Campaign for Better Boys Clothes - long and ranty

[BadHair]

This kind of follows on from earlier threads about crappy boys clothes.
I went to Matalan earlier on in search of cheap and cheerful stuff for my dses. There were 8 rows of lovely bright girl's clothes, some of the materials could easily have been unisex had they not been sewn as skirts. Then there were 2, TWO, rows of boys clothes. One of them was made up entirely of nylon England football strips and the other was full of the usual dull blue-green-grey combos. As most mums of boys know, this is the same in most shops, though Next occasionally have better colours.
I flatly refuse to dress my toddlers to look like football hooligans, and the other stuff was so uninspiring that I walked out in disgust.
I know that nicer stuff is available in smaller, individual shops, but why should I have to track these places down when I should be able to get better clothes from the high street biggies? In the past I've seen stripey jumpers in the girl sections that could easily be worn by boys if the ubiquitous pink-and-lilac threads were replaced with perhaps red and purple. So I don't see why I should have to dress my boys in dull cr*p.
SO, to finally get to my point, I'm thinking of petitioning the high street retailers as I'm so fed up with being fobbed off with boring clothes. Does anyone else want to sign up, and if so can you suggest what colours you'd like to dress your boys in?

Badhair - do debenhams as well - they more or less had nothing as well (not good English I';m afraid - just rushed in - I'm supposed to be cooking dinner!)

Sign me up too..
Totally agree with everything said here, and would also like to add that when you DO eventually find a sun-hat for a baby boy (my ds is 12 months), they never have fastenings under the chin, which means that my ds just takes his hat off. (Does anyone else experience this problem?) Also, why is there always a stock shortage in the 12-18 month old boys ranges?

I've just been on a uk pumpkin patch website and signed up for a mail order catalogue so I assume its available here...
Hennes were great for affordable bright basics last season but I was v dissapointed last week. I've found some of the nicest things on ebay and in 2nd hand shops - takes time but you certainly get more variety - mind you his wardrobe is still predominantly blue/green/beige. I too am sick of being expected to dress my ds (11m) like a thug or a half wit. I dont want to dress him like a soldier, I dont need reminding he's a baby with a helpful "baby" motif across his middle. I dont think tacky teddys and rabbits are cute nor do I think it's clever to cover him in bumper sticker style slogans - as far as I'm concerned, its just like dressing him in those awful novelty ties and socks that reps wear because they think it shows their wacky side. There's obviously a lot of MNers onboard but you know, maybe we ARE in the minority (shudder) - my MIL thinks I'm a picky stuck-up killjoy, practically denying DS a babyhood for not dressing him in bunnykin outfits.

I'm starting to agree about the girl's clothes too. DD is only 11 days old but I have been trawling the clothes shops and seeing things (like tops with only one strap) and thinking "no she's not having that". But do think there is slightly more colour choices for girls than boys.

Fortunately (unfortunately?) ds1 rather suits the sludge palate - but having vivid copper coloured hair its hard for him to look drab!
Agree with all this - hate the logos/camouflage stuff.
But I have to say I'm glad I don't have to face the nightmare of girls clothing - I thought I would indulge myself when a few friends recently had baby girls, and venture over to the 'pink' section - but it was awful, everything either too pink or too flowery or too sexualised...
I've got a lot of nice second hand stuff (especially Next) so I think it must be getting worse.

Tarka - I got a nice hat (albeit blue!)with a strap under the chin in Gap - although was 2 summers ago but I don't know if they are doing them this year. I hope so because DS2 is too big for the said hat and I will have to buy another one!

I don't have a ds,but have to agree.My SIL had a little boy last month & it was a nightmare trying to find baby boys clothing.There seemed to be far more girly stuff & what boys stuff there was was all blue or beige.Very uninspiring.

My pet hate is tarty little girls clothing-they are children for heavens sake!No way is my dd going around in rhinestones & glitter like a miniature hooker.I don't like Barbie plastered on clothing either.There is very little in the shops that appeals to me & I have to say that most of her clothing at the moment is second hand or hand me downs-a lot nicer designs,colours ect.

The trouble is, Mirage, finding someone who can hand you down clothes who is quite well off and has good taste

I got loads of orange summer stuff from hennes back in february. But it may have been in the 12 months and under section though. I keep buying orange and red cos I got fed up with blue. I got some lovely vivid stripey stuff from Tesco as well and the cheapy chain Peacocks, (everything 50p in the sales!). I got some great colourful stuff in charity shops too but they were brands I didn't recognise.

Its rare to see black even and I really have a yen for something deep purple colour. I knitted him a bobblehat that colour poor boy! I have the hat talking off problem too. I spent a whole afternnon playing the pulling off/putting on game and he seems to keep it on for longer now if hes distracted by something interesting. or asleep! He won't keep the legionaires type on on though.

I go to car boot sales in 'posh' areas.I often get Next outfits for 20p each & my best bargain was a Harrods cardigan for 20p!

I would sign too! I'm sure it was better when ds1 was small - he had some brightly coloured stripey things. Why would I want to dress my 2 year old like a scaled down version of his Grandad - navy blue, bottle green, beige, grey or - even worse - like a bl**dy Action Man?

Took ds2 for new shoes the other day and they came out with a black pair. For goodness' sake he has the whole of the rest of his life to wear black shoes!

The choice for ds1 (7) is appalling too - Next is full of horrendous logo-ed, tattooed tops and trousers so baggy the crotch is round his knees.

What I want - plain jeans (no embroidery, logos or chains), bright plain T-shirts, lots of stripes, bright green, orange, red, bright blue, cotton troesers with elasticated waists, SHORT shorts (not to mid shin). Not too much to ask is it?

Pumpkin patch is lovely, btw, treacletart, but last time I looked they didn't do mail order. Also love Mini Boden but really don't want to take out a second mortgage to dress my boys!

Badhair, as someone said, email them this thread. I would gladly support whatever you decide to do, add my name to it.

Finding different things for ds twin toddlers to were can be a nightmare. And yes, what is it with skulls? Are we meant to be raising mini-Goths here? There are tons and tons of girls things and boys get looked over, swimwear is a nightmare too.

I would like better knits, stripey jumpers. Some good colours would be:
All shades of green
All shades of red
Blues from pastel to navy
Mixed colours, turquoises etc.
Bright cheerful patterns and motifs, not Goth or "teenager."

Who are you intending to petition? We could all email different stores and catalogues, sending them this thread.

count me in!!

i have found great clothes, sorry anyhow my point is could i send them to someone, birth till 4, free....?

fiary fly is that four months or four years because i have seen some great clothes upto 12 month not my ds will be going into 12 months up soon and i am dreading it because i havent seen anything nice for him

Very fed up of older boys' clothes. I can find loads for DS2 (2 years old) but he isn't the one who needs the clothes, he has loads of hand-me-downs from DS1. DS1 is the problem. The town I live in doesn't have much choice for clothes either which doesn't help. Adams was always quite good but I am now finding that they have gone a bit skateboard too and their sizing doesn't seem to do DS1 as well as it used to. Next fit him well but I am frusted at the lack of short shorts and I agree that some of the stuff is just too grown-up, he's only five. M&S us just plain boring, I was in there today and was bored with the pathetic choice of boys clothes shoved in the corner.

I can't be bothered with catalogue shopping (except Next Directory, see problems above) and don't see why I should have to make a special trip to Edinburgh/Glasgow for some shorts and t-shirt!!!!!

My five year old would love some of the younger Next clothes, they've got some really great stuff just now with monkeys on, he would look great in those.

Mummytojames, four years, i know taste differs, but you or anyone else a welcome to them. as you know hardly been worn

No time to read the full thread but dear!, I join the protest!!! I was thinking of acussing Next of sexism, just about 20% -if not less- of their babies clothes are for boys!!! (well I won't acuse them directly but dear, they need to deal with it!!!

By the way, also found that is almost imposible to find something not-to-casual for special ocassions.

Maybe we should get really subversive and set up a mumsnet clothing exchange, according to area and age of children, thereby depriving clothes manufacturers of thousands of pounds of business.

I'm amply supplied with hand-me-downs for my ds (nearly 5), but have no-one to pass them on to, as all my friends have other sources. I keep finding myself having to take big bags of stuff to Oxfam, so if anyone in North or East London has a three-year old boy and would like to be the next downward link in our chain, let me know.

Conversely, if anyone has a source of non-girly clothes in age 10 or so, please bring it on!!!

Punpkin patch is available in Nottinghan (Victoria centre) and Derby (Eagle centre??)I think that they may also have a couple of others but I only tend to shop in the Midlands - not one in Birmingham at present but they are hoping to open one there soon.

I'm not sure that they do an official mail order but I couldn't find the size of a top in Nottingham and they gave me the number of the Derby store and said they would post it to me for about a £2.50 postage charge.

Noticed that they have also started to do a small range of maternity wear there too.

I'll join you too. I have a ds aged 3 and the stuff around at the moment is so dull and I just don't want to waste my money. He does love football so has got quite a few kits and euro stuff but every year, the same styles/colours seem to get sold. I love having a ds and would happily have another but sometimes hope that I will have a girl in the future just so I can buy some other clothes!!

Me please, frogs! And I agree with everyone else, more bright colours please (I do reccomend Gap for this, as I've said on another thread, as long as you go there often enough to pick up the sale bargains).

Mirage - I do the "posh" car boots too. Bought a pair of Boden shorts for ds for 5p last week!