Parents of well dressed kids - tell me your secrets!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:oh dear.

???

[Anonymous]

Good high quality basics. Red, blue, white, khaki colors that can all be mixed and matched. Splurge on a couple pairs of nice shoes. A nice coat. A nice fleece. Fill in the gaps with less expensive things.
I like Gap, Jacadi, Janie & Jack. Shop sales and use eBay.
Also, make sure the clothes fit your child well. My son is lean. The jeans at Jacadi seem to fit him better. The skinny jeans at Gap work too. Wide leg pants look ridiculous on him. Good fit = priceless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, how do YOU define well dressed and well put together? Are you talking expensive looking clothes or just clean and matching?

I am very, VERY careful with shirts that say anything. Nothing that a pedophile would see as an invitation (sassy, flirt, cutie)

Oh, is that how pedophiles select their victims?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You made rules about which tops your 12-year-old could wear with leggings and which days your 12-year-old was allowed to wear yoga pants?

To each their own priorities, I guess.

Yes. She was wearing t-shirts she was about to grow out of with her leggings. So they barely covered her entire stomach. And yes - she was wearing very faded black yoga pants that were too short but apparently VERY comfortable that she didn't want to part with, even for new yoga pants. So no, she could NOT wear them to the holiday party at a friend's house, to temple, etc.

My kid gets sentimental about her clothes. ::shrug::

I am with you PP. I do the same. Leggings require shirts that come down far enough to cover her butt. Yoga pants must be in good condition, pill free, clean, etc. Same with leggings.

I also upgraded the brands of leggings and yoga pants I bought.

I will also add, we don't buy a new shirt if we can't identify pants/skirt to go with it and vice versa.

Clothes have to match.

Clothes can not have excessive pilling, no stains, no holes.

Appropriate shoes/socks for the outfit as well. No patent leather flats with socks with shorts.


Some clothing basics we always have and updated as needed:

not too casual skirt and sweater or dress - again with appropriate shoes and tights/pantyhose if needed

Coat/Jacket including a rain coat- appropriate to weather, solid basic color to last the season, one coat that can at least pass as a dress coat,

Cardigan sweater - basic color in cotton to go with sleeveless dress in fall and winter

Athletic wear - shorts, capris, shirts, jackets for sports - spring and fall

shoes - boots for winter -uggs and some knock offs, sneakers - at least 2 pairs in good condition, flats - in black (rarely worn), one other pair of dressier shoes that will go with lots of outfits

Black capris and leggings - to go under outfits as needed

[Anonymous]

Polo has a 70% off sale going on right now. I like their stuff for little boys, and the shirts last forever.

[Anonymous]

PP @13:42, how old is your child?

[Anonymous]

OP, here's what you do. Do NOT buy 5 separate coordinating outfits. Rather, make everything go with everything.

Get each child 5 pairs of solid-color jeans and/or knit pants, as plain as possible. Then pick a few colors to be "their colors" for the time being, with either black or navy as the neutral. So, like, your son might have navy, dark green, light blue, red, and gray. Your daughter might have purple, navy, light blue, pink, and gray. Then just make sure most of the tee shirts, sweaters/sweatshirts, socks, and shoes are in the appropriate colors and so that they go with most things. So that is your basic wardrobe.

Try to keep the colors in mind when shopping, and don't buy things that clash with the colors. That way you don't have to plan every outfit specifically-- it all mostly goes together because it's all the same subset of colors. Then, whatever else people give you or you choose for fun will probably go with the solid-color pants, and at least one of the other colors in their wardrobe.

[Anonymous]

Clean shirt, new shoes
Silk suit, black tie
Gold watch, diamond ring
Cufflinks, stick pin
Top coat, top hat
Black shades, white gloves

[Anonymous]

My boys are very young - 4 and 1 - but I consider them well-dressed. It's not about fancy brands, but about well-fitting clothes in good shape that much. It actually really surprises me how many of the kids in this area (upper middle class circles) look so crappy (clothes that don't fit at all, not even close to matching etc). And I'm not even a fancy dresser myself, at all!

My standbys:

- Lots of plain bottoms/tops so there's usually something to match with a funkier shirt, plaid shorts, etc

- Clothes always fit well

- No athletic shorts (I know I may not be able to do this forever) except on weekends or at playground etc (ie not for everyday)

- White ankle socks or no socks depending on the shoe (so many kids wear these old-man calf-length knee socks)

- Neat hair and face

The vast majority of it is the clothes matching and fitting well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Generally, I buy pants/leggings that are solid neutral colors, so that pretty much any top can match. If I buy something that's not a neutral, I already know which tops it will match--and it has to match more than one top. I will buy several items that can be mixed and matched from the same store--so two leggings and two tops in the same color scheme.

I don't have a set color palette, but I do keep in mind what colors I'm buying so that new things can be easily integrated.

+1. I also tend to choose 2-3 "sets" from the same season/collection in one store, which can also be mixed with neutral pieces (solid leggings, plain t, etc.). No licensed characters or glitter, and no slogans, unless DD has specifically chosen them. It bugs me when kids are treated as billboards for a brand or their parents' ideas, but I'm totally fine with her wanting to support a favorite team or express an idea that's actually hers ("dog lover," "summer," "protect the planet," etc.). This summer, I bought 4 different pairs of white bike shorts that coordinate with nearly every t/tank/dress/tunic she owns. As soon as something gets holes or stains, it's either donated or tossed (depending on condition).

She actually wants to wear tops and bottoms that go together and has a not-horrible sense of what that means. From the neck down, I think (and people say) she looks "put together." Her hair, however, is usually sort of a disaster, and that definitely detracts from the overall impression!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid wears a uniform to school. I get like 10 of the same little polo dress, plus a pair or two of pants and shirts in the appropriate colors. Then we accessorize. She likes tights, so we get fancy tights and nice shoes.

The real secret, though, is making sure that her hair is not a mess and all the clothing is intact, unstained, etc. I make sure that her bangs are trimmed and that her hair is brushed and styled (ponytail usually, sometimes more elaborate) every day.

I know this is true but my 3-year-old SCREAMS when I brush her hair and pulls out every kind of clip, ponytail, headband I try. I am hoping that it will change as she gets older but for now, I have this raggamuffin little girl that I know looks like a mess. But I have to pick my battles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid wears a uniform to school. I get like 10 of the same little polo dress, plus a pair or two of pants and shirts in the appropriate colors. Then we accessorize. She likes tights, so we get fancy tights and nice shoes.

The real secret, though, is making sure that her hair is not a mess and all the clothing is intact, unstained, etc. I make sure that her bangs are trimmed and that her hair is brushed and styled (ponytail usually, sometimes more elaborate) every day.

I know this is true but my 3-year-old SCREAMS when I brush her hair and pulls out every kind of clip, ponytail, headband I try. I am hoping that it will change as she gets older but for now, I have this raggamuffin little girl that I know looks like a mess. But I have to pick my battles.

Make sure you use detangler and a tangle free brush.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clean shirt, new shoes
Silk suit, black tie
Gold watch, diamond ring
Cufflinks, stick pin
Top coat, top hat
Black shades, white gloves

Mr Peanut, is that you?

[Anonymous]

My son makes it quite easy by refusing to wear anything which is not navy blue or black. Occasionally he will tolerate a green, less often a stripe and never a plaid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid wears a uniform to school. I get like 10 of the same little polo dress, plus a pair or two of pants and shirts in the appropriate colors. Then we accessorize. She likes tights, so we get fancy tights and nice shoes.

The real secret, though, is making sure that her hair is not a mess and all the clothing is intact, unstained, etc. I make sure that her bangs are trimmed and that her hair is brushed and styled (ponytail usually, sometimes more elaborate) every day.

I know this is true but my 3-year-old SCREAMS when I brush her hair and pulls out every kind of clip, ponytail, headband I try. I am hoping that it will change as she gets older but for now, I have this raggamuffin little girl that I know looks like a mess. But I have to pick my battles.

I took my DD for a short haircut-- specifically told them to give her something that looked good with no clips or anything. Best decision I ever made. I do have to take her in every few months, but I make it a quality time outing.