School Clothes Shopping

Post Reply New Topic

DS is going into 4th grade. Any ideas what the "cool" brands/styles are for that age? He is oblivious to what other kids are wearing, so he can't help me. I don't mean to be superficial, but his clothes are one of the few things I can control in terms of the impression he makes on classmates, so I try to dress him as well as I can. He is outgrowing the clothing at some of the children's stores, and I'm not sure what to buy with no direction from him.
If anyone else is also wondering what to buy for back-to-school, feel free to add your own questions.

My general experience with my second-grader is that you just about can't go wrong with jeans/khakis with a soft, elastic waistband and t-shirts with popular/favorite characters. All our clothes are second-hand and I'm dressing him more for the "I want to wear that!" factor than whatever impression it makes on people (as long as it's clean, in good repair, and appropriate to the weather I don't care, though I do try to discourage him from going to school in sweatpants)

So my kid probably doesn't look all that great (I'd be a terrible judge). But I don't cringe when I look at the pictures.

Omg. I'm not the only one who does this. I thought I was being "superficial" but omg, if she was NT and happy wearing sweat pants and a t shirt all day every day? I wouldn?t intervene. I?d figure it?s either ?What the kids are doing? or she?s ?Getting by? with it. I know that not dressing my daughter in line with the other kids is just another mark in the ?Weird? column for the kids. I run her girl scout troop so I do get to see what the other girls are wearing. Honestly, it?s ALL over the place. My daughters main prerequisite is that 1) it be comfy, 2) not all pink. So What I do is go to Justice for Girls. Honestly, I can do all of her school clothes shopping in one trip. From my girl scout troop I know that girls in the age range of 6-10 go nuts over anything from justice. Why? I have no clue, I think it?s ugly. But it is well made. Also, to my surprise she deems most of the clothes comfortable. I think it?s sheer luck that stretch jeggings are in. They have some nice soft ones in there and she loves them. Also leggings and tunic tops etc? I just have to watch the ?bling? as some of it can be scratchy on the inside. Our only sticking point is shoes. Little girls? tend to wear really crappy shoes that are terrible for your feet. They love ballet flats?. A lot. My daughter won?t wear those so foot wear is a constant struggle.

So for a boy I would think it?s even easier really. Boys from what I?ve observed at her school tend to wear a lot of cargo pants, cargo shorts, t shirts (with various themes), polo shirts, sneakers. Some jeans. NO jean shorts. Those are one of the few items that are ?out? right now that would get a boy picked on horribly, at least in our area.

Exactly.



I'm looking for a go-to store like that for tween-sized boys.



Good to know. Especially about the jean shorts - he has a pair in his closet! I also recently tried to buy him a jean jacket, but after a lot of questioning he told me all the girls wear them and the boys don't. So close call there.

That is why I cannot find jean shorts. I suspected such as apparently they are called "jorts." I knew grown men were not supposed to wear them. My husband was mocked for wearing them by some punk kids a couple of years ago. I was hoping kids could still wear them, but I guess not.

I like them, though, and I think the shorts out now that are really long look like a modified form of something old men would wear in the early 1900s, like those olde timey bathing suits that cover everything.

*sigh*

My oldest son is in middle school. He just completed 6th grade, but i've seen younger kids wear this uniform. In my area, kids are wearing basketball type shorts or gym pants (not sweat pants) made of synthetic materials, and synthetic athletic shirts. The shorts must come to the knee or just a little below - they cannot be too short. If they are shorter, they will show their non-white cotton boxer briefs when they sit down. Under Armour is the cool brand, but Nike and Adidas work too. Jeans are also OK in the colder months, but I've seen some boys wear the shorts even in 40 degree weather. Cargo shorts/pants also work. Khakis are out, if they are not cargo. Also, socks are important - the to-the-calf, I forget what brand, but they cost $15 to $20 a pair socks. These socks are so highly prized, S1 received a pair as a birthday gift from a friend. They have some triangle at the top of the cuff at the back of the leg. And nothing color coordinated - that's trying too hard and looks like your mom dressed you. It's hard on the eyes. Shoes can be sneakers/running shoes or the plastic sandals with the wide strap across the toe, worn with socks in the colder months.

And dressing inappropriately for the weather is super cool. Winter coats are zip up hoodies. Absolutely no actual winter coat. Of course, I live in the southern US, so it doesn't get blistering cold down here usually. If it does get really cold, all the parents just sit with their kids in their car at the bus stop until the bus arrives. At drop off time after school, some kids are met with a warm car, and others brave the cold to walk home, since they don't have to stand around. When it did get really cold here this past winter, school actually got cancelled in part because the kids don't wear winter coats (and some don't even have them).

My youngest son just completed 4th grade, and he wears jeans and cotton graphic tees, or tees in his favorite color (turquoise), or a plain white tee. And a zip up hoodie. Always the hoodie. He isn't much into following the crowd when it comes to clothes. At least that was last year. This summer, he has discovered the comfort of gym shorts, though (but still the cotton tees) so I don't know what his preferred dress code will be when school starts.

However, some schools don't allow athletic wear, so you'll need to check your school's dress code. Unless you homeschool, then it doesn't matter.

Yeah I've heard the term "jorts" too. I picked up on it because a group of moms was snickering at some poor KID on the playground. I asked what was up and they went on to tell me about "jorts" and how denim shorts are basically not for boys and it's like putting your boy in a skirt. That was an eye opener for me and I was SUPER glad I didn't have a boy because he totally would have been wearing "jorts" because I just don't know any better. My husband picks on me for spending so much at Justice but honestly I'd be lost. For the summer I bought a bunch of OshKosh online because there was a sale... and well now she is dressed like an older lady on a cruise. It all looked cute on the internet page, but when I put it on her.... old lady. That won't ever happen at justice, that place stinks of gradeschool/tween girl. Lesson learned.

So where I live, in terms of boys stores, I think that "Old Navy" is a go to for a lot of moms.

My best girl friend is fashion-conscious. Her son is about 10; he gives a lot of input but 100% of what he wants to wear is military/camo anything and everything. For a tween boy in rural West Virginia this is an acceptable fashion statement, but it still bugs her.

She does a lot of Old Navy (either secondhand or on sale). UnderArmor she says is insanely popular there right now; I don't know if that's a West Virginia redneck thing or if it's going on elsewhere too.

I should make more of an effort to watch the kids when I'm down at the school, but generally I'm too busy hanging onto my little ones and trying to do what I came for without making an ass of myself to have any attention to spare for what the kids are wearing.