to think more expensive clothes do actually look alot better?

[JeanPoole]

i used to think doesn't matter how much the clothes cost or where they are from, makes no difference.

with dd i normally get her clothes from tescos, matalan and next.

shes got one or two bits from boden and monsoon.

everytime she wears the boden and monsoon stuff everyone says how lovely she looks and asks where i got her outfit from etc.

im amazed people really pay much attention to what shes wearing.

but now its making me think, should i get her nicer stuff more often
?

[Megglevache]

DD is mainly in Tesco/TU (which is brilliant quality)and lots of handed down Gap/Gymboree/Pumpkin patch I hardly spend any money on her except for on shoes- she has a massive collection-and I make all her hats/scarves and I embroider her cheaper stuff in that cute Boden style- we get stopped daily and asked where we shop from, I probably spend less on her than most children we know.

[expatinscotland]

'You can get ones that are really easy to do up even for little fingers.'

DD1 can't even do the poppers up with her dyspraxia, unfortunately, but she also gets Gap jeans on the cheap or free from the grandparents.

Their tops are pure Primark for the most part.

[jellybeans]

I don't think expensive clothes are always better quality or look better. I think it can look sad to wear only 'brands'.

[mum23monkeys]

Clary - absolutely with you on jammies. ds1 has bad eczema and White Company pjs last about 10 minutes before the elastic goes. Same with John Lewis, but not Sainsbury's.

I'm a bit of a demon where it comes to slogans and 'character' clothes. Just personal but you would never catch my dc with a Ben 10 t-shirt on, or one with some unnecessary addition (sequined, appliqued flowers/butterflies on girls jeans are my bete noir - boys jeans all the way for my dd)

[Clary]

FAQ the other day DD was wearing a T-shirt that she wore when she was about 4 IIRC! It must be a bit small for her now?maybe OK under a dress.

She has a very fave jersey dress I got her ages ago ? it?s more of a top now, but again, fine over a t-shirt and leggings this summer, very nice look.

She has also insisted that her 5-6 strawberry summer jamas from M&S are still OK. I reckon they?re a bit wee but still. She will be 8 this summer so this must be their 3rd season.

DS1 seems to grow out of trousers but Ts fit for a long time. He is wearing this summer a fave Boden one (9-10) with a surfer on which I got him March last year. A new Boden one in 11-12 is actually a bit big ? he?ll wear it tho

Shorts last a long time too ? look, they were long, now they are shorter! DS2 has a pair of size 2-3 (Boden again , I do shop elsewhere too) which seem to have fitted forever. They were unwearably big on him when he was actually 2 tho. (he is 6 btw)

I think maybe everyone is due a growth spurt and then I shall look pretty silly (or rather they will ? in all their shorts that don?t fit

[JeanPoole]

overhere

if anyone has any ideas what i can get for dd for the summer, please come over here.

or even website for me to look at

thanks

[FAQinglovely]

at 7yr olds who will be in the same clothes for 2yrs

I've just passed down most of DS1's winter tops from winter 2007/2008 to DS2. And NONE of the trousers that he wore that winter fit anymore ,

[Clary]

I too buy Boden for next yr in the sale.

I find a Boden T will wear and wear and wash and wash. DS2 has a lovely bright blue rocket lolly Boden T that is on its 6th summer of intensive wearing (he is youngest of 3). It cost me £10 in the summer sale and still looks like new.

I agree that cheap stuff can look cheap quickly; not an issue for 2yos who get it filthy/grow out of it but more of a prob now eg with DD who is 7 and sometimes wears stuff for 2 years or more.

H&M is good for girls up to 7-8 size; I also like Pumpkin Patch and some Sainsbury?s. Boys? T-shirts I am struggling with this season tho esp for DS1 who gets no hand-ons. I don?t like slogans.

Lol at Armani child tho. I have never stopped my DC running in their Boden T-shirts, or any others. I have a pal who spends £50 on designer jeans for her DC now that?s in a different league from me.

FAQ ? well done on the boots! I think wrt fading/wearing badly etc, it can vary. DS2 had a coat that was worn before him by at least 2 maybe 3 other boys and it still looked great. A pal with 3 boys had the self-same coat so it was obv a good buy (was from M&S); but that doesn?t mean all M&S stuff wears well.

I will never buy White Company jamas again; had 2 sets for DS1 and they went so saggy and baggy in the elastic that even DD never got to wear them. S/bury?s has been best for jamas I have found over t?years. Well cheap too.

[newpup]

My 2 DDs wear mostly mini boden and monsoon. I love the style and quality of their clothes. Although, I always stock up in the sales and each DD gets a couple of years out of each piece usually.

The quality is so much better than cheaper stuff and DD2 looks just as good as DD1 did in them!

[KingCanuteIAm]

Weird isn't it? I wonder why some people have such opposite experiences to others?

I haven't used Pumpkin Patch so I cannot comment on them but I bought dd a pair of no added sugar skinnies (in the sale) as a nice pair to go with a couple of cheap tesco pairs (as she doesn't often wear jeans), the NAS ones are still going strong, still fit, kept their colour, zips still work etc but both the tesco pairs are long gone. One pair the zip broke and the ripped at the seam, the other pair were just so faded after a couple of washes they were embarassing!

Once the tesco ones were gone they were not replaced so dd wears the NAS ones for everything, climbing rocks, river walks etc but they stand up to it all, they have not even started to rub at the knees, never mind go through!

[DannyWotty1]

I'm afraid to confess that I love buying expensive clothes for my one-and-only DD - at least one member of the family looks nice! It's just a habit now and whilst I've seen some fantastic stuff in supermarkets, I'm quite happy to pay extra for her. Not bothered if she gets dirty - the whole point of quality clothes is they last longer and wear better. Love buying nice clothes for myself (when I can afford it) and don't see why she shouldn't have nice stuff too.

[FAQinglovely]

oh and don't get me started on my pair-of-boots-that-cost-approximately-4-times-more-than-I'd-usually-spend - I thought perhaps they may have a longer "use" life than my cheap £10-20 ones - I bought them in October last year - they went in the bin last week as they looked bloody awful

I went back to Shoe Zone and bought some cheap ones at the weekend (and a £6 pair of "converse" style shoes from Peacocks that came up lovely in the washing machine after I'd used them to garden in )

[FAQinglovely]

I was most things after 2 wears - toddler clothes after one wear (and obviously DS3 is most definitely toddler so his clothes today will be washed after he's worn them).

Actually you know last year I decided to buck my own trend and buy DS1 and 2 a pair of jeans each from Pumpkin Patch - saw them as a bit of an "investment" - DS1's pass down to DS2, DS2's eventually to DS3

DS1's got a hole in them (DS1 never gets holes in his trousers - think this is only the 5th or 6th pair of trousers he's "put through" at the knee in 8yrs - and all the others were hand-me-downs). And both pairs are faded and look more crap than their cheap rough and tumble jeans.

£34 down the fecking drain.

[KingCanuteIAm]

FAQ, I am a so and so for washing everything after every wear. Just on a quick wash but I do use the appropriate powder for it (ie colour powder for colours etc) so I don't think it is that. I just find if I washed a tesco t-shirt and a no added sugar t-shirt 10 times, the tesco one would be fit for the bin and the no added sugar one would be looking like new still.

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

spokette, there is a mother at our Nursery who inspects her DS every time he leaves. I once saw her shouting at him because his clothes were expensive so why was he covered in paint. She then had a go at staff for 'letting him go crazy'.

I felt so sorry for the wee boy.

[FAQinglovely]

and I'm curious to know what you're all washing your clothes in that they fade so quickly - bleach??

DS3 is today wearing jeans and a top that DS1 was given (2nd hand) as a baby - so they're on their 4th child - and they're not particularly faded

[FAQinglovely]

skinny kids = buy a belt

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

Not for children. I shop around, some secondhand, some from boutiques in sales, H&M, la redoute, and my children look fab but I couldn't care less if they come home covered in glue and felt tip.

For me I prefer to buy fewer better quality things that I know will wash well and be 'classic'.

[FAQinglovely]

I disagree - DS3's first pair of shoes were Clarkes ones (I don't usually buy expensive shoes for them ).

No-one commented at all.

I then bought him a £7 pair of brown boots from Woolies, he's had them since before Christmas (really should go and get his feet measured again as I'm sure he must have grown ) and if I had a £1 for every person that's commented on his brown boots and how lovely they are and where did I get them........well I would have been able to buy at least another 10 pairs of boots

[KingCanuteIAm]

lol, I just put them on a window sill for a day or two, it seems to work still, although is slower than being on the line in scorching sun!

Have you tried colour safe bleach on brights? I have not got up the courage to try it yet and have been wondering if it would make my life easier!

[spokette]

What is the point of putting a two year old in expensive clothes and sending them to nursery where he will get paint plus other things on him?

[reach4sky]

Yup King, sun is absolutely brilliant on tomato based stains but sadly hasn't been much for the past 6 months!

[mum23monkeys]

I think I'm very lucky as I have a rather well-to-do sil who passes down clothes to me. My 2 year old dd rolls in puddles in £100 smocked dresses. But the quality does show - she is at least the third child to wear these dresses and they wash incredibly well. I need to find another little girl to hand them on after after my dd. I'm all for fantastically expensive well-made clothes..... as long as someone else buys them first!

Do also agree that skinny kids have a harder time with trousers. Gap are the cheapest jeans my ds can wear. I bought him some in Sainsbury's the other day and he looked ridiculous. But his slightly less emaciated brother looked great in his.

Hennes t shirts - great for a summer, but dusters by autumn.

[KingCanuteIAm]

Reach, I have found that, often, the best way to get stains out is to leave the item in the sun. It is naturally bleaching and is the only way I have found of getting tomato based sauces (like bolognase) out of white clothes (and it is free and better for the environment too )