I am sure many of you like myself find that money doesn’t go very far these days and I find myself more and more having to justify to myself spending money on quality items of clothing – especially for the kids as they seem to grow out of them (or wear them out!) so fast!
I have been the mid to lower end high street shopper and have felt the thrill of the purchase of a bargain and then the disappointment as the garment quickly fades to a shadow of its former self that once sat so brightly in that well lit store. So this month I am going to share with you a few of my tips ( some of which I am sure you will already know, but hopefully a few new ones,) for how to manage to do this, after all, ‘Less is More’….
Top tips:
Buy a size bigger or at least make sure an item is generally sized – it should last at least a couple of seasons. Look for details that allow for growth such as adjustable cuffs.
Buy colours that work all year round, so primary colours are good if you like brights, I like more muted naturals and these mix well with brights and softer colours too.
Clothes can be handed down to younger siblings, so that makes it easier to justify a higher priced purchase as if its good quality it will hand down well.
Buy unisex where possible, coats and jeans should be able to be passed down try www.tootsamacginty.com and www.corbytindersticks.com for good unisex clothing.
Invest in good basics such as jeans, leggings, coats and plain shoes that will go with everything, try www.fieldlife.co.uk for jeans.
Ebay is great for coats – pictured above on the left is my youngest daughter in a beautiful Ted Baker childrens coat I bought from Ebay.
Vintageclothing fairs – great for unique pieces of clothing and accessories.
Charity shops – yes you have to be prepared to hunt around and keep going back, but look out for ones in good areas as they have the best quality, try Mary’s Living and Giving shops in various locations across London www.savethechildren.org.uk – on the middle picture is my daughter in a DKNY denim jacket that both my daughters have worn and it still looks great! My oldest daughter is pictured on the right wearing a Vertbaudet skirt we bought in a charity shop that she loves and has worn and worn.
Dress Agencies – if you really can’t face charity shops give these a go, I have noticed some small independent shops are now changing to re-sell good quality designer childrenswear.
Customise – if that longsleeved T-shirt has really stained sleeves, make it into a short sleeve T-shirt, cut jeans down to denim shorts, add badges to denim jackets to cover holes and stains – there are lots of things that can be done if you don’t consider yourself a sewer.
Sew – yes I know most of you will recoil in terror at the thought but it is much easier than you think – the fancy dress outfit below (although yes the top was more complicated!) has a very simple pillowcase style skirt – basically two rectangles of fabric sewn together to make a long tube, leaving holes for the ribbon drawcord to come out of, turn one inside the other and sew a channel across the top for some ribbon and hey presto!
A friend of mine has recently joined a sewing group where they get together and do projects such as making this wonderful simple pillowcase dress which you can make for your child and then also make one to send to this charity – the idea being that every girl should have a dress (or boys some shorts,) www.sewscrumptious.blogspot.co.uk a great way to learn to make a simple dress for your child and help others while having a good evening with friends and even I’m told a couple of glasses of wine – lets hope the stitching’s not too wobbly!
I hope you have enjoyed the post and I know its hard to find the time, but I hope I have managed to offer a few ideas on how you can make some savings and use what you have well, thus leaving you the option – should you wish to – spend well on better quality, individual garments that will last – if you have any other tips to share with me I would love to hear them!
Intro image from www.etsy.com
Last image, image of pillowcase dress from www.sewscrumptious.blogspot.co.uk
All other images belong to Clare Green from Laylamay UK.
