Where to buy dress up clothes?

[Homemaker]

My daughter is turning 5 in a couple weeks and for her present I would like to get her a few dress up clothes. Does anyone know of a good place to order some? She has a few princess ones. I am looking for durable clothes and more modest ones (not midriff showing chearleader outfits), ones that are good for pretend, like a nurse or something along those lines.

 

Thanks so much!

[momofkhm]

Good Will!

 

They won't be "dress-up clothes, they will be real clothes. You can just buy a women's size of whatever she would like. My mom bought these for my girls and they LOVED them! Every child who came over at that age loved them.

 

Think about it, they want to dress up to be like mom. These will look like mom's clothes! You will never have to worry about the larger child not being able to fit into the dress up clothes. They always will!

[Anne]

Good Will & Salvation Army.

 

Anne

[bookfiend]

If you are looking for actual child's costumes, Overstock.com often has wonderful ones on sale after Halloween. I also like Vision forum for period pieces.

[MamaT]

When my girls were little I found some "party" dresses at reasonable prices at consignment shops. I also second the Goodwill recommendation.

[Margaret in GA]

http://www.creative-edu.com/

 

I love this company. Their prices are reasonable and the clothing is *great* quality.

 

margaret

[kamom]

My dd and many friends have had hours of enterainmant with several yards of lace, several yards of sheer fabric, and other pretty fabric. They wrap it in whatever fashion they like and pin it or tuck it in.

[Mad Jenny Flint]

You could use one of those boxes that hold reams of paper, with the lid, and cover it in wood-grain contact paper and a big gold belt buckle hot glued on the lid could be the "latch." Hot glue some jewels all over it to make it very fancy!

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

I second the thrift shop idea. You can find some horrible formal dresses there (even wedding dresses). With a few well-placed safety pins, the dresses will be perfect for any princess. My dd does not even notice that the shoulders are pinned and the skirt is knotted on each side. The short formals make nice long dresses. The uglier to me, the more beautiful to her (we have differing opinions on sequins and puffy skirts).

 

You can also find scrubs at thrift shops, but I'm not sure how well those would "alter." If you do a search on child scrub sets, you will find numerous companies that sell scrubs in little people sizes. My dd had a set of "work clothes" for a long time, monogrammed with her name on the pocket and everything. Flannel shirts and jeans work well for cowboy/girl, and a man's suit coat and tie are also must-haves for any dress up box. Nothing cuter than a 5 yo girl in a big suit coat with the sleeves rolled up and a tie on!

Edited February 26, 2010 by MeanestMomInMidwest

[5forMe]

When my kids were younger (boys and the girl) they played for hours on end with playsilks from www.magiccabin.com or hearthsong.

 

I also supplemented their playsilk stash with silky scarves that I found at goodwill or yard sales.

 

They seemed to be able to make those silks into any "costume" they wanted.

[FaithManor]

Ebay may have some great deals on Laura Ashley dresses which are nearly always very modest and totally cute. Also, when my daughter was little I bought used dress clothes: Hartstrings (everything is cute and nearly always modest), Wooden soldier, and Bonnie Jean. I also purchased used Rothchilds coats. These manufacturers make beautiful, well-designed clothes that retain their value if taken care of....I could usually recoup 75% of my investment by re-selling again on ebay or to my friends with younger girls.

 

Hope you find what you are looking for!

Faithmanor

[LibraryLover]

Many gowns and such can be had from Goodwill etc. You can always cut them down.

 

I love natural things-- butterfly wings, silks, etc. We have been going here for years and have always been thrilled with everything. I like how soft, comfortable, and open- ended silks are.

 

http://www.novanatural.com/toys/dress-up?range=11%2C20%2C21

[Dmmetler]

For the princessey, more costumey stuff, look for dance costumes on craigs list, freecycle and the like. The girls wear them for a couple of performances, and then they're done. After about age 6-7, the girls don't tend to wear them for dress up play, so the moms are GLAD to get them out of the closet.

[Rosie_0801]

My dd got some play silks for Christmas and those have been her favorite dress up thing ever since. She can be anything with a play silk.

 

Heheh. My daughter uses muslin baby wraps for this. If she's got one on her head and one around her middle, she's a nun from Sound of Music. If she's only got the one on her head, she's Maid Marion :)

 

Rosie

[Mommee & Baba]

I too agree. Goodwill!

[myfunnybunch]

Goodwill and other thrift shops, also garage sales. I found fabulous stuff. Also the closets of friends and family. Ask if they've got old costume jewelry or out-of-date fancy clothes they're never going to wear. My daughters loved dressing up in a couple of old prom dresses.

 

Play silks are awesome. Even the boys played with those, until they were tattered and torn. Also look for flowery scarves at the thrift shops. They are so versatile.

 

Capes are easy-peasy to make. If you're not much of one for sewing, you can cut them of bright fleece and use large ribbon for ties.

 

And you have to have a set or two of fairy wings. (If you don't have a local store/maker, you can get them at Target or similar.) :tongue_smilie: We still have our fairy wings. The boys like to share them with their girl friends who visit.

 

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! My girls are "too old" for make believe dress-up. (I can't wait until they grow back into it.) For a second here, I am teary and just aching for those sweet days. Have fun with your sweet girl.

 

Cat

[lynn]

TJ Maxx and JCPenney's has really good prices on dressup type clothes.