French Childrenswear... Help?

[FashionBaby]

I hear that Bonpoint, Bonton, Tartine et Chocolat, Petit Bateau and Marie-Chantal are all highly valued childrenswear names.

But I don't understand what makes these better than the English brands? can anyone shed some light on this?

are they better fitting?

[Branleuse]

better fitting, depends on the shape of your child.
They are valued differently by different people who like different styles.

I particularly like petit bateau as i love the style, cut and the quality in general, plus it washes and washes and stays as good as new.

I wouldnt say better than english designers. I dont know all of them,


its just what you like innit?

[tethersend]

Exactly.

The French just think they're better at everything

DP is French, and the in laws do bring over lots of pastel-coloured stuff for the kids which I hate but DD1 loves. I prefer brighter colours like some of the Scandinavian stuff.

[superfluouscurves]

I'm a bit disillusioned about French childrenswear atm tbh

Used to love Cyrillus and Petit Bateau but I don't think they've kept up with price and quality. Didn't used to mind paying a bit more, but not when the quality has diminished.

For example, usually buy dd a summer mac from Cyrillus but recently bought one from Zara which was just as good quality and half the price. And I'm particular about materials and finish.

Jacadi basics range sometimes worth having a look at (especially at sale time). Bonpoint has gone loopy in terms of pricing.

Agree with Tethersend that all the colours seem very pastelly and "muddy" (probably because the dyes are cheaper that way). I think a lot of dc look v. washed out in taupes and muddy pinks.

Still like Petit Bateau "milleraies" clothing here and they do wash well but they are not cheap. I know it's a different beast but I recently bought one of these for dd from Boden and the quality is really good and she looks lovely in it (better in rl than in photo).

If you do go for French makes though, remember to buy the next size up - the sizing is tiny!

[superfluouscurves]

(Meant the navy and white striped Boden t-shirt btw)

[EasterHoliday]

Tartine and Bonpoint use fantastic fabrics (though boo for lots of fur at Bonpoint) and they're much more design / fashion conscious. I think the subtle colours are much more adult than the Boden type brights - a lot of the brown / beige / neutrals / greys that Bonpoint use are just adult clothes scaled down

[Gingersnap88]

I find that they come up quite small. DD always wears the next size whereas she doesn't in most other brands.

Quality often very good, but agree that the colours can be very muted. I also prefer bright colours on my DD.