At the other extreme… I made the mistake of telling my DD about the classmates who bought clothes at the dollar a pound store and dyed them all black.
Now she “can’t wait to go” to the https://garmentdistrict.com/departments/ in Cambridge. Inflation: it’s now $2/lb at Buy The Pound, except on Fridays.
Oh @stalecookies - that’s a great idea! FWIW, we bought PJ’s at the FiveandUnder store - good idea also for holiday photos and gifts. Cheaper than pajamagram! You can also get supplies there for school.
On the higher end, I’ve seen a lot of Gucci, Veja, and Golden Goose sneakers. For skirts it’s usually LoveShackFancy and PrincessPolly. Moncler puffers and Canada Goose are popular picks for the winter. Most of the brand-trends seem to be on the female end (or maybe that’s just because I don’t pay attention to the male trends), but there’s no shaming or pressure, which I really appreciate.
I usually like to wear best quality and low price hoodies, pants, hats and shirts from astroworld merchandise last month. The best one is [Amusement Park Hat](https://astrocollection.net/product/amusement-park-hat/). It is very comfortable and good in look. I think you have to try this once and I am sure you like the stuff
I go to Andover.
Winter it’s all about Canada Goose and Moncler jackets (maybe some Burberry?). Some AF too.
Workout clothes/regular Lululemon, mainly. There’s also Adidas, Nike, etc.
Bunch of school merch worn regularly (usually hoodies.) Champion too? I’m not quite sure.
I wear a lot of Hollister.
Shoes. Lots of Gucci, adidas, yeezys, golden goose, Nike, L.L. bean.
Honestly, no one really cares what you wear, since clothes don’t define you. The brands I listed above are what people usually wear.
Roller Rabbit pjs & Loveshack Fancy (or similar look)for girls.
Some boys tend to wear flip flops even in January. Boys generally dress the same - khaki pants, button down shirt, blazer for school dress. Jeans, shorts, t-shirt outside of school.
Depending on where you are at school, you may be wearing certain clothing items more often. Do invest in good water proof or resistant boots if you’re planning for a NE school and also heavy down coat with a below zero rating.
Backpacks?? Do BS kids use backpacks?? I dont remember ever using one, but I also feel like we had less stuff to carry around in between classes.
Definitely backpacks are a thing at kiddo’s school. In part because they carry around laptops everywhere.
Backpacks are a tripping hazard! Kids leave them around everywhere. I always think what a false sense of security that gives them - it might be fine to leave your laptop lying around at a boarding school enclave, but it won’t be at college.
Kiddo left his backpack out somewhere and it rained. Ruined the laptop. Grrrrrr.
Loveshack Fancy has a collaboration with target stores at the moment, and the clothes are 1/3 the price and have the same look and quality!
Good sale going on now @ LL Bean and Lands End on winter gear and boots … I’m doing Christmas shopping now and getting those sale items!
@Golfgr8 I would LOVE to buy now. But I just know that I will get it ALL WRONG and get things that NO ONE wears (“Mom!”), which will completely eat up any savings I might get.
Yep- You are so right @Calliemomofgirls - I am guilty of buying the things “NO ONE” wears. Now that kiddo is heading into Junior year, less concerned about what others are wearing and is more practical.
I know it’s summer, but do start thinking of winter term now to save $$. Oh - one item I forgot to mention to buy/get for your kiddo is a warm pair of slippers! We just got the fuzzy-lined moccasins 50% off this week.
Some schools have “mud rooms” and areas for kids to hang up wet jackets and store boots. Our school doesn’t have this and the kids can’t leave anything in the hall due to fire code. We didn’t want messy boots/shoes/cleats in the small dorm room, so I bought a large metal bucket at the hardware outlet. Kiddo places the wet boots and/or muddy sports shoes in the bucket to dry out and not get the floor messy in the dorm room.
I hope no one feels pressured to by these brands. Maybe people “notice” them (isn’t that the point?) but I cannot imagine that “everyone” wears them especially if you consider the number of kids on generous FA.
I think at the majority of places it is actually school hoodies and Vans that dominate. It’s just that those don’t stand out.
My kid bought North Face because he didn’t want to be ostentatious. Cuts both ways.
My dd goes to one of the HADES schools and wouldn’t be caught dead in a Canada Goose. Her preferred shopping place is the thrift store. One of her favorite coats is her granddad’s old leather jacket. I suspect few schools have an overarching style of dress.
That is definitely more of the vibe at our school.
This generation of kids has been taught they can be who they want to be and have a voice. They also respect the idea that other people make different choices. This extents to clothing.
The overwhelming rule, IMO, is wear what you are comfortable in/love. No one really cares.
BUT comfortable shoes are a must. Do not underestimate how much walking will be done on a given day.
I have heard of Canada Goose but have never considered it. I just googled it, and a jacket is $850-$1000! Holy cow.
No one in our house has any clothing, accessory or shoe item that costs that much (except maybe my wedding dress). There is no way that I’m going to send a kid to BS with a coat that costs that much.
Do parents of kids already at BS find that things ‘go missing’? I don’t necessarily mean stolen, but someone borrows it and doesn’t give it back, or kid leaves it somewhere and forgets to pick it up?
Do you put your kids name in their clothes/on their stuff? I think that kiddo would be mortified if I did that (she’d think it was like being in preschool). But if it has a name on it, is it more likely to get returned to the rightful owner or is there a lost and found room in BS which is filled with these designer coats, shoes and electronics?
I did put names in things, especially outerwear and sports clothes, not because I feared theft but because these would be things that would be easy to leave behind or to pick up someone else’s. When everyone has the same bean boots and takes them off at the door, mixup are easy.
But I also once had someone take my Burberry raincoat on a commuter train and leave me with one many sizes too big. And no, we never found each other!
I put names in things I thought kiddo could easily misplace, get confused and/or costs a lot to replace. I marked her fall coat (she wouldn’t be caught dead wearing Canada Goose due to animal cruelty allegations against the company), raincoat, duck boots, and her rain boots. I would also mark sports equipment if applicable. Stealing can also be an issue (at any high school). Back in my BS day, I had a dorm mate who stole my SLR camera and countless packages. When in doubt, make expensive things identifiable.
While true, usually it is simply a mistake where there is a pile of black jackets and a kid inadvertently grabs the wrong one. Absolutely label.