Where do you buy boutique kids clothing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can say for myself I have bought boutique clothing occasionally when I was looking for something you simply would not find anywhere else. I think without a doubt you will find things that are better made (fabrics, attention to detail, etc), although I'm sure some boutique clothing is a rip-off. I might go to Piccolo Piggies for something like a special outfit or a coat (which would be seen all winter). Status? Maybe. But most of my shopping was at the Gap and regular places. This just supplemented the run-of-the-mill wardrobe.

Honestly? I hope you really meant you wanted honesty. I HATE most clothes at the GAP, Old Navy, Gymboree and places like that. I think a lot of it is ugly/tacky/crappy/cheap looking/not my taste. A lot of it is too "sophisticated" or has hideous embroideries or ugly "geegaws." I really like my children to look gorgeous and I love really nice clothes and beautiful fabrics and colors and shoes. Simply, it makes me happy. Their clothes are beautiful and tasteful (unless you know you can not tell how much I spend) and people comment on how great they look all the time . I do supplement with things from Target (leggings, sweats, basic shorts and tees) but the jeans at those places never fit my daughter anyway and occasionally Old Navy or Gap but its rare. I love J Crew for my older child.

Basically I would say I like beautiful things, I am into the aesthetics, whether its my home (which I did myself) or my kids or whatever. I really truly ENJOY dressing my children. It makes me sad when I see kids in faded/ugly/sad/tacky looking clothes. I hope this clarifies things without being too harsh. Its a very persoanl thing (I get that). And, while I am into beauty I am also into kindness and intelligence and good manners and lots of other things too.

[Anonymous]

Wow. This thread is up past 1,000 views. Pretty important topic, huh?

[Anonymous]

Are the children who wear clothes from boutiques allowed to play in the grass, write with chalk on the sidewalk, make mudpies, fall off their bikes, do fingerpainting, eat drippy ice cream cones, etc.. etc.?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are the children who wear clothes from boutiques allowed to play in the grass, write with chalk on the sidewalk, make mudpies, fall off their bikes, do fingerpainting, eat drippy ice cream cones, etc.. etc.?

Yes, they are. Just not while their wearing their boutique clothes.

Honestly, next time someone posts about where to get a good manicure, I'm going to post, "Do manicured ladies ever clean toilets, wash windows, fix their kids broken toys, open doors, or participate in a normal balanced life?"

I do not think children who wear boutique clothing wear them all the time. But it's odd that just mentioning boutique has instigated such a visceral reaction!

[Anonymous]

personally mine plays wear ever he wants regardless of what he has on

enless we are off to church or something then I may say no getting ddirty until after church but nothing to dow ith what her has on

I figure if something gets ruined who cares hes a kid once

[Anonymous]

My children often wear faded, old, mismatched clothes. (For special occasions, holidays, recitals, etc. they dress up and wear nice clothes). The play clothes are always clean- no stains. I always brush my kids hair and wash their faces, and I believe they are presentable (I teach my children the basics of grooming), but they are not fashionable. Is this sad that I don't care how they look fashion wise? I never thought about it. I guess it is partly because 90% of their wardrobe comes from yard sales and hand me downs, and partly it is because I grew up in the country where the only shopping choice was Kmart. When my siblings and I got older and in junior high we asked our mom to drive us to the nearest big city 2 hours away so we could buy school clothes beyond the Kmart selection. I was never picked on as a child in my Kmart wardrobe, although everyone else around me was wearing the same thing..... the same dynamic isn't in play in DC where fashion choices abound.

Many posters have made some interesting points, and I've welcomed the chance to think about these issues. I guess I will let my kids direct their own fashion choices within reason once they start caring about it, and I think points about beauty and aesthetics are interesting but not relevant for me.

[Anonymous]

this topic is funny! i hope all of you boutique moms have a nice, BIG savings account also set up for your precious little fashion plate! or does looking cute trump an education? my husband and i have over $100K set aside, plus our retirement accounts that we max out on. but our little darling boo boo baby's clothes come from old navy, baby gap, and gymboree. tacky? maybe.... i hope he doesn't hate us when he's got no student loan debt!

[Anonymous]

The little girl in someone's school with awful clothes and messy hair is probably my daughter. She insists on picking out her own clothes, and she is still learning to match and has a passion for stripes. And sometimes right before school, she rolls around on the floor and messes up her long hair. Gosh its a wonder they let us stay in private school preschool!

Back to the topic, I have bought expensive clothes, and my precocious daughter refuses to wear them, even if she picked them out in the first place. Money down the drain. Now I try and buy more cheaply, since 1/2 the stuff won't make it into her outfit rotation.

[Anonymous]

My, my. Amazing what we find to worry about in this area!! I am not referring to the original question, but rather to the heated response!! I am very thankful that some parents do still buy boutique clothing, because these clothes are not only cute but also very high quality. I know because I buy them used at thrift stores when I can and they are wonderful!! But if no one but them new, then how would I be able to buy them used?!

If I did not have the thrift store option, then I would buy them new on sale and just buy fewer clothes. Quality over quantity. Believe me, the fabrics are much more comfortable for your DC and the fit and durability are great. Why buy an Old Navy or Gap item (even on sale) when you can buy a great, gently used boutique item for the same price as a Walmart shirt?! Nothing against Walmart, mind you. No judgment here ... no sirree!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:oh PULEEEEZZZZ! Not clothes that "don't come from a trunk show," but clothes that are UGLY / FADED / TACKY etc.... Its SAD because the parents obviously don't CARE how their child looks and that stinks. Its sad because eventually those kids are going to get teased by their peers. Its sad because its not that hard to make your child look respectable, clean and well-dressed (= cared for). Its sad because one day your kids will likely look at pictures of themselves from childhood and ask "HOW could you dress me like THAT" and know that you put your self-righteousness before making them look nice. Yup, Sad.

Well first off - guess who the kids are that tease other kids about their clothes? YEP! The ones with Moms like you. Your kids hear and see you judging other people because of such petty matters. And second - did you ever stop to consider that the ugly/tacky/faded clothes are ones the kid picked him/herself? And finally - it's very possible YOUR kids will look at pictures of themselves from childhood and ask how could you dress me like that? Case in point - many of us are children of the 70s/80s. Styles change. And I just don't get your continued accusation of self-righteousness. It's not self-righteous to dress your kids in clean, tidy clothes that may not come from a boutique.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My, my. Amazing what we find to worry about in this area!! I am not referring to the original question, but rather to the heated response!! I am very thankful that some parents do still buy boutique clothing, because these clothes are not only cute but also very high quality. I know because I buy them used at thrift stores when I can and they are wonderful!! But if no one but them new, then how would I be able to buy them used?!

If I did not have the thrift store option, then I would buy them new on sale and just buy fewer clothes. Quality over quantity. Believe me, the fabrics are much more comfortable for your DC and the fit and durability are great. Why buy an Old Navy or Gap item (even on sale) when you can buy a great, gently used boutique item for the same price as a Walmart shirt?! Nothing against Walmart, mind you. No judgment here ... no sirree!!

Can you tell me the name of the thrift store you frequent? Does it specialize in the boutique type clothing or do you really have to look?

[Anonymous]

for what it's worth--i love seeing that kid in the mis-matched outfit who clearly dressed herself. reminds me of me. kids aren't objects to admire. they are little people!!! let them be kids! you can have your boutique clothing. i want my baby boy to wear clothes he can roll around in, spill on, and be a kid in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well first off - guess who the kids are that tease other kids about their clothes? YEP! The ones with Moms like you. Your kids hear and see you judging other people because of such petty matters.

Sadly, I think this is true. It's one thing to have preferences, it's another to judge other people's choices. Children will follow your lead, but without any subtlety on the judging part. (While adults can usually manage to be quietly catty or even silently judgmental, children tend to be more expressive and literal with teasing and bullying.)

As an aside, my observation is that this thread was perfectly civil and helpful until the 21:00 poster answered a question about "Why boutique clothes" with a gratuitous swipe at the way other people dress their children. Unnecessarily hurtful, in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:for what it's worth--i love seeing that kid in the mis-matched outfit who clearly dressed herself. reminds me of me. kids aren't objects to admire. they are little people!!! let them be kids! you can have your boutique clothing. i want my baby boy to wear clothes he can roll around in, spill on, and be a kid in.

OMG - where do you live and will you be my friend? You rock! LOL.. Thanks for your sane and happy voice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can say for myself I have bought boutique clothing occasionally when I was looking for something you simply would not find anywhere else. I think without a doubt you will find things that are better made (fabrics, attention to detail, etc), although I'm sure some boutique clothing is a rip-off. I might go to Piccolo Piggies for something like a special outfit or a coat (which would be seen all winter). Status? Maybe. But most of my shopping was at the Gap and regular places. This just supplemented the run-of-the-mill wardrobe.

Honestly? I hope you really meant you wanted honesty. I HATE most clothes at the GAP, Old Navy, Gymboree and places like that. I think a lot of it is ugly/tacky/crappy/cheap looking/not my taste. A lot of it is too "sophisticated" or has hideous embroideries or ugly "geegaws." I really like my children to look gorgeous and I love really nice clothes and beautiful fabrics and colors and shoes. Simply, it makes me happy. Their clothes are beautiful and tasteful (unless you know you can not tell how much I spend) and people comment on how great they look all the time . I do supplement with things from Target (leggings, sweats, basic shorts and tees) but the jeans at those places never fit my daughter anyway and occasionally Old Navy or Gap but its rare. I love J Crew for my older child.

Basically I would say I like beautiful things, I am into the aesthetics, whether its my home (which I did myself) or my kids or whatever. I really truly ENJOY dressing my children. It makes me sad when I see kids in faded/ugly/sad/tacky looking clothes. I hope this clarifies things without being too harsh. Its a very persoanl thing (I get that). And, while I am into beauty I am also into kindness and intelligence and good manners and lots of other things too.

Honestly, I am thinking that this original post was put out there to get a reaction. The person uses phrases like "it makes me sad when I see kids in faded/ugly/tacky looking clothes" and all of us fell for it.

And so that set off a class war over something ridiculous. I think the original post was perfectly fine. Where do you find boutique clothes? Maybe she wants to get a gift for a friend. But this ridiculous sad/faded/tacky comment got everyone into a frenzy, and I think you (we) all have been hoodwinked. I simply can't imagine there is someone who honestly believes it is sad for kids to wear frumpled clothes. It's adorable of course. But once one person takes the bite on that first post and starts to call the boutique buyers horrible moms, they need to respond in kind that the slovenly kids look like they were raised in a barn.

Let's make it a rule not to respond to the obviously RIDICULOUS. It's ridiculous to all of us. And it is a total set up by some poster who wants to see the thread deteriorate into something inane.