Private school uniforms - from the outfitters or the supermarkets?

[chocolatequeen]

Supposed to be going today to the outfitters for DS1´s school, with uniform list as long as your arm. Does it all have to come from the outfitters (as it did in my day, down to the grey sport knickers), or can you buy the standard grey trousers, white shirts etc. from supermarkets, M&S etc and just get the logo´d things from the outfitters?

Have just realised that this is the second school uniform thread I have posted on this afternoon so I am now officialy sad.

I think nostalgically back to the days when I spent my disposable income in Topshop and on cheap wine, not nasty nylon gym knickers and hockey socks (which are going to get lost anyway).

Thank you Cammelia - although I shouldn't get cross, how ridiculous. Perhaps it was the sound of my father rolling in his grave that distracted me .
I do remeber, having been incredibly moth eaten and mousey saving for months to by some floral platforms which I snuck into my bag to put on at school. Didn't even get into registration before Mrs Davies caught me and made me spent break going up and down the stairs in bear feet - somthing to do with illustrating how dangerous platforms were. We used to do rolled up sleeves, VERY short tie and rolled down socks to look 'cool'. Not ridiculous at all!

Thank god DD1 bowls up at her laissez-faire academy in torn jeans and a beaten-up T-shirt

LOL @ Pagwatch trogging up & down stairs in bear feet!!!

DD's school uniform is quite strict. Most of it does have to be a specific stle/design and it only available from the approved retailer, in our case John Lewis and some items via the school shop itself. So school suppliers only items include: winter and summer dresses, winter and summer coats/hats, tie, cardigan, lunch and art aprons, etc. You can buy the ballet and PE utfits from elsewhere but they must be the right style and design specifiied, as can blouses.

Check on if your school has a second hand shop. I was really unsure about this last year, but now know that many parents use the second hand shops and the stuff in them are generally very good and a fraction of the new price.

pagwatch were they these ones?

You won't get away with that one pagwatch

I agree that Pagwatch's second post was pretty obviously toungue in check, in response to the comments re. uniform previously.

And the uniform for DD's school was not a hidden cost for us. When we applied to the school we knew what the unfirm was, how strict it was and that it had to come for from a specific supplier. We were given a full uniform list with the initial prospectus and it was very easy to know how much it would all cost in total. Infact nothing has been hidden yet - all was very upfront from the outset.

Agree I don't think our uniform costs were hidden as such although requirements have changed earlier than we'd anticipated for dd. However it is easy to get on a treadmill for "extras" such as swimming, dancing, music lessons, learning support, odd trips etc which individually aren't huge in themselves but suddenly look loads when added to the bill !

We used MandS/supermarket for grey trousers/pinafores and dd's white polo shirts (not logo'd but she goes through them at the rate of knots)..used outfitters for tie, jumpers (are logo'd but not a colour available elsewhere), and 'used uniform' shop at school for blazer and tracksuit (although think will get a new tracksuit from outfitters for this term because ds def wears it a lot).
Worse buy was expensive white sports shorts from outfitters which ds hates to wear and which have turned an interesting shade of pale green in the wash Haven't seen any in other shops - have to try John Lewis - otherwise it's back to the outfitters again.

LOL @ "lunch apron"

yes bear feet, camel breath, horse's arse - and dog tired

won't get away with which one?

I LOL'd too when I saw it. But I tell you what - it is a fab part of the uniform. DD can make one dress last all week if necessary - no dinner spilt on it or anything. And then the art apron is used for all messy craft stuff, so again fab. Lunch apron is just like a tabard style, cotton one - but I have been proved wrong this last year when I initially laughed about it.

I LOVE the old-fashioned outfitters. For dd1's uniform (state school) the outfitters are 25 miles away so not something you'd want to do very often, although they do come into school every month. But for great service and good quality stuff you can't beat it. And they always have the size you want and it's not frenetic and yes you do pay a bit more but I really hope the supermarkets and the government don't run these places out of business.
Can I give a plug for my outfitters? Henry Taylor of Walthamstow - fantastic!

wow, I remember Henry Taylor, I had to get my uniform there all those years ago when i went to school!!!

nope pagwatch I didn't read your comment as tongue in cheek, I read it as fuck off, I don't much care. Especially following on from your comment - "Part of the private thing i'm afraid. wait till you get the school trip stuff !" But I apologise if you were trying to be ironic. I just found this blase acceptance of rather nasty social snobbery and exclusivity on the grounds of £££ as "part of the private thing" (not just your comments to be fair but many others on the thread) to be a little nauseating and rather vulgar.
Of course you don't have to justify your choices about private education to me or anyone - it is entirely up to you.
but thanks for the lecture

NO fair! I want a lunch apron for dd! If she was covered up during meals then I might even buy her the proper logo'd white polo shirts rather than the 'disposable' supermarket ones.

Dylansaunty - I think the old man who works there is so old he could be the original Henry Taylor!
They still have those little pods on rails that go whizzing round and a proper cashier's office. The dds love it!

wheresthehamster , which school do your dds go to, could be the same as my one, WCHS?

No, that doesn't ring a bell, our school is in the Bishop's Stortford area.

crikey, you have to travel miles!!! i thought you would e local to Walthamstow. I had to travel about 5 miles to get to the shop, and I thought that was a long way just to get uniform. I suppose looking at it now, it isnt that far, but at the age of 10 it seemed like a whole days outing. Had to get 2 or 3 busses to get there.

I'm a bit paranoid about getting the uniform 'right' for my dd since I had to have hand-knitted cardigans at secondary school when everyone else seemed to be wearing machine-made knits from the uniform shops. Probably not true but when you're 11 such details are important in the first few weeks.

Btw my dd's uniform is mostly courtesy a la Tesco this year (Bhs for the summer dress next year) plus some leftover polo shirts/tunic from last year. But I'll buy the school jumper/cardigan instead of knitting it

Our school seems to be boys' uniform mainly available from the supermarket, girls' uniform all from the outfitters. I have a DD....