Who else is super worried about formal dress codes? Lettuce discuss said dress-ing codes although we are off to different places!! Wooohooo!!! Good stores, good tips, good tricks? Anything goes on this super fantastical extra magical salad dressing of codes!!!
Depends on what school you are referring to and how you define formal. My D is at a school w no uniform but with a dress code. It is a nice relief to her, having come from a day school w uniforms.
@dowzerw uniforms sound really annoying… I only have 2 choices and both are very different … the formal one would be Lake Forest Academy and I have about enough money to purchase 5 watermelons and a super sized plush panda…
you might have to settle for a panda that is not quite so plush…and look good doing so
@dowzerw I love it!! I hate to be over confident… but this is the one thing I think I can make work… not just work… I can make it work like #gucciflawless 
haha… I think I will save the watermelons for the summer months 
My current school has a dress code. Here are the shops I go to the most.
Vineyard Vines
Ralph Lauren
J. Crew
Brooks Brothers
@bicerip thanks!! That is definitely not in my panda/watermelon budget 
Is there a resale type thing? I can totally do amazon or something like that haha!
Daughter will finally be able to wear what’s in her closet as she is coming from a uniform. She has good fashion sense, hoping it will not take her forever to get ready in the mornings…! No VV, JC, BB, or JL in her future, but she knows how to rock it.
I always find it curious that some kids only seriously consider if they will be able to live with a school’s dress code AFTER they go through the process!
As I mentioned recently in another thread, I think it does help to invest in a few quality pieces like a blazer and a few pairs of “in dress code” shoes (so you can rotate them for wear and stink’s sake). The rest fill with sale rack stuff from the Gap or Target or Uniqlo. Younger girl has a few blazers from Zara and they were under $100…possibly $49 each, which should hopefully fit into the panda/watermelon budget.
In all seriousness, wardrobe (even not rocking it at the #gucciflawless level) is something kids/parents should keep in mind…both in terms of budgeting and “can I live with this”? The latter is not really something that was a factor for either of my kids at the schools they ended up attending.
@SevenDad thank you!! Oh, sorry I must have forgotten about the thread! To target I go!
@mexusa That’s fabulous!!
If you dig some more, there are a number of threads on how to look good in dress code without blowing your budget.
Thrift and consignment stores in well-to-do areas, eBay, and end-of-season sales from stores that sell classic styles. Sign up for Lands’ End sale emails; they have frequent markdowns.
My DS’s school has a dress code, but no uniform. We didn’t overspend on his clothes at all. Maybe it’s different for boys, but he could care less where his clothes come from. His collared shirts are mostly from Target and he loves them because they are soft. They dress pants are mostly from Old Navy because they have the long sizes we need. He couldn’t care less if other kids are wearing Brooks Brothers. As soon as classes are over he changes into PJ pants anyway! There will always be people who have nicer things than you at BS, particularly for many of the kids on FA. I think it’s actually good for him to understand how different people live.
Thank you so much!! @Momto4kids @twinsmama @SevenDad @mexusa !
Try going to outlet stores, they have good prices on clothes from those brands.
Hey @UIButton ! Something I read in a thread: google “[insert name of store or brand] coupons” !! Ull have great options!
@Anonymousia yay!
I had mentioned this somewhere else, but go online to Alibaba. You can pick up some dress blouses, skirts, blazers for very reasonable prices, often with free shipping. They supply all those boutique type stores that do not have name brands. My D1 at college got some great blazers in fun colors and some very nice dress blouses. Always getting complimented…