Building a wardrobe, as opposed to buying clothes.

[justamouse]

We're heading into a new season (hopefully? Spring WILL come, won't it?) and I am going through the kid's closets (early, I know, but they've had a growth spurt and outgrew SO much, all at once, of course) and I'm realizing I am wasting so much $ because I 'buy clothes' as opposed to building them a wardrobe (and I know you can only do so much with growing children).

 

Stuff matches...kinda. It's bought piecemeal...which I can understand you can do for a wardrobe, but I have no idea how to.

 

I'm tired of wasting $ and time. Of them pulling through their closets looking for stuff 'that goes'.

 

Do you build it around a few colors? Do you start with certain articles of clothes? I LUURRVVEEE Bonpoint. I wish I had the escarole to afford that for them, but I can sew and knit and want to put something together like this for them.

 

Can you fashionistas help?

[regentrude]

For my kids - no, we do not "build a wardrobe".

DS has dark pants and many T-shirts that can all be worn with the same pants., He outgrows them anyway.

DD has: a few pairs of jeans, mostly solid colored Ts, a few patterned button down shirts that can be worn over T-shirt or alone, all go with jeans. One good black dress for formal occasions. Two summer dresses and a fun skirt that goes with solid T-shirts. Plus a few sweat /fleece jackets, a grey blazer, a fun colored little jacket. Several pairs of shorts.

If we stay away from loud patterns, all things combine just fine.

[SailorMom]

ETA: I obviously need more coffee.... missed the part about this being for kids, lol!!!

For kids, jeans and shirts, a pair of slacks or Dockers, sneakers and a pair of dress shoes, one or two nice button down shirts, etc. :)

 

 

There are some great wardrobe building guidelines out there to pick and chose from.

Google "essential wardrobe pieces" (or some such) and you'll have too many ideas!

Anyway - I like the "What Not To Wear" idea of investing in really good basics - I do wish I had the $5000 budget to do that, though.

I am also stuck in the cycle of buying cheap clothes that wear out too fast. I'm sure I've ended up spending way more money on cruddy clothes than I would have investing in good pieces.

Also - if you stick to the basics those pieces rarely go out of style, or can be easily updated. I really don't keep track of "styles" per se, my clothes are all too simple to really be in or out of style, anyway.

The idea of sticking to a color theme can sure save money/be appealing. I like having basic black that can be dressed up. For example, I have a wonderful (simple) Calvin Klein "little black dress" that I purchased on clearance at Ross. It can be dressed up or down with jewelry, shoes, etc. I also have a black blazer, a simple black skirt, two or three nice black tops, and a black evening dress. Sounds boring, but color is very easy to add and you can get away with owning fewer (but higher quality) shoes.

But - there's nothing saying you have to chose black, brown, or grey. You could go all red or purple!

I'm learning to sew my own clothes and am trying to ignore all the really cool/fancy/elaborate patterns and find a few basic, well fitting ones that I can start building up from. However, most of my efforts end up relegated to the "live and learn" pile, lol.

[justamouse]

I don't know if it is a factor for you, but I often consider what will pass down well too. I try not to buy anything too faddish because if my younger boy could wear it in a couple of years I don't want him stuck in bell bottoms with the heart shaped knee patches because it was cool 2 years ago. And that is actually a real example from my husband. I kid you not, he is very bitter about having to wear funky clothing passed down.

 

 

I TOTALLY do that. Yup. And I never sew anything that won't look amazing in 10 years, so I tend to stick with very classic lines and materials.

 

This Easter my 7 yo will be wearing the dress I made my now 18 yo. *sniff*

[prairiewindmomma]

I hand down clothing between boys. We base a lot around navy/khaki/white.

 

For my daughters, we've done a lot with pink based on a certain obsession with the color....but we also try to incorporate white and something that goes with navy or khaki for photos or church.

 

We are fairly minimalist in clothing.

[AnIslandGirl]

Each season, we buy a few complete "collections" for dd9 so that there are plenty of mix and match outfits. Her favorite collections are from Janie & Jack, Hannah Andersson, Garnet Hill, and Gymboree. This is our dd though who refuses to wear the same outfit twice, so mix and match is essential around here!

[bolt.]

I always buy things in 'complete outfits' if I can. If I buy a tunic, I buy leggings. If I buy embroidered jeans, I buy a co-ordinating top... Etc.

 

I roll these outfits into sausages and secure them with an elastic, so the drawers are filled with clothing-sausages which are complete outfits.

 

At the turning if seasons I pull out what we have and sort / re-match everything that still fits. The outfits do shift contantly as the kids grow. I make a list of remander single-items that could use a friend and keep it on my iPhone - like "A top to go with red velour pants." Then the red velour pants hang out in limbo until I find and buy a top that goes with them.

 

When I browse kids clothes I know I can buy a new complete outfit, or I can buy something I can use with an un-paired item at home... But it's not a good idea to buy a new item that won't have a pair at home, or I'll just be looking for the other half of that outfit for a while before it gets worn... Which I do do if it's something I really like, but I try to complete the outfit asap.

 

This does cause a bit of extra work if whole outfits don't travel through the laundry together. I keep partial outfits in limbo until thier othe pieces catch up with them, then I put the complete outfit into the child's room.

 

These are girls. I understand that most boys and many girls live with a more mix-and-match system -- where most pants are plain and most tops look fine with any of them.

[Amy in TX]

My boys are pretty easy, and yes, it's mainly about what will pass down. We go to Target in the spring and get summer clothes, and in the fall and get winter clothes. Ds12 gets all new stuff, and ds9 gets mostly his brother's old stuff, although I always buy a few new things for him so that he doesn't feel shortchanged. In the spring we buy for ds12 a week's worth of shorts and t-shirts, and socks and underwear if needed. Ds9 gets one or two new t-shirts, ds12's old stuff, and new socks/underwear if needed. In the fall it's long pants and long-sleeved shirts, and a jacket for each, and socks and underwear as needed. Oh, and when I think of it, I get whoever needs one a pair of dress pants and a dress shirt so we have those on hand for the occasional dressy event.

 

Now the girls, who are teens, are quite another matter. The days when I could take them both shopping and get everything they need at one store in one trip are long gone, lol. I pay for their basics--tops and pants, underwear, etc., which they choose themselves on various shopping trips throughout the year. Typically I give them money and they shop, knowing that I have veto power and that anything I think was too expensive or inappropriate will be returned. Trendy/impractical extras they pay for themselves.

[toawh]

I have only boys but the way I run is basically this:

I buy basics twice a year. Usually towards the start of the school year, October, for fall and winter and after the school year, May, for summer. I find that fall clothes work just fine in spring with a few pieces from last summer thrown in on warmer days. The basics will be 4 full sets of sporty/comfortable outfits (ex. jogging pants with hoodie, T-shirt, and long sleeve), three of "nicer" clothes (ex. jeans, button-up shirt, and sweater), socks, underwear, and two pajamas. Then throughout the year I'll add to their wardrobe things that they particularly want as I have extra money from month to month. My older son is obsessed with soccer so for him this usually means a soccer jersey or an adidas jacket. My middle son is into comfort so for him it's usually a soft shirt or sweater or something that's easy to put on like velcro shoes. In this way each of the kids makes his basics that I pick out his own. I'll also replace items throughout the season if a pair of pants get holes in the knees, etc.. When I buy the basics I lean toward quality as these are usually passed down if they aren't destroyed before they are outgrown, but with the extras I go for the cheaper prices as I don't think these items will be of much interest by the time the next kid gets them.

[Hannah]

My dd's wear mostly jeans/cords in winter, denim shorts in summer and match these with T-shirts/tops and plain zipped fleece jackets.

They have one formal outfit each.

 

The bottoms are mostly neutral, but for my younger daughter, who has more girly tastes, we've added a trim to her jeans, cute buttons or iron-on details to a plain t-shirt, a bit of lace to the bottom of a top etc. just to make things 'pretty'. The trim and buttons always come from the sales.

 

I do love naartjie.com clothing and buy their (local) sales when I can. Older dd no longer likes their styles, but the younger still enjoys them. I do get full outfits from them because their colours and patterns normally don't mix well with other pieces (except plain).

[xixstar]

I sew and ran across the term SWAP (sewing with a plan) and I like this approach for planning a wardrobe for my girls. I try to plan enough tops and bottoms in coordinating prints so everything can mix and match. Sometimes the color combinations are a bit of a stretch but the girls like wild combinations too. I also like to plan it out so that dresses can become tunic tops over leggings as they grow. My plans are usually bigger than what I actually get made.

[justamouse]

I So don't buy outfits, and so far, I've not SWAPed!

 

Hmm, I'm thinking this is where I'm falling off the beam.

 

And yes, this is NOT a problem with the boys. Sigh.

[Alessandra]

We're heading into a new season (hopefully? Spring WILL come, won't it?) and I am going through the kid's closets (early, I know, but they've had a growth spurt and outgrew SO much, all at once, of course) and I'm realizing I am wasting so much $ because I 'buy clothes' as opposed to building them a wardrobe (and I know you can only do so much with growing children).

 

Stuff matches...kinda. It's bought piecemeal...which I can understand you can do for a wardrobe, but I have no idea how to.

 

I'm tired of wasting $ and time. Of them pulling through their closets looking for stuff 'that goes'.

 

Do you build it around a few colors? Do you start with certain articles of clothes? I LUURRVVEEE Bonpoint. I wish I had the escarole to afford that for them, but I can sew and knit and want to put something together like this for them.

 

Can you fashionistas help?

 

For the girls (this is about what I see at local MS, not about us). Most of the cool MS girls here wear black leggings and short (expensive, I presume) boots every single day. Then they layer tops, like an oversized, off the shoulder top over a tank top. I see lots of grey, silver, neutrals, very few bright colors, so everything coordinates. The only bright items are the cell phone cases, lol.

 

For the boys (not my ds, but most MS boys). They are slobs, IMO. Oversized basketball shorts (some even wear these when it is snowing) and professional sports logo shirts, the kind with the name of some player or team. It's really a horrible look.

 

What we do. Ds wears cargo pants or shorts (navy or neutrals) plus a polo shirt. Ds likes white, so we have lots of these plus a few neutrals -- he refuses to wear bright colors, as no one else does. Most items are from CP or Target, a few from Campmor. No patterns, everything goes with everything else. Black is a cool boy color in our area; also gray.

 

Dd (homeschooled) likes bright colors, reds, pinks, blues & greens and looks great in them. Velour pants from Target boys dept, or Campmor, leggings from Lands End girls, tops mainly from Target boys or Campmor. Some Lands End knit dresses, skorts; I often try to coordinate a cute outfit or two from LE. Everything does not go together, but dd keeps her closet organized. She could not wears these colors in school!

 

For good clothes, ds gets suits, shirts from Nordstrom, and dd gets hers made to order by a local dressmaker friend.

 

FWIW, I just want dc to be clothed and clean for regular activities. They have so few dressy clothes that there is nothing to coordinate, lol.

 

I hate shopping, so I stick with my system.

 

BTW, we are in NJ too. Oh, and the fashionistas don't coordinate in the traditional sense -- it's more about a few fabulous looking items. Having everything is the same color family is definitely not the way here.

[LaughingCat]

Dd the older is too picky about clothes to have a "wardrobe" (and not in a stylish kind of way). She has lots of tees and fleece pants and usually looks decent if casual. I think she will be a yoga pants kind of gal lol

 

For dd the younger I just avoid any clearly clashing colors (clashing with pink since that is ubiquitous in young girls clothes). Some days she looks more pulled together than others - however I know pulling just a few of the more "colorful" bottoms or oddly shaped tops would resolve the issue. it's amazing how color unites clothes & if you stick with plain bottoms (no pattern)to match w/any patterned tops -- magically you have a "wardrobe" -but size wise she is hard to shop for so I leave the oddball items in to plump up the choices.

[magnificent_baby]

No, I'm too cheap to build a wardrobe. And they grow too fast at this point. That's why I don't mind buying clothes from garage sales or Goodwill because if they don't wear an item (or a lot of items), I'm not out much money.

 

Children's Place tends to stick with the same colors each season. That would be an easy and inexpensive way to get their clothes to coordinate better. With sales/coupons, the clothes come out very inexpensive and IMO, good quality.

[Plateau Mama]

I do basics for bottoms, jeans, black leggings, Kahkis. Then she gets cute tops. Every top goes with almost every bottom so there is no searching. When she was younger I did uniform basics (Kahkis, navy pants, white or blue collar shirts and sweaters) bad thn Wed throw in a coupe of cute tops.

 

I have a harder time with my middle child. He won't wear jeans or slacks so its harder to create a grab and go wardrobe for him.

[Tammyla]

I Have Nothing To Wear, by Jill Martin is a very simple tool with pictures to help you find your style and the right pieces to build an excellent wardrobe.

 

My library has a copy and I keep checking it out.

[Mergath]

Do you build it around a few colors? Do you start with certain articles of clothes? I LUURRVVEEE Bonpoint. I wish I had the escarole to afford that for them, but I can sew and knit and want to put something together like this for them.

 

 

Boy, they are a bit spendy, aren't they? Forty-five Euros for a bib? Ouch. :p Looks like most of it would be easy to sew, though. I'm suddenly feeling inspired. :)

[texasmama]

Younger dd is largely in Gymboree clothing I buy on clearance with coupons. I buy in the same collections so the pieces are mix and match. I also buy solid leggings and shorts which match anything. For my boys, I buy solid (or two color) track or wind pants and different sports shirts or solid color shirts. This way they can mix and match easily. The boys also have a couple of pairs of jeans for nicer occasions or church and a few polo type shirts. This system seems to work pretty well.

[KungFuPanda]

I don't think it has to be hard. For boys, almost everything goes together (except the khakis with the greys). For girls, just buy complete outfits because you'll never take a shirt home and have it be the right shade of pink. If you want to buy those cute tops whenever you catch a deal, try to keep all of the bottoms in neutral colors that go with everything. Keep your leggings and tights neutral too. It's when you start buying purple jeans thatyou run into trouble with matching.

 

Building a decent wardrobe for adults makes sense because we wear things for so long. A child may only wear something for three months. I wouldn't limit their color choices. Having too many clothes may be contributing to the chaos. If the closets are overwhelming they'll never find anything.

[RoundAbout]

Mostly we are jeans and T-shirts but I do buy 3-5 nicer outfits per season. Usually these are from the same collection so that they mix and match. Gymboree is great for this if you stack sales and coupons. By "nicer" I don't mean dressy, just cuter stuff for outings and pictures.