One of the things I love about having children is shopping for clothes for them. Or maybe I just love shopping full stop. Thankfully when it comes to dressing my little ones, retro daddy turns a blind eye. Lucky. He’ll always comment on their outfits and how great they look but he’s not on my back about my spending. Or maybe he will be after this blog post.
But with 4 children you quickly learn an important lesson – the stuff that is well made lasts. Anything that has survived from keira has either been well made and cost me a little more or was handmade. But with 4 small children there isn’t much time to make clothes anymore and I just can’t see myself making a button down shirt for Finn. I’m just not that good on the sewing machine.
Now dressing girls is easy. In fact sewing for girls is easy. Shopping for boys requires a little more searching and persistance. Most mums of boys I speak to say they hate the cars, trucks and licensed gear that you find for little boys and I agree. 100%. I’m a bit embarrassed to tell you though that Finn does have one pair of Ben 10 PJ’s but that’s it and they are the best way to get him in and out of the bath.
So to save time I stick to 3 brands for Finn. Okaidi, Country Road (spend & save vouchers and clearance time are my best friends) and Gymboree. My favourite is definitely Okaidi, a french label that is well priced (not if you’re my husband) considering it is french, excellent quality and has a great range. Lucky for me (unlucky for retro daddy) their store is at my local shops where I do my groceries. So I HAVE to walk past it. And I picked up this little outfit for Finnie on Friday and it is just perfect for winter. He really needed something smart for church and a family wedding next month in the country. The shirt and knitted jacket will match all of his pants and jeans in his wardrobe and will last him next winter as well.
Now if you’re on a tight budget or on the look out for a bargain then don’t forget ebay, baby & kids markets in good suburbs, clearance time and friends with good taste who pass things on. I also think it’s important to know your style and colours and stick to those colours so that everything works in their wardrobe. And that is shopping advice from one big shopper, Retro Mummy! Always happy to help you spend more money and look good.
Here you on the shopping for bits. That duffel coat is very cute. I am on the look out for winter outfits fir my boy for next year so am looking forward to sale time. Quality out ways quantity.
My kids have WAY too many clothes. They both have a wardrobe and chest of drawers stuffed – and I mean stuffed. I love shopping for my kids. Ebay is great for brand name clothes as I can’t go past Fred Bare or a bit of CR. A lot more stylish and classic than cheaper clothes.
Oh, so cute!! Could Finnie be the next mail model ?? I totally agree how hard it is to dress little boys … my little boy is now 12and I still find it hard to get clothes for him … and now he is starting to put his like and dislikes now … Enjoy!
Happy stitching, P
I love Country Road for kids too. As you say they wash and wear well. Esprit is pretty good too as is Gap. I haven’t heard of Okaidi…I wonder if there’s a store near me.
Agreed. I love Fred Bare for my baby boy, it wears well and stands the test of time. My big boy wears lots of Milkshake (from Myer), but I also like Scooter and Tommy Rocket, especially when I can get it on sale. Now he’s at school he doesn’t seem to wear things out so quickly!
go retromummy!
i have to admit i’m on the other side of the fence on this one…can’t justify spending top dollar on clothes that are going to be outgrown in such a short amount of time!
would rather spend the extra $$ on myself 😉
My boys are bigger and in uniform most of the time, but I am always trying to find clothing without skulls on it. Horrible and all over boys clothes from about age 6 plus. Finn does look very cute too
I love the way your kids dress. I really can’t afford to buy designer gear so I make stuff. Of course it is more difficult the more kids you have. Im struggling with just my three! What do I have to do to get on your hand-me-down list? LOL!
very cute outfit! I wish my eldest would still dress like this but it HAS to be skater/surfwear now. At least my youngest can still be dressed up xx
I think all your babies alway look so gorgeous! You’ve such great taste in kiddy clothes : )) I admit I find it a thousand times easier to shop for my little 4 year old than myself. The majority of his wardrobe is Milkshake (just like ed wrote). They do a great range of everything and their printed t-shirts are not covered in promotional rubbish or skulls (what is it with that on little people’s clothes???!!!). I’ve just recently bought him a long sleeve T and a pair of cord jean from Fox and Finch and Run Scotty Run – both great finds!! His first pair of jean were from Obaibi and he wore them until I practically had to cut them off him! Such great quality they’ll last through another little one!
Your little Finn is so handsome. What a gorgeous boy! I enjoyed this post and do agree, it is hard to find really lovely boys clothes. But it’s fun to look all the same. Sometimes I strike it lucky and find some beauties in the department stores or Pumpkin Patch.
My Mama has knitted so many beautiful things for my boys though, I’m very lucky :o)
I’ve 5 children, 3 of them boys so I know how difficult it can be to find nice clothes for them. I’m from the UK and I shop a lot at ‘Next’ their clothes are reasonably price and wear and wash well. You can actually shop online in Australia on their web site. Finn does look really cute in his new clothes. Take care.
I love pumpkin patch, and I think target is pretty good as well, I get pretty well everything at targt these days for the kids and my self, but now I have teenager he seems like like billabong and volcom stuff, $80 for a pair of boardies makes me shutter!
I would agree it’s very hard buying for boys for all the reasons you mentioned. My son is 9 going on 10 and it gets even worse at that age – I think designers think there are no boys this age to design for.
Your stud muffin looks adorable and very unbranded and appropriate 😀
When my daughter was born I was given soooo much pink, and most of it from Best & Less. I couldn’t stand it, and made me feel quite ill. I make most of her clothes and buy the odd well-made piece to fill out her wardrobe. When it came to my son I was given boxes upon boxes of hand-me-downs, so I’ve been sifting through them to come up with a modest/sturdy/not-so-blue wardrobe!
Thanks for the links too!
Very sweet. Jon also has a weak spot when it comes to the girls wardrobe. If only he felt the same way about my shopping
Hi, there’s only 1 okaidi store in Australia.. I’m wondering if you have had any luck buying online.. The store near me closed down and I’m desperate to find another source of these cute boys clothes, I can’t seem to order form the French/Italian site.. Any help appreciated