a link for more formal made in USA kids clothes.

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  19. Lands' End is the supplier for many schools' uniforms. The items tend to be study and tasteful. You can buy almost anything as a separate with no school logo here:

    https://www.landsend.com/shop/kids-school-uniform/S-ytp

    I hope that helps!

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