Frivolous clothes post.

[rivka]

We went out grocery shopping this afternoon. As we turned the corner toward where I'd parked last night, we saw some neighbors having a little sidewalk sale. (People don't have yards here.) They had a little girl older than Alex and a baby boy, and they were getting rid of tons and tons of barely-worn baby clothes and little girl clothes.

This may sound like a perfectly normal everyday occurrence for those of you who live in the suburbs, but trust me: it never happens in the center city. It's pretty much inconceivable. The woman having the sale told me that I was the first person all afternoon who'd had any possible use for the clothes, and repeatedly urged me to "pick out a big pile, and I'll give you a good price."

Alex is more or less set for clothes, because I went to the consignment store two weeks ago. Niblet, however, is less well-equipped. I wound up buying:

- Seven warm sleepers and an incredibly warm never-been-worn snowsuit, size 0-3 months.
- Eleven onesies or summer playsuits and a sweatshirt, size 3-6 months.
- Three summer playsuits, size 6-9 months.
- Three shirts and a sweater in Alex's size (4/5).
- A hooded towel, barely used.
- A Hi Ho Cherry-O game for Alex.

...For a grand total of $10, which I would've been willing to pay for the snowsuit alone. In retrospect I'm thinking I should have offered her $15 for the entire box of boys' clothes - she probably would've taken it. Instead I just went through and picked the very cutest outfits. Lots of little dinosaurs and doggies.

I confess that, although I really hate buying clothes for myself, I love assembling baby clothes and Alex's clothes. I get a real sense of satisfaction out of having a whole little wardrobe put together, clothes that will be pretty and comfortable and weather-appropriate.

I dragged Alex through a number of stores at the mall a few weeks ago, looking for something I would be willing to contribute to her wardrobe. They seem to be offering a lot of garish prints, screaming colors, extraneous ruffles and sequins, and skimpy, ill-made styles for preschoolers these days. We came home from the mall with a pair of rain boots, a hooded fleece, and a hideous nightgown that I bought because she's been dying for a nightgown and they barely seem to make them anymore. Not a very adequate collection.

So the next week we went to the consignment store. It turns out that they do make tasteful, attractive, child-appropriate clothes in Alex's size. They're just mostly more expensive brands than I'd be willing to pay for new. In an hour, in the consignment store, I scooped up almost her entire winter wardrobe in brands like Little Me and Hanna Andersson, for about a hundred bucks altogether. I guess my taste in Alex's clothes runs fairly conservative/preppy: warm plaid flannel dresses, for example, and turtlenecks with cute little designs sprinkled all over them. But I was relieved to be able to get her a big stack of cute, well-made clothes that don't make her look like she aspires to be a Disney Channel star.

I hope I'm not dooming her to a lifetime of being uncool.

Comments

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

Conservative and preppy is a fine look for little kids. Disney channel stars are at serious risk of playground sprained ankles.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

She is going to be defining cool, not just following it.

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I think I need to hit the consignment stores in better neighborhoods, because I think I'd have a hard time finding Hannah Andersson clothes down here!

[richtermom.livejournal.com]

Yay yard sales! We live in an area that would be considered "streetcar suburb" -- still in the main city, but just about suburban -- and we get crazy qtys of yard/sidewalk/garage sales. The family one block over has one every summer, and their younger daughter is about 2 years older than K, so every year I go over and pick up a buttload of stuff for her. Usually, it's at least three or four dresses -- most of her Christmas dresses are from them -- and a few other items. This year they had a bunch of weird stuff left by the time I got there, so at least we stocked up her dressup playclothes pretend wardrobe.

I'm Target's biggest fan because while they often have a bunch of freaky weird clothes, they also have a good core selection of basics -- polo's, solid tee's, basic pants (cotton, cord, khaki) -- plus they often also carry a school district's approved "school uniform" selections, and just to make sure my kid isn't mistaken for a floozy, I also check the boys' dept. clearance racks.

[lissamc.livejournal.com]

When my kids were a bit older than your little one(s), I started giving them a $5 or $10 budget and letting them loose in the thrift store to choose their own clothes. I gave myself veto power over things that were ill-made or obscene, but other than that they got to supplement the stuff I got for them with things of their own choosing. It gave them a sense of power, let them develop/experiment with their own style, and taught them the basics of staying in a budget, and the trade offs you have to make to do so.

Come to think of it, I think it is time to make another run. :)

[windypoint.livejournal.com]

Back when my kids were Alex's age, I used to like Pumpkin Patch clothes when I could get them at the thrift shop. Also, the Esprit kids clothes. Target here in Australia is sort of OK for stocking up, in that about a third of the kid's merchandise is acceptable and sometimes there will be really quite nice items.

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

As someone whose mother MADE most of her clothes until I was 12 or so, I think you are giving her a chance to develop her own style without being dictated to by the masses.
I always remember although I had store bought clothes, the homemade ones always FELT better. And there is NOTHING wrong with preppy - I bet she looks her age, and not like a 6 year old who should be 18.

[ailbhe]

The difficult thing - which photographic evidence shows Rivka manages with style - is allowing a girl to look feminine without making her look sexualised or wholly impractical. And for boys, it's the line between "boyish" and "thuggish." Lots of little boy clothes say "Here comes trouble" or "Mischief Maker" or similar on them, which, combined with camoflage patterns, builds a solid foundation...

[ailbhe]

Consignment store - charity shop? Second-hand shop run for profit?

I've been meaning to traipse through the charity shops here but at the moment my kids are doing well on handmedowns. Which is good for my blood pressure.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Consignment store - charity shop? Second-hand shop run for profit?

A consignment store is a particular kind of second-hand shop run for profit. People bring in items they want to get rid of, and the store sells them and splits the profits. So, I don't know, the original owner might get 30% of the selling price and the store would keep 70% for doing the actual work of selling.

This particular consignment store is very selective about what they sell. They don't accept things with stains, broken zippers, or heavy wear, and they don't tend to stock clothes with TV characters emblazoned all over them or inappropriately sexy styles. There was just one large rack for "girls size 4," but I would have been willing to put almost any of those things on Alex. So you're not trying to hunt for a needle in the haystack.

The flip side of all that is that the prices are higher than you'd get at a charity shop, which we usually call a "thrift shop." Long-sleeved shirts were $3-5, sweaters (jumpers, I guess) were $5-6, and dresses were $8-12. But the $12 dresses probably cost $60 new, so I didn't mind.

[ailbhe]

Oh, that sounds great! I wonder if the mysteriously "expensive" and smartly-stocked second-hand shop we found in Paris was like that?

My issues with buying children's clothes are legion, and a second-hand shop would do away with a lot of them (directly supporting oppressive industries, largely) and one which prefiltered for offensiveness would do away with the rest.

If I were better-organised I'd start one.