Have been focusing on daughter’s LSAT and getting her going with law school apps so I have not been on CC for a while. Now that the first year of BS is looming, I need some guidance. I am sure I am obsessing over this as a diversion from empty nest syndrome. However-I do need help! So-I have a boy. His school has a new (kind of strange) dress code. For school days a jacket and dress shirt OR a dress shirt and tie OR a dress shirt and nice sweater OR of course it is possible to wear jacket, tie and dress shirt. In both instances, dress pants. There are sometimes (hot weather I presume) that he can wear a collared shirt and dress shorts (belt). In the afternoon and the weekends he prefers t shirts and casual shorts or nice sweatpants. The campus laundry will do wash and dry cleaning . . . So-to me this is a massive math problem. I do not want to send him with too little (I have done that before) or too much as I think storage of course is limited. I am leaving really cold weather clothing at home for now and will send it later. So-if there are any experienced equally compulsive parents out there . . .what do you suggest? (coats, shoes/boots, underwear, ties, belts I think I can figure out). Here are the questions: Sports Jackets? Dress Shirts? Collared polo shirts? Dress pants? Shorts for casual days? Shorts for regular days? Sweat pants or jeans for after school? Long sleeve t-shirts? Short sleeve t shirts? Sweaters? Sweatshirts? Thanks in advance!!
What part of the country will he be in? Will it be summer weather for long once he’s there?
Find out what day his laundry will be picked up and delivered. 3rd form, guskid’s was picked up on Friday and delivered on Monday, so he needed much less than 4th form, when it was picked up on Tuesday and delivered on Thursday, if that makes any sense at all.
it is New England. . .
OK–just found this from the school. Dress jackets (2-3), Dress shirts (8-10), sweaters (3-5), slacks (8-10), Casual jacket (1) casual shirts, t shirts, active wear (8-10), neckties (6), rainwear, heavy winter coat, underwear, socks, bathrobe, pajamas, clippers, sneakers, winter, hiking and or rain boots, casual shoes and dress shoes. . . Should I trust this? I am obsessing in part because he grows so fast. . . I will find out more about laundry.
If you’re not already in New England, then I would probably go for the max on the sweaters, fewer on the short sleeved stuff. Sweaters are so much cozier than jackets in the cold. Also, take a look at Lands End-- you can get some great sales.
And there’s always Amazon prime 
My son never used a bathrobe and would not wear pajamas. He slept in his boxers. (kid gets hot when he sleeps). So, consider whether your son will use those items if he doesn’t use them now.
You can never go wrong packing TONS of underwear and socks, IMO.
Find out how often shorts are allowed. St. George’s allows dress shorts instead of pants, and apparently shorts are worn almost year-round DS was told by a friend who is already there not to bring too many pairs of dress pants until later in the year. I agree with what @doschicos said above - DS figures he can wear cozy/baggy sweats around the dorm - as “leisurewear”. Based on DD’s experience, bring lots of underwear, socks, and athletic clothing. I’m going very light on the more formal/expensive items until DS decides what he really needs. But he’s a minimalist and wants to go off to school with only one tie. I guess that’s technically OK, but…
Also, if you err on the side of less to start off, it will allow for any adjustments in case his tastes may change once at boarding school. It’s not unusual for an early teen, even boys, to look at what older students are wearing and want to emulate.
Here is what I am seeing re. laundry schedule:Monday drop off of dirty clothes, Thursday delivery of clean clothes.
Thursday drop off of dirty clothes, Monday delivery of clean clothes. Is that typical? It sounds pretty sweet . .
He is going to Berkshire correct? Tell me if I’m wrong I might be mixing you up with somebody else 
I am current student at Berkshire. I use the laundry service and oh my gosh it is a god send! The laundry is picked up on Monday and Thursday from the dorm common area and delivered back to the student on Monday or Thursday. For example, a student would send their laundry out on Monday and it would be returned on Thursday. You can leave laundry on both Monday and Thursday. Most guys at Berkshire wear pants and looking at the info you gave about the school teccomendations I would pretty much follow that excluding the bathrobe. I don’t know anybody at school who really wears a bathrobe just to lounge in, most people just stick to comfy sweatshirt. Again, my answer is very Berkshire- specific so if I have you mixed up with somebody else I apologize. If you have anymore questions about Berkshire just pm me and I would be more than happy to answer! @sadieshadow
Hi @sadieshadow – I am in the same boat (and DS will be down the road at Salisbury, so same weather (though of course Salisbury doesn’t have that unisex dress code!). I am wrestling with the same thing…in the spring I didn’t want to do to much shopping too far in advance; now I feel like I have left it all till the end and my mind is a blur. They are allowed to replace dress pants with Bermuda shorts (and belt, tie, dress shirt, jacket) when it’s “warm,” which to DS means pretty much until Christmas break. Even though the laundry comes back after 3 days, I am thinking in terms of a week’s worth of regular dress clothes, so that in all cases he can get through a week of classes in clean clothes, even if there were a laundry snafu. He will not wear sweaters (turtlenecks can replace shirt/tie when it’s cold), so it’s all shirts and ties for us (maybe he will eventually give in to peer pressure). However, I am going to go light on blazers – he seems to outgrow them within a few months. As of now he has 2 belts that fit (he feels he only needs 1) and one pair of decent shoes; I am planning on making sure he has two pairs of decent shoes. He’ll probably also have a week’s worth of polo shirts and other casual collared shirts that (I think) he can wear to dinner and for evening study hall. Our list said PJs and a bathrobe too, but DS mostly wears old shorts and t-shirts, and he has a couple of pairs of PJ pants.
He goes up a week early for preseason camp, so we can get an idea of how much room he’ll have and either take home the overflow or bring up more next time we go. And there’s always Amazon Prime.
Thanks. So–as far as “leisure” or athletic wear . . how much are you sending CTMom21? Yes he is at Berkshire! Thanks for the info. cababe97. We will not send a robe!
@sadieshadow, DS will be up for about 5 days of soccer camp, which I think (probably should confirm) is completely casual. For that week, he’ll have several pairs athletic shorts, a couple of pairs of soccer pants (all he wears other than khakis/dress pants), a week’s worth of t-shirts and 3-4 hoodies – a week’s worth of clothes to wear when they’re not training. I think that will be enough for him as far as truly casual stuff for the fall, given that Saturday night-Sunday is the only truly casual time. He tends to wash and wear his favorite stuff all the time, so no sense packing dozens of t-shirts…I think…
Hi! So now I am figuring out some of my confusion. Do you guys assume that your children will bring home enough clothing to wear when they are on breaks? How much do you have at home as well?
Horrors, no. I had my wardrobe for BS, the one at home, the one at the ski chalet in Gstaad, and the one at the summer villa on the Italian Riviera.
Just kidding. I had one wardrobe, so yes, I took/take clothes home for break, but we’re talking a relatively short period of time living in a place with a washer/dryer. Also it may be a guy thing, but I tend to rewear clothes more often at home.
Breaks are also a good time to bring home/swap out out-of-season clothes. Also some might bring home clothes they’ve outgrown, although personally, what my brother did not want was donated locally.
A caution to buy what is needed but not more (as best you can tell). And don’t buy anything very good or expensive unless it really doesn’t matter to you. (Speaking as one who just saw all the clothes purchased in 9th and 10th grades laid out in giant heaps on her bed in preparation for donation.) Boys keep growing. And several years at prep school can have an effect on a young man’s fashion sense.
My son packs light and seems to have a bottomless drawer of shorts and t-shirts at home. He’ll probably come home for breaks with a string bag and the clothes on his back, so I’m going to make sure he has basics at home. We’ll have to plan a little bit for breaks when he’ll have to dress up for church (e.g., Christmas Eve) or other occasions or we’re going on a trip or something.
Keep the winter clothes for later in the year. If you aren’t in driving distance, you can ship boxes to school. Vacuum packing/storage bags can compress light but bulky items like sweaters and coats.
I would send more sports clothes than you think you need, more socks & underwear, especially for a boy. In general, don’t overpack, but boarding school students do sweat. (Check if the school provides any sports equipment, or washes sports clothes, though.)
Kiddos brought clothes home for break. Definitely not two wardrobes.