<p>Hi-</p>
<p>My son is going to be attending a boarding school that requires khakis and blazers. I'm coming from public school, so this is pretty new. Is there a certain type or brand of jacket most boys wear? How many do you buy? How many dress shirts? Is it safe to assume that khakis can be dockers? I think that covers it -- for now...</p>
<p>I buy khakis for my son at pre-prep at Lands End or Old Navy. I have also bought blue blazers from Lands End as well. I’ve also bought khakis, blazers and button-down shirts at thrift shops or sales run by charities.</p>
<p>It’s possible to buy very expensive things from big name brands, but I don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve had good luck finding reasonably priced, well-made prep clothing for my kids at outlet stores. J Crew and Ralph Lauren are two preppy clothing lines. Students on this forum could list more names.</p>
<p>Having said that, schools have different cultures. Many schools assign “big brothers” or “big sisters” to incoming students. If you son has been assigned a big brother, this is a question he could answer. If you need some guidance, you can call the admissions department for advice, or the name of a current parent. The website might have a FAQ page for new students, and many schools send lists of items to pack for the new year.</p>
<p>My son is going to a school that is formal in name only. (He’s got to wear a tie and that’s about it.) But, he likes dressing up so he has several sports coats. The brand doesn’t matter as much as the fabric and cut. I wouldn’t pay too much for something that he’s likely to outgrow before Winter break!</p>
<p>Also, most chinos (Dockers) will look great if they are pressed. My son will be using the “Look Sharp” plan mostly because nearly everything will come back pressed and on a hanger. That way, I don’t have to buy the wrinkle resistant varieties that cost more and don’t last as long. With E&R, this added feature (which also includes dry cleaning) is only 100 dollars more than the basic plan. In my mind, it’s worth it.</p>
<p>My son will be going to school with lots of chinos from Old Navy because 1) they’re cheap and 2) he likes them.</p>
<p>Plus one on the Lands End thing…get their uniform catalog. I say this mostly based on price/durability…there are certainly more “fashionable” places to get this sort of stuff, but I don’t know your budget and actually feel that it’s better to start out slow than blowing thousands on Ralph Lauren/Brooks Brothers.</p>
<p>I would say start with one blue hopsack cloth blazer for now. And plain front khakis. Get 3 white shirts and 3 blue ones (So you only have to do laundry once a week.) 3 or 4 sets of pants…maybe 3 tan khaki and 1 grey flannel style (lightweight, though).</p>
<p>Note that even with uniforms, kids always come up with some way of differentiating themselves. Don’t stress.</p>
<p>So one blazer would be enough, at least to start? That would be great!</p>
<p>My brother was just reminiscing about his Catholic prep school days, and how the boys prided themselves on having one blazer that they wore the entire year. One tie too I think. 
I’d start with one…he’d probably leave the other in the closet anyway. Wait until he asks for another.</p>
<p>And I agree with Periwinkle that it’s easy to find good dress shirts and ties at thrift shops and yard sales and on clearance at outlet stores or places like TJ Maxx–and that way, I don’t get annoyed when they inevitable rip or lose or stain their “good” clothes… I’m a big believer in recycling!</p>
<p>My son needs nice slacks for his dress code and we swear by TARGET khakis. They are wrinkle and stain free and very reasonable.</p>
<p>One blazer would be fine. I have a friend who wore the same blazer for more than one year! Also, some schools will have sales of old blazers at the end or or start of the year. Lands End is good for both blazers and khakhis.
Neatoburrito - I have a LOL image of your son in JUST a tie.</p>
<p>It took me a while, but I got your joke (and my diction error ). Now THAT would be an informal dress code!</p>
<p>I hope we didn’t just inadvertantly give a bunch of Exonians an idea for a prank.</p>
<p>I am definitely sticking with one blazer for now since, I just found out, he is truly between sizes (height-wise he is a 40, but bulk-wise his a 38). I found out about a place in Cambridge, MA called Keezers, that supposedly has a ton of decent quality blazers (tuxedos too, in case anyone in the Boston area finds themselves in need).</p>
<p>My son’s also attend a coat and tie BS and I would recommend sending him with 2 coats. That way if one suffers severe damage from spaghetti or the likes and has to be cleaned he has a back up. Believe me , it happens!</p>
<p>Keezers is great! It’s mostly tuxes and rentals.
Grins back at neatoburrito.</p>
<p>Yep - TJ Maxx is good. </p>
<p>But this year I’m finding amazing sales at Macy’s and Dillards on the clearance racks because stores have to stock to look “in business” but it’s more inventory than is selling in this economy. </p>
<p>Nothing in my daughter’s closet will work for the school day (sigh). But I may be off the hook. My mother-in-law wears the same size as “mini-me” and has closets full of prep clothes because it’s her personal style. We suggested shopping in Nana’s closet since a lot of those clothes still have tags on them. She suggested bringing our daughter up for a visit so they could go shopping together. </p>
<p>SCORE!</p>
<p>Send them to the in-laws with a pitiful look and see what happens - LOL! But seriously, less is more. A few basics from stores listed on this thread until he gets a feel for the dress code (more if the child hates doing laundry or wears clothes until they walk to the laundry out of self-defense). And often looking at the photos on the website is a good clue for what students wear every day.</p>
<p>Don’t forget when they’re out of class they turn back into pumpkins and can dress more casually.</p>
<p>Target’s Khakis really are pretty good. Lands End uniform catalog is a good tip.</p>
<p>I went to that used clothing place, Keezers, where they had set aside a wool blazer that seemed to be made for my son. It’s at least worth a call to those of you who live around Boston/Cambridge. The man who worked there actually tried it on when I called so he could tell me whether it was a generously cut size 38. I have a back-up that is a loaner - a little small.</p>
<p>I think we’ll go easy on the clothes, and invest in some good hangers. My son assures me that, while he may not do laundry every week, he will hang up his clothes so they hold up better.</p>
<p>I just can’t even picture him doing laundry (or hanging up his clothes).</p>
<p>25% off + free shipping - pants and skirts at Lands End [Lands</a>’ End | Swimwear, Outerwear, Casual Clothing and more](<a href=“http://www.landsend.com/]Lands”>http://www.landsend.com/)</p>
<p>Nervous, liked your idea of hanging up clothing; it really does make a big difference. I say this mostly theoretically, not from proven experience. Yet, I’m optimistic that THIS will be the year that our BS child learns to hang up clothing. Lesson to be learned: Don’t lend clothing, especially blazer (in a nearly-impossible-to-find size) and way-overpriced tie even on clearance at Nordstrom (tie was intended to be his most favorite, saved just for special academic and extra-special social events). Another lesson: Do not place said blazer and tie, when friend returns them weeks later, into regular washing machine and dryer.</p>
<p>Parent1234-
Very funny!! In a not really funny way for the parent of course. Sounds exactly like my S’s first year at school. I don’t know how many times as we were going through his stuff I said “where is …?” his response was usually I lent it to “…”. I thought boy’s didn’t share stuff like girls do?<br>
I also sympathize with the nearly impossible size for the blazer. My son can wear a 36R but it needs to be a slim or modern fit which is so hard to find. So I went to Lands End and they have 36R coats in the regular line but not in their new modern slim fit line, does that make any sense at all? I’m beginning to think, who cares if it hangs on him? He probably doesn’t!</p>
<p>We looked for a blazer at a Brooks Brothers outlet this summer, and the salesperson there told us that Calvin Klein is a good source for slimmer fit blazers. However, Parent 1234 confirms my instinct to buy all blazers and ties at thrift stores, and let good fit wait for…well, some unforeseen time in the future.</p>
<p>Target Khakis are great. Last year, they were on sale for $15 and I think the regular price is $20. My son’s two blazers came from Macy’s. Their Alfani line is inexpensive and cut on the slim side. I got him a blue and a black and he had an older, slightly smaller but still serviceable blue blazer. After one year, I can tell you that he wore all three, but that one blue one would have been fine. I liked the idea of a back-up blue in case of the big spaghetti spill but in the end, I don’t think he even knows which one he wore more often…probably whichever one was closest to his hand. JC Penney’s wrinkle-free shirts are great and available in slim fit. They are currently on sale for $15.</p>
<p>Target’s online site lists boys’ uniform khakis for $10 to $12.99, with free shipping for qualifying $50 order. I think it’s a sale this week.</p>