Back to School Fashions: Little Boys

Since I posted a bunch of great back-to-school fashions for little girls yesterday, it's only fair that I post something similar for little boys today, right? I used to think that boys' clothes were nowhere near as fun as girls' clothes - and that may be true for dressy clothes, but for everyday, casual wear, it definitely isn't any more. Boys have cool cargo pants, awesome graphic tees, and fun sweatshirts and jackets. And here are some of the best - and the cheapest.

My daughter is generally capable of putting together an outfit that is reasonably coordinated; my son, however, will throw on anything he can find, whether or not it matches (and whether or not it's clean, for that matter). So these pre-matched sets are great. Minions go with minions, lions with lions, Batman with Batman. Even my fashion-challenged son can manage that. And for $11-$13, you can fill his closet with these goof-proof sets from Burlington Coat Factory.

 

 

Boys go through tee-shirts like nobody's business, both in terms of having them always be in the laundry, and in terms of ripping or staining them past wearability. So stock up on these solid, striped, and print tees from Old Navy, at $6 or $8 each.

My son is very hard on pants - not to mention that he outgrows them very quickly! So this is another item we stock up on. Since he sometimes struggles with buttons and zippers, I love these elastic-waist cargo pants from Old Navy. $17 a pair.

 

Although he'd much rather wear graphic t-shirts every day, I like for my son to wear polo shirts every now and then. It's easy enough to find plain colors for $5 or $6, but these brightly-colored striped polos are still less than $10 at Crazy8.

 

 

Speaking of graphic tees, head over to Macy's for a ton of graphic tees for $7 each. Not only the Avengers, TMNT, Spiderman, and Star Wars, but Super Mario, Finding Dory, Lego, and lots more. You'll definitely find your boy's favorites here!

 

 

And if you want something warmer, JC Penney has great long-sleeved graphic shirts for $12 each. Stock up on Spiderman, Batman, Star Wars, the Avengers, Lego, Sonic the Hedgehog, Teen Titans, Paw Patrol, TMNT, and more.

 

 

But if you're at the other end of the spectrum and want something cooler, Kohl's has a collection of cotton shorts from $8-$12. Casual enough for comfort but a bit dressier than athletic shorts, these rugged shorts are the perfect balance between the ratty loose shorts he wants to wear and the crisp, dressy shorts you'd like him to wear. And most important, they have nice, deep pockets for whatever he might find out on the playground and need to bring home with him!

Happy shopping!

Back to School Fashions: Little Girls

My daughter - a self-described "fashionista" - is entering kindergarten in two weeks. So naturally, I have been looking through her wardrobe, pulling any pieces that no longer fit, anything with stains and tears, and clothes that are out of season or inappropriate for school for whatever reason. And once that was done, I realized it was time to go shopping.

Clothing for elementary-aged girls ranges from dull and bland to over-the-top and crazy, and from reasonably priced to ridiculously overpriced. So here are some of my favorite cute, appropriate, and - most importantly - affordable fashions for little girls.

This cute denim dress from Crazy8 is less than $15! It's knee-length, so long enough to wear alone, but also short enough to be cute with leggings or tights. The denim makes it rugged for climbers like my little one, but it still has feminine features like the cute gathered sleeves. Perfect for girls who like to be girly but still get their hands dirty.

This navy polo dress, also from Crazy8, is less than $12. It's a great basic piece that can stand alone in warmer weather but looks great with leggings and a sweater when the weather gets cool. The pleated skirt is a nice detail. And it can be dressed up with tights and dress shoes or dressed down with socks and sneakers.

 

If your fashionista prefers separates to dresses, get thee to Old Navy for $4 tee-shirts! In a rainbow of colors, v-necks and round necks and tanks, solids and prints, you're sure to find the perfect style for your girl. And at 4 bucks a pop, you can stock up. Old Navy isn't the highest quality, but these will last for one season, and by then she'll probably have grown out of them anyway.

 

 

If you want to pair that cute tee with a skirt, stay at Old Navy for a wide range of skirts priced from $8-$14. From ethnic prints to gathered jersey to crisp pleats, there are skirts for her every mood. There isn't a huge range of lengths - everything is short at this age - but pair it with leggings (lots of $5 styles at Old Navy) or tights on cool days (or if she has a tendency to hang upside down on the monkey bars).

 

If you're looking for leggings with personality, try these from Burlington Coat Factory, for just $5 or a 2-pack for $7.

If you prefer to pick up a collection of pieces that all work together, head over to Macy's and check out their Carter's collection. Each piece is priced around $10 (give or take a couple of bucks), and includes leggings, skirts, tops, pants, and hoodies, all of which can be mixed and matched for tons of different looks. Little girls can choose their own combination and be guaranteed that everything will go together, even in mom's opinion.

 

 

And if your little princess just HAS to have that character tee, JC Penney has a good selection for $10-$12. Choose from Ariel, minions, Rapunzel, SpongeBob, and more.

For some reason, girls' pants - not leggings, but actual pants - are hard to find. But if you want real pants, Children's Place has a good selection for $10-$15.

 

When the weather cools off, plan on adding sweaters and sweatshirts to your daughter's wardrobe. Gymboree can be pricy, but they have tons of sweaters and sweatshirts on sale for $15 right now, so snap up our favorites now! Stars, hearts, stripes, solids, cardigans, pullovers - they've got a little bit of everything.

 

 

And of course, no back-to-school outfit is complete without new shoes. My go-to store for inexpensive but good quality shoes is always Payless. They have everything from character sneakers to canvas slip-ons to Mary Janes to cute tennies, and the styles here are all less than $20. You can't beat that!

So if you've been putting off your back to school shopping, click on a few of these links and your little girl will be ready for the elementary school catwalk before you (and your wallet) know it!