Anyone else stumped about where to buy your children's clothes now that Boden have declined in quality

[perceptionreality]

....while their prices have shot up! I'm really frustrated about it. Their leggings are absolute shite now - years ago they were brilliant.

It's very annoying because my youngest is too wide for Gap stuff and I find other shops like M&S and Next are a bit hit and miss. The Boden tops used to wash and wash and could easily be used for 2 or even 3 children. Now after a few months of washes they are reduced to tat. Such a shame.

Where do you shop instead?

Lands End is bloody brilliant for kids clothes and their customer service is AMAZING. The best ever.

Mothercare, Next and Bhs.

Used to shop at MiniBoden but pre-sale I think it's overpriced and the quality has somewhat deteriorated in recent years. I also find that dd1 (8) is too old for MiniBoden but too young for JohnnyB. Likewise most of the clothes companies mentioned above are very good at providing clothes for under 8s but there seems to be a gap in the market for non-tarty, yet quite sophisticated and tasteful clothes for the 8-12s.

I cannot get my head around spending stupid money on poncey clothes that'll only last them a season or two so I tend to favour H&M nowadays. I'm also quite impressed by the new Asda collection! You do have to wade through an awful lot of not v nice sparkly stuff in neon pink and black though to find the gems. My two have always had very strong ideas of what they will and will not wear so I tend to go for quantity rather than quality with them and consult them first.

another vote for lands end. if you live near one of their outlet stores (like i do!), great bargains there.

TK Maxx
POP
Frugi
John Lewis
Debenhams
Monsoon
GAP
Zara
H&M

I've bought from the following places all in the sales or on discount codes for DS(3):

Gap
Mini Boden (must have been lucky as so far everything has lasted really well and some of it he's been wearing for 18+ months)
Monsoon (although I wish that they'd be a bit more imaginative with their styles and designs from year to year)
Little White Company (got a lovely linen shirt in the sale for £5!) He's got a couple of pairs of their summer roll up trousers which he's has had since he was 1 and unless he expands considerably outwards this summer then he'll be wearing them again this year as they are still like long shorts and he'll be 4 in May!
John Lewis - got some great bargains for next winter in there at the weekend
Tulip & Nettle - some lovely unique pieces for special occasions that last and last and last
Primark for jeans
M & S - agree that it can be very hit and miss but there can be some good finds especially in the Autograph range
Zara - good for jersey tops and trousers
H & M - great for basic layering t-shirts which means a summer shirt can be worn in the winter

im kind of stuck this year. Boden was alwasy my fail safe for dd1, she will be 6 in march though and she's tall but not tall enough for 7-8 and 5-6 is often too short, especially the dresses. So this year has been limited as to what we can buy. A couple of pairs of shorts, some of the longer style tops in 5-6, and the petticoat style skirts. the 5-6 normal t-shirts are too short and the 7-8 is huge, so I sent a huge order back.
Monsoon she loves in the summer as pretty dresses, but struggle in the winter.
Gap she likes too and fit well, but tend to be on the more boyish side all jeans and t-shirts, while this is practical, we do like pretty clothes and skirts and dresses as well.
john lewis- the range is much better in store then online. particualrly thier own label, pretty much boden how it used to be and better sizing range.
JOules- hit and miss with sizes, dresses tend to come up large, skirts and trousers wide on the waist. coats tend to be on small side.
Zara- quality and sizing can be hit and miss, prefer to shop instore.
h&m- fab basics and often a few gems to be found, the £2.99 summer dresses are brilliant.
Frugi- we love frugi and the range while small is good. excellent quality fabrics and wash so well. i am dreading dd outgrowing them.
next - again one or two items but mainly too grown up or too sparkly for everyday wear.
the childrens place is brilliant, its online over here and shipping is a bit ££ but the quality is great, excellent knickers that cover her bottom but lots cheaper than boden ones.
also if you dont mind shipping then old navy is great too, gap quality but cheaper and bigger range. i buy a fair bit for myself from old navy.
both always worth asking gp's or anyone you know going on holiday to the states to pick up stuff for you. also p.s by aeropostale. they all ship but obviously if you are going on holiday anywhere near a store then better to buy in person.

crikey, my DS must be really small as I find joules really big! He is 4.4 and age 3 fits easily

brighthair - thanks for the link of Out Of The City. They have Joules stuff in the sale and delivery is free!

ooh is it percept? Might have to get DS the space hopper tee!

Hi Everyone,

As part of my studies of Fashion and Textile Management, I am researching Parental Consumer Behaviour of Childrenswear. I am interested in gaining an understanding of the area and hope you are willing to provide answers throughout this short survey. The information that you provide will be collated with others and analysed as market research. The information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence and you will not be individually identified in any presentations of the results. All questionnaires will be kept in accordance with the Data Protection Act and destroyed at the end of the project. Thank You in advance for your time and participation.

www.surveymonkey.com/s/HPKP7LN

Thank you!!

I love Zara for kids stuff.

My son lives in polarn leggings (when he's not at school) He loves the velour ones and shuns trousers. He's worn these since he was a toddler and shows no sign of giving them up. They are as bright and soft as when we first got them. Best of all because of the ribbed cuffs and adjustable waist elastic you can buy them too big and they last years.

Can't believe the prices in some of these places! I go to M&Co., H&M and Sainsbury/ASDA for day to day stuff, but if she needs a nice dress for a party or something and I can't find anything in those places I'll try Next and TK Maxx.

I still love Boden for coats, tops and skirts. With discount the prices aren't to bad. Just got the padded coat with furry hood and it's lovely.M&S not too bad but you have to root the good bits out from among the dross.
Millets are fab for fleeces and outdoor/riding bits. Great quality and amazing prices. White company always good for PJs although they can't sew buttons on their Duvet covers to save their lives but that's a whole other thread.

too* bad , massive grammar fail .

My mainstays are John Lewis,M&S and Boden

Oh and I got some great T-shirts and shorts for DS from Zara but I don't the quality of the T-shirts matches up to John Lewis etc