Thrift stores. And, hosting a clothing exhange for the school sounds like a great idea.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do your boys really wear black pants instead of khakis? Really?

All the boys I know wear khakis (which work well for Christmas, Easter, thanksgiving, church, etc.).

Ditto for black shoes. All the boys I know wear Sperrys/docksiders (which (again) can be worn for both Christmas and Easter).

re: girls - why not simply have them wear a dress of their choice? Boys in khakis, white dress shirts and a tie (of their choice), and girls in the dress of their choice. The winter holiday concert presents a perfect opportunity for kids to wear their holiday outfit.

My kid wouldn't be caught dead in khakis and Sperrys. Also why do you assume everyone is Christian?

We are actually Christian and Jewish. Our Jewish relatives and friends where khakis as well. Nobody I know buys black pants for little boys.

Also hard to dress a girl for this. Black shoes, a skirt long enough to cover knees while seated (most skirts these days are short) and a white blouse. We don't have any of these things. And they won't be worn outside of the concert.

Wow, op, you sound awful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is standard concert attire for every school band and chorus concert since the beginning of time.

+1

Do u live under a rock Op?

Maybe OP can't afford it. Think of all the high FARMS schools. Forgo something something else they need for a one night event or tell kid they can't participate?

Oh, she can afford it. She just has to bitch about something

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is standard concert attire for every school band and chorus concert since the beginning of time.

+1

Do u live under a rock Op?

Nope. I just find it supremely annoying to buy black shoes and black pants that will be worn one time. And FTR, I think black pants and a white shirt from Target look worse than nice khakis and a dress shirt and tie. If given the option, the boys in our area would wear VV or RL.

Jesus. Make your kid quit then. You really sound insufferable

Anonymous wrote:Poorer students tend to go to schools where they have a dress code anyway. My Title One school just has the kids wear their uniforms- khakis and red pants. Any shoes are fine.

There’s no dress code at MCPS Title 1 schools.

Signed,
A Parent With Kids at a Title 1 School in MCPS

Anonymous wrote:Our school requires black pants and white shirts for the winter concert and band performance. As a mother of boys, I would never buy black pants but for this one night event. Instead, it would be easier if they could wear khakis since we already have those---and I feel like most families would already have khakis rather than black pants.

I'm curious how others feel about this?

Black pants are standard concert attire in schools across America. Get over it

We would not have khakis and the black bottoms gives better options for girls. Also khakis come in a huge range of shades. That option would be worse for us.

OP, I've just gotten my son's concert attire together, so I feel your pain. But it's part of the deal of that activity. I also had to buy him basketball shoes recently for rec basketball (not sure if regular gym shoes would have been acceptable, but he needed the ankle support).

I like the idea of a clothing exchange, since some 6th grader could probably benefit from the black pants and white shirt he has outgrown. Maybe we should all freecycle them at this time of the year! (You can also make a request on freecycle for what you need.)

My kids attend church regularly so they have black pants and dress shoes. They also have black suits for formal events like weddings and funerals so they just wear the pants from them.

If your don't have black dress shoes and are low on money, just wear dark senakers. No one will notoce.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is standard concert attire for every school band and chorus concert since the beginning of time.

+1

Do u live under a rock Op?

Nope. I just find it supremely annoying to buy black shoes and black pants that will be worn one time. And FTR, I think black pants and a white shirt from Target look worse than nice khakis and a dress shirt and tie. If given the option, the boys in our area would wear VV or RL.

Sounds like orchestra is not for your family OP.

How about polo or cricket instead?

Anonymous wrote:Everyone is missing the point that for some families buying black shoes and pants for a single event is not affordable. Maybe not for OP who seems more annoyed than anything, but I'm certain it is an issue for plenty of others.

I recognize the point that buying black shoes and pants for a single event is not affordable for some. I suspect, however, it is more affordable than this dress code suggested by a prior poster: "And FTR, think black pants and a white shirt from Target look worse than nice khakis and a dress shirt and tie. If given the option, the boys in our area would wear VV or RL."

I suspect RL is Ralph Lauren. I have no idea what VV is, but I imagine it's more than my family wants to spend, and we are comfortably middle class. Moreover, if worst comes to worse and the kid shows up in jeans, they would probably blend in better with black pants than khakis.

You can get boys' dress shoes at Payless for under $20 and they often run buy one get one half price sales. I recognize that when you have no money, it's still too much. However, in a pinch, they might get permission to wear black sneakers which would certainly blend with black dress shoes better than if everybody else was wearing Sperrys or Docksiders. If a child can only afford one pair of shoes, I think it is far more likely to be a pair of sneakers than a pair of boat shoes.

https://www.payless.com/boys-dress-shoes/

Anonymous wrote:Our school requires black pants and white shirts for the winter concert and band performance. As a mother of boys, I would never buy black pants but for this one night event. Instead, it would be easier if they could wear khakis since we already have those---and I feel like most families would already have khakis rather than black pants.

I'm curious how others feel about this?

I *feel* (since that's what you asked) like black pants with white shirts is the standard and has been since the beginning of time. Unless your school is requiring you to purchase a specific brand and style, this approach is used all over the US.

I also wonder if high FARMS schools, they may not necessarily have this policy (since many seem concerned about affordability). I think that the dress code would be a school decision and a principal knows what is best for that school's students and families.

I also donate my son's black pants to Interfaith Clothing. Hopefully other parents would do the same.

Anonymous wrote:Actually its the black shoes that annoys me. They aren't the same size from winter concert to spring concert. I'm thinking of starting a black dress shoe exchange at school.

I don't buy black dress shoes for my DS for a one or two time event. He just wears dark colored sneakers. The dark pants is fine. They are $15 at old navy.