<p>Why not let him pick his own clothes?</p>
<p>@Weatherby, but</p>
<p>but</p>
<p>how will we match, then? ;)</p>
<p>My op was in regards to the amount of clothing needed. (though I’m fairly certain he’d be happy enough to inherit my old concert jerseys)</p>
<p>Weatherby and vegas1 bring up an interesting question for me, though…and it’s related to a whole bunch of other “choices” (music, friends, love interests, D&A experimentation) kids make at this point in their lives. I may start a new thread exploring it if I can think of some way of framing it.</p>
<p>It’s easy to do. My D wanted to shop for preppy clothes when going to summer school for the first time, and realized her “vision” of boarding school was not the same as the reality. When she enrolled full time we asked her to talk to students, then mine the internet for videos and photos of current students. That helped a lot.</p>
<p>But I can imagine if I were not a BS grad, I’d have made the same assumption. When I started Exeter there was no internet for research. It was a guess on what to pack and my clothes were too formal for a campus climate where everyone else was wearing topsiders. :-)</p>
<p>Remember how my dad handled this with me (BS & college)…I went with basic clothes, with the understanding that I’d do the wardrobe upgrading <em>after</em> I got there and had a sense of what passed as fashionable. Worked like a charm, and I always thought the old man was pretty smooth (& accommodating) to let me choose for myself. Now I’m the old man…and my wife likes <em>preppy</em>. DS does, too, it turns out. ? 
?</p>
<p>@123Mama</p>
<p>I am an outlier. I shopped and paid for my clothes from a young age. I cannot fathom mommy or daddy having much involvement in my wardrobe when I was 12 or 13.</p>
<p>An idea would be to get him a Paypal account or debit card and load it with a specified budget for clothing. My son is delighted with a couple of seemingly new $15 Polo cashmere sweaters that we scored off e-Bay. I am pretty sure UPS and Fedex delivers to BS. Why not go light in the fall and buy stuff as he goes along>just a thought.</p>
<p>laundry service</p>
<p>Laundry service has been very helpful for my child, just have to remember to take down the sack once a week and clothes come back clean and pressed, shirts hanging. The services are really not that expensive for what they offer, since the washing machines and dryers run on quarters. (Most services allow a choice of more expensive dry cleaning or not). Many schools recommend using the service, because the few washers and dryers are in demand, stuff gets forgotten, left on the floor wet, taken out by others, wrecked in the wash…and it saves the kids at least an hour a week, which adds up.</p>
<p>At the risk of beginning another HUGE debate about whether laundry service is a blessing or yet another sign that we just ain’t bringin’ our kids up right, I agree that it has been a real boon for my kid. I think it may be more of a “must” at schools with stricter dress codes; it is certainly less expensive at some schools than others. At any rate, it does help you plan how many clothes to send–always assuming the child remembers to drop the dirty laundry off on time each week…</p>
<p>Just to keep things in perspective, I had the laundry service in boarding school and still managed to grow into a responsible adult who can keep my house clean and manage my family’s laundry!</p>
<p>We’ll probably get the laundry service the first year and then give D a choice - we’ll either buy laundry service or deposit the difference in cost in her bank account as spending money.</p>
<p>vegas1- what does your son wear? Turtlenecks? My son is also from Nevada and dresses very casually. He will be starting at Exeter and is wondering what is the most comfortably he can dress while meeting the dress code and not looking odd.</p>
<p>Thank you very much!</p>
<p>A note on girls clothing</p>
<p>Hopefully during revisit days you noticed what students actually wear vs. the “dress code”. I sent a lot of “nice slacks, dresses and skirts” and she ended up in jeans. Every day. The dressy stuff ALL got sent home.</p>
<p>Suggest sending very little to begin with for girls. Girls share everything (LABEL). It is easy to mail stuff or order on-line with free delivery when your daughter gets a sense of what she needs/likes. A few pairs of shorts, a few pairs of jeans (nothing ripped or torn) and some shirts she likes should do it for starters. Sandals and casual shoes. </p>
<p>A fleece jacket (like North Face) will take her thru fall, and a warm waterproof shell/down liner (like Noth Face) is good for winter. Mine also asked for a down vest, and LL Bean duck boots (short wool lined mocassin style, and also tall), and J Crew cardigan sweaters.</p>
<p>The closets are also potentially very small. Many kids wait to get winter clothes by mail because they do not fit. Then, for spring she wanted crazy bright jeans and a few scarves.</p>
<p>Like 2prepMom we sent our D with basic stuff- she then ordered a lot of stuff once she had realized what everyone else was wearing. Amazon, Nordstroms and week ends home supplemented the rest.
Bean boots, North face, UGGS were the basics to start fall/winter. The wardrobe grew exponentially from there!</p>
<p>This is the way I plan to go when I send D off this fall - I’m certain that her taste/style will change and I don’t plan to force clothes on her that she doesn’t like at this point. I have a feeling that the exact same pair of corduroys or winter boots will be much more attractive to her if it’s her idea to get them than if it’s my idea!</p>
<p>[Whit</a> Stillman’s Guide to Preppie Fashion | The Measure](<a href=“http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2012/04/12/whit-stillmans-guide-to-preppie-fashion?showFullText=true]Whit”>http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2012/04/12/whit-stillmans-guide-to-preppie-fashion?showFullText=true)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Note: This is not a serious guide to style.</p>
<p>Really? </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t know about “anti-consumerism”; it’s a way of life for us. I’m waiting for my slik rosette ties to come back into fashion. ;)</p>
<p>@Periwinkle: I finally got around to reading the entire article and I would venture to say that Mr. Stillman is dead serious in that interview. I’ve been a fan of his since “Metropolitan”, having watched it during its original theatrical run. I believe him when he says he’s never worn sneakers or sweatshirts. Think of Tom Wolfe’s “white suit” uniform and it doesn’t seem so far fetched.</p>
<p>In the intro to that article, the interviewer makes a comment that “preppie in his films is a bi-product of a search for timelessness.” I think this “search for timelessness” is not necessarily a bad thing, and in many ways preferable to/easier than trying to keep up with trends. People may see it as something of a conformity to a certain style…and as GMTplus7 notes in another thread, it can lead to a bit of “like father like son” dressing. Hence my “does the apple fall that far from the tree” thread a while back.</p>
<p>SevenDad: Oh, Mr. Stillman is probably dead serious in the interview. Although, his story about Madras makes me think there’s some levity. An actor hates Madras, and somehow you make him wear Madras? </p>
<p>As for conformity, well, I happen to think that conforming to peers’ expectations can happen with any style. There are Goths who conform to Goth style.</p>
<p>Bumping this for the GIRLS who are now packing too much as I type. Mine always overpacks. Even for sleepovers she looks like she’s ready for a two week vacation.
And then I want to do another thread for “realistic amount of bedding.”</p>
<p>I am currently in the process of reapplying to boarding schools. Although I have never attended boarding school, I currently go to a very preppy, wealthy, non-uniform private day school, where the popular styles are very similar to those in boarding schools. One thing I recommend for girls are chunky, oversized, knit sweaters. These are great for fall, before it’s cold enough for winter coats. You can buy these from Forever 21, for a cheaper price, or you can invest in brands like Urban Outfitters to get a couple thicker, better made ones. These are so comfy and cute, and it’s easy to just throw them on with skinny jeans and Ugg boots during a rushed morning. Plus, you can layer them with shirts and jackets when it gets colder!</p>
<p>Kitteny - yesterday my D and I had the “no, you can’t bring everything you own” conversation. I had to point out that she won’t have an entire bathroom’s worth of space in which to store things any more (she shares the bathroom with her 11-year-old brother who needless to say doesn’t use even a tenth as much of the space as she does).</p>