best slim school pinafores?

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

DD1 is very tall and skinny. Most pinafores look ridiculous on her because they are so wide and due to styles they don't often lend themselves to being taken in (and still be possible to take on and off easily). Any suggestions? She has just turned 6 but her age 8-9 M&S pinafore is WAY above her knees. Perhaps it is just me and they aren't supposed to reach their knees, I do see a lot of short ones around but I prefer her to have something a bit longer, winter is cold enough without wearing a miniskirt.

[LadyEnglefield]

DD2 (8) is petite and has a similar problem in that all pinafores are much too wide.

She was 'teased' last year by one boy who said she was too small to be in Y2 and should be in YR. So there was no way we were going to leave her open to any more comments like that by buying her a uniform that looked too big on her.

We bought the M&S double-breasted pinafore (with 4 buttons on the front) and took it to a tailors that DP uses. They took in the seams and now it fits perfectly and you really wouldn't know it had been altered.

I know this doesn't solve the problem of the pinafore's length but I thought it might help!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Haven't got the height problem but I find that M&S and Sainsburys both do slimmer styles. I too dd out to try several on.

[partystress]

Not BHS! Have same problem for my Y5DD - she hates feeling 'wide' and I have two gorgeous, soft jersey BHS ones that she refuses to wear. Debenhams have been good in the past: she is beyond their height range now but might be good for your DD.

[addictedtosugar]

For boys, Next do slim fit - basically for a given age, they do appropriate length, but one waist size smaller than typical.
Might be worth a look?

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

great - thanks, a few to try there.

Yes pinafores do on the whole just seem wide and shapeless. I remember ours from primary school were pretty much just rectangles but we had purse belts to wear round them to hold them in (nice!). My other daughter has a lovely Asda one but she is sort of average height so things tend to fit her better.

[TruthSweet]

I have this problem with my DDs. Luckily for me my MIL is a handy seamstress and makes or takes in their pinafores. The jersey pull over type ones lend themselves to being taken in easily - I got a 2 pack from very last year and MIL took them in but you'd never know it.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

see I am not bad with sewing but I find jersey difficult to sew without it looking like I have if that makes sense. I have taken in the other sort of material ones before if the zip is central and there aren't loads of pleats etc but I am not great so my options of styles are limited if I am going to do it. I have made pinafores and dresses for them before but not school ones, perhaps I need to start now. I have a pattern I could use (it has 4 different pinafores on it and I have tried 2 of them already). hmm.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

I did wonder about a belt but that then gives her something to faff with and she prides herself on being the quickest to change for PE (one week she was praised for helping another 3 girls get dressed as well in the same time it took the rest of the class to get ready). The Asda ones were huge on her in September. oh crumbs. I think the sewing machine will have to come out. Thanks.

[freetrait]

Wow, how tall is she?! (just nosey )

DD here is just 5, fairly tall but not extremely. She is also very slim. She wears age 5-6 (above knee) and age 6-7 (below knee) and they are really, really wide on her. It doesn't seem to matter though. She doesn't care, it's only us grown ups who notice . Her Tesco ones aren't as wide as the Next, but I prefer the Next style (and they have heart zips which she requested .

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

oh yes we had a request for a heart zip last time.

She is only 127cmish I think so SHOULD fit in age 8 but they are nowhere near her knees so I thought perhaps she had a long body but then she needs age 8-10 tights so perhaps not. I do wonder if I am just odd for wanting the pinafore to reach her knees. She was 56cm at birth and has always been tall but at least now she is on the centiles (hubby is well over 6ft)

Our tesco rarely has pinafores in, might try ordering one to try then. thanks

[freetrait]

127 is pretty tall for just 6 ! - similar to DS I think. He's just 7 and about 133 now. Luckily he has short legs (family trait) so he always fits in the size trousers 6-10cm below his height! DD is tall in her class, but not as (about 114 at just 5).

You are not alone- I think girls' clothes are designed shortish. I like the longer ones on DD, whereas actually often the ones for her height DO fit, they just look a bit short IMO. DD is also narrow framed, so you can't buy too big dresses or they look silly on the shoulders. Pinafores aren't too bad on this count though.

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

DD1 is just about to turn 6. She's in age 7 pinafores (Next at the moment) and they are ridiculously short. But again, the width is a problem as they're swimming on her. It's not too bad at the moment as she's in navy pinafores and tights so the shortness isn't so obvious but when the weather warms up and she starts on socks again it looks silly. I don't think she is particularly tall so maybe they are just cut shorter.

[Dontletthemgetyoudown]

Have you tried these? They come in longer length so order right size for age but you have extra length.
m.marksandspencer.com/mt/www.marksandspencer.com/Traditional-Pinafore-Longer-Shorter-Lengths/dp/B0044AXC02?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_62&nodeId=2109344031&sr=1-62&qid=1388876588&pf_rd_r=1Q0ERTHEQSFQBQSZX726&pf_rd_m=A2BO0OYVBKIQJM&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=2109344031&pf_rd_p=321381387&pf_rd_s=related-items-3

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

I was just looking at those Dontletthemgetyoudown. I might email them and ask about the width of them because it looks a bit confusing with people saying they are replacing plus size and if they are longer then how much longer. It would make sense given that they do longer length trousers.

I do think perhaps I am old fashioned liking their skirts to reach their knees so it is nice to know I am not on my own with this. Summer dresses are the same.

outside of school she tends to have to wear leggings with everything to make outfits decent.

oh well in a few years time we will have beautiful tall elegant young ladies on our hands (with no doubt no shoes because they don't make them big enough - says me with my slightly bigger than size 8 feet)

[trinitybleu]

M&S zip up the front ones for my DD (6 but wearing age 9, starting to look a bit short. New swimming cossie is age 11......)

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

I do wonder about the sizings.

[trinitybleu]

She has my long body and DH's long legs!

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

so she is very very long...

[Tistheseasontobedramatic]

My dd is now almost 11yrs and has always been very tall, slim and long limbed. We've struggled with school uniform but John Lewis pinafores have been great. They have a 'V' neck and pleated skirt.

[TruthSweet]

Gosh she is tall! Dd2 is just 6y and is about 123cm & 20kg (her Paed. thought she had Marfan's at one point!), Dd1 is nearly 8y and is about 130cm & 23kg. Dd1 wears 9-10 & 10-11 tights as her legs start just below her armpits

I can definitely not recommend the Asda cheap jersey skirts and trousers. I have a skirt for DD1 in 8-9 that's way too short but doesn't stay up. I also found Trutex pinafores to be ridiculously wide. I ordered one by chest size and one by height (2nd hand) and the chest size one fitted perfectly except for the St. Trinian's bum skimming look and the height one had room for her sister too. The skirts from Trutex though are very neatly cut and were a superb fit.

[TruthSweet]

Gosh she is tall! Dd2 is just 6y and is about 123cm & 20kg (her Paed. thought she had Marfan's at one point!), Dd1 is nearly 8y and is about 130cm & 23kg. Dd1 wears 9-10 & 10-11 tights as her legs start just below her armpits

I can definitely not recommend the Asda cheap jersey skirts and trousers. I have a skirt for DD1 in 8-9 that's way too short but doesn't stay up. I also found Trutex pinafores to be ridiculously wide. I ordered one by chest size and one by height (2nd hand) and the chest size one fitted perfectly except for the St. Trinian's bum skimming look and the height one had room for her sister too. The skirts from Trutex though are very neatly cut and were a superb fit.

[NoComet]

Can't she just wear a skirt, no one in Y2 bothers with pinafores and in winter my DDs wore trousers.

Sadly also a pain for the tall and slender (looks at DD2 who fits 11/12 perfectly, except they are 2-4" too short)

[Barbeasty]

Is it worth looking on somewhere like John Lewis, but see if any of the prep schools have a pinafore in the right colour? Probably much more expensive but they might have them designed to be a decent length?

I'm watching this with interest though, because I was hoping a pinafore would be the answer when DD starts school in September. So many skirts seem indecently short but are massive round the waist.

[nonicknameseemsavailable]

she is only in Yr1 and wants a pinafore like her friends. last year and this year she has had 1 skirt and 1 pinafore so she could alternate them depending on her mood. She won't wear trousers but like you say starballbunny they probably wouldn't fit any better.

Her skirt is a sainsburys 8-9, too short but acceptable because she can pull it down to sit on her hips, adjustable waist is pulled in as tight as it goes, the 9-10 was a better length on her but we couldn't get the waist in far enough.

I don't understand why they think all children are wide rectangles.