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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be offended at the lack of floorspace and style for boys clothing

152 replies

KissingAFool · 27/01/2017 17:48

I get upset about this every time I go shopping for my loving boys. Wall to wall girls stuff, you can really pick a style and run with it, the variety is amazing. Across all shops. Across all budgets.

However the boys offerings beyond the toddler stages are so dull, limited, stylish. I love shopping, love clothes and am trying to raise my kids with a healthy interest in their appearance but its so hard when there's nothing I even want to see on my boys and they moan that it's all boring.

Its just feels short sighted and discriminatory to have eg one aisle of stuff for boys vs three if girls which is what I'm faced with.

Are ANY shops geared towards equal floorspace? Because beyond h&m and zara it feels extremely one sided and I actually feel quite hurt!

OP posts:

Rinceoir · 03/02/2017 09:08

I have a DD (2.9) but agree with most that there may be lots of girls clothes but the choice is not great! I hate sparkly, logos, Disney everything. And party dresses are not practical for running around the park etc. On top of that my DD is very slim meaning I need clothes with adjustable waists (like goldust generally). She also has tiny narrow feet so generally have minimal choice in shoes too.

As others have said I'd love plain cotton unisex clothes in bright colours (with adjustable waists!). I love the Scandi brands but they are huge fitting so no use to me. How do Boden sizes come up?

Cutesbabasmummy · 03/02/2017 09:10

Sometimes Gap is worth a look too. And totally agree about boys shoes! In Clarks the sales assistant asked me which ones I liked and I said "Honestly? None!"

KatharinaRosalie · 03/02/2017 09:22

I have a (slim) boy and a (strong) girl, and what annoys me, as also some pp mentioned - boy clothes are so much roomier and comfortable. Compare 2 random t-shirts from the same brand in the same size, boys' one is often twice as wide. Everything for girls is skin-tight. Why? A 3-year-old really does not need to show off her figure.

WinterWinds001 · 03/02/2017 09:41

I actually prefer dressing DS to DD. Don't struggle at all finding clothes for him, he lives in jeans, navy, grey, black and white with a bit of colour thrown in because thats what he likes. Fortunately its whay i prefer too and there is loads of options for him. Really struggle to find things that aren't bright pink and glittery for DD.
There is obviously a market for the clothes on offer.

BiddyPop · 03/02/2017 10:06

Try having a girl who hates sequins and "girly" images and wants nice but proper sportswear, or bold images of action and adventure, not horses, cats and handbags!

The problem for us now, at age 11, is that she needs to start wearing girls clothes, shapewise, but it is only boys clothes that suit her and that she'll accept.

And we cannot find any jeans that are not ripped or awful looking or covered in bling - just a plain pair of ordinary jeans.

So now she lives in tracksuits (and togs/wetsuit all weekend long!), with a single pair of jeans that we are hoping don't fall apart as good wear (but look decidedly scruffy) - I am really hoping we can find something once the summer ranges come in. Although, now that she fits capri length adult size 8 leggings (which come to her ankles), she will wear those on occasion. But there is almost nothing in any girls range to suit a girl who is not a "girly girl"......

bookeatingboy · 03/02/2017 10:08

I have two boys and honestly don't have any problem with choosing clothes for them, they confirm whether they like or not.

I just think it's purely down to the fact that girls wear a wider variety of items of clothing, nobody bats an eyelid at girls wearing trousers, jeans etc, but put a boy in a dress/skirt then eyebrows would be raised. I' not saying this is right, just how it is.

Therefor by default girls have a much wider choice so understandably the girls selection take up more floor space.

BiddyPop · 03/02/2017 10:08

We tend to buy Canterbury (tracksuits), Under armour, H&M (boys), rarely Zara, lots of Mountain Warehouse and North Face and other adventure brands, Gap (boys) and some Land's End as well.

PinkSquash · 03/02/2017 10:23

I have two DS, DS1 is 10 but in 14-15 years and I rarely find anything in stores that will fit him. The XS mens stuff is just too grown up on him.

SomethingBorrowed · 03/02/2017 10:47

Yura I buy GAP jeans from the "toddler girl" section for both DS and DD, they are plain skinny ones. Don't look girly at all (but can only be found in the girl section)

ThanksForAllTheFish · 03/02/2017 10:56

I agree boys do get much less choice than girls BUT the clothes they do get are made better. Thicker fabrics, reinforced knees, functioning pockets etc. Girls clothes tend to be made with thinner fabric with less actual cotton and are flimsy to the point of being almost see through. Compare a pair of boys jeans to girls jeans the next time you are in a shop and you will see what I'm talking about. Boys will be nice thick Jean fabric and girls will be 70% spandex crap.

Also 99.9% of girls trousers and jeans are super painted on skinny fit. I struggle to find DD things she likes as she wants a slightly looser fit (but not bootcut) for comfort as she hates the feeling of tight Jean fabric on her legs and tummy and it hinders her climbing ability at the park. We have tried a few boys pairs in the past but again we have the issue of the crotch/bum/hip area being too baggy (she is super skinny and all legs). She pretty much lives in leggings now which I find annoying and not great for the cold weather.

Men's vs women's clothing is the same. Men get less choice but much better quality fabrics for less money than women's clothing. On a similar thought what is it with women's clothing and floral prints? I loath floral prints but as a woman my options for say a nice dress to attend a wedding would be plain colour with maybe another colour in the trims or floral print. There are loads and loads of great fabric prints out there but shops stick to the same boring florals year after year.

Julju · 03/02/2017 10:59

It is cash that drives the way floor space is split up, and moving boys to the back will be a totally commercial decision because it doesn't generate as much £££ . Having worked in merchandising for kids wear brands boys wear, by and large, just doesn't take anywhere near the money that girls wear does even when you give it an equal amount of space. Make of that what you will.

On the one hand, as the mother of a boy, it's annoying when I'm shopping in a physical store, but I actually feel daunted when I'm shopping for my niece at how much I have to sift through. I find Zara and Mango have a great selection of boys wear and lots of the product is under both the girl and boy sections.

SomethingBorrowed · 03/02/2017 11:01

Rinceoir GAP is good for slim DC, or Petit Bateau

happilyahousewife · 03/02/2017 11:03

My DS lives in his rugby clothing, so its all rugby tops, Canterbury uglies, joules etc.

ThanksForAllTheFish · 03/02/2017 11:07

Re: my point above and fabric quality. Similar jeans for boys and girls. Both the same colour and price but big difference in fabric content.

to be offended at the lack of floorspace and style for boys clothing

IneedmoreLemonPledge · 03/02/2017 11:18

Waves at Julju - I'm a head of Merch

Yes space driven by sales mix means that the less Boys stuff bought the more the space will get driven down.

However it can be a self fulfilling prophecy, as I'm sure a few seasons of a drab range will lead to reduction of sales and an increase in markdown, and so on.

I shop for my DS12 in mainly H&M and Zara, with the occasional Next online purchase. I often take a look at River Island too, as they have good seasons from time to time.,

But I've noticed over the years that a mid grade size H&M will rely on a range of jersey joggers, hoodies and tees in sludge colours more and more for older boys. The interesting stuff really is declining.,

My DS hates wearing joggers and sports clothes. He likes skinny jeans, coloured chinos etc. I love the way he looks in colourful polos in summer. But you have to get in super fast when a range is launched because they run out really quickly.

He's always hated character stuff too, he might like Star Wars, but he doesn't want to be plastered in Logos and characters.

It is getting to be a struggle.

KatharinaRosalie · 03/02/2017 11:18

For slim children, check out the Vertbaudet Perfect Fit - they do Narrow waist, only trousers that fit my beanpole without looking massively baggy.

SomethingBorrowed · 03/02/2017 11:20

Really struggle to find things that aren't bright pink and glittery for DD , and other similar remarks:
Yes it is true that a good amount of girls clothes are pink, however I never had an issue to find other colours!
DD has tops in all colours, either plain or with a simple pattern (dots, stripes...), not glitter anywhere.
Very easy to find non-pink non-glittery jeans, leggings, skirts...

I am really wondering were you shop to only find pink/glitter

ManaFleet · 03/02/2017 11:20

Yes yes yes!! Acres of ridiculous punk glittery nonesense for girls and a few dull pairs of combat trousers for boys. I want stripes, spots, stars and lovely colours!!

Swearwolf · 03/02/2017 12:40

I think part of it depends on the individual store - someone else has said Next aren't great, but I was going to say that our Next is great. Equal space for boys and girls, and some of the boy stuff is lovely! My 4 year old has clothes mainly from there or H&m, and he definitely doesn't look sludgy or boring. His favourite top this year was a lurid bright orange one with a t-rex on a quadbike.

Swearwolf · 03/02/2017 12:41

And yes, I agree that I can't understand how people struggle to avoid pink and glittery. My dd has pink in her wardrobe, but no more than she has turquoise, navy, red etc. And she always looks awesome.

Crabbo · 03/02/2017 13:05

I shop online - have a dd but all the stuff in the shops is horrible anyway - pink, glitter and slogans everywhere. H&M have some lovely stuff online but they don't seem to stock that stuff in their stores which is weird.

JaniceBattersby · 03/02/2017 13:24

Pretty much everything in my (very tall, thin, picky) 6-year-old boy's wardrobe is from Zara. They have lovely stuff. Their trousers are slim fit, though, and I can't pass them down to my much stockier four-year-old. He has to live in joggers, unfortunately.

AlphaBites · 03/02/2017 15:00

I see several people are referencing to scandi shops - what are these ?

I have noticed that boys clothing does tend to be of a limited stock compared to girls. However a lot of girls clothing is pink, tacky and covered in glitter I don't get offended about it though just shop elsewhere, I mostly tend to get stuff from Joules, Boden, Cath Kidston or I make it myself for my DD as I don't do glitter and cute kittens on tops (fortunately DD doesn't either) which a lot of the high street shops seem to think all girls must wear.