After a year of virtual school, I’m realizing we really need to revamp my boys’ wardrobe…especially the 5th grader.
Boys’ clothing options seem to be either sports related, characters, or graphic tees with a bad attitude. DS1 (size 12/14) loves graphic tees, but I refuse to buy ones that have a bad attitude, braggy, or projecting (Future XYZ). He’s not super into the most common sports on tshirts (currently into swim & tennis). Other than plain sports company logo tees, I’m having a hard time finding anything decent.
Where do you buy your big kids’ clothes, especially if they’re not really into sports? Bonus if it’s not $35/shirt!
It is such a hard age to shop for! My son is also going into 5th grade, and he will still wear whatever I pick out for him and doesn't care at all what he wears. Which is great but also puts pressure on me to not pick out stuff that isn't cool. I've had good luck with gap factory. I find the quality to be a little better than target/old navy. Check out this link. I'd get my son a couple of the solar system ones, the camo ones, color block and Star Wars. I have found them to run small though,
I need to check Old Navy again. (That link was broken, but I’ll look around.) When he was younger, shirts from there were generally too short & wide, so I stopped looking. He’s a little wider build now, so maybe they’d work again. My younger son is super long and narrow…so I’m buying for two very different builds!
My son does not care about clothes and just wants to be comfortable. I like Uniqlo. They don't have a lot of different things, but we were able to get comfortable clothes for summer and jeans that fit him (long legs but really lean).
ETA: they're stuff seems pretty gender neutral to me too with muted colors, if anyone has girls that like athletic wear but don't want pink.
I just bought some new t shirts for my 8.5 year old at old navy. They have some stripes, solids and other non graphic options. There were some non sports graphic shirts too. Target usually has some options as well.
Post by puppylove64 on Jul 16, 2021 12:29:14 GMT -5
My son is going into 4th grade. I buy from tjmax, old navy, and academy. He likes the athletic shirts and shorts. He mostly wears a bunch of logos underarmour and Nike, because I usually don’t like the sayings either. I like the store brand stuff at academy too. I’m cheap for his stuff because he ruins it so quickly.
My son is going into 6th and only likes dri-fit type shirts. We have recently bought a lot of Under Armour shirts at Kohl’s and Costco usually has Adidas sets each summer that we buy. He seems to be very sensitive to textures and shirts have to fit just right for him to be comfortable so once we found stuff that feels good to him we have stuck with it.
Post by pierogigirl on Jul 16, 2021 12:56:55 GMT -5
Land's End usually has science-y graphic tees and nice tie dyes. Right now, it's slim pickings.
Life is Good has really nice graphic tees, but they are pricey. Also, their kids sizes are super small. DS1 is a big kid and he wears men's small. DS2 wears a size 10-12 and he's in kid's XL at Life is Good and they fit well (but not big, so he will outgrow the kids sizes soon and it will be a while before he's in the adult sizes).
Ds1 is 14 and very particular. He only wears (for shirts)Champion, Vans, Vineyard Vines, or athletic non logo shirts (like basic old navy athletic etc - he won’t do the big under armour or adidas logos anymore). He’s in adult medium which ups the price. I get almost everything online - either during sales or at the outlets. Shorts he wears any basic athletic shorts so that’s easier.
DS2 is 9 and wears all the hand me downs. So he’s currently in all brightly colored under armour even though he’s the most unathletic kid you will ever meet lol
Post by ellipses84 on Jul 16, 2021 14:17:15 GMT -5
My 5th grade son likes all the athletic feeling shirts, with or without big logos, like Adidas, Nike, Puma and Under Armor. You can find them at stores like the Rack or TJ Maxx for decent prices, but clothes and shoes definitely get more expensive at this age. Most of his other clothes are from Old Navy or Target, primarily shirts in his favorite colors, like henleys with the 3 buttons, baseball style, v-neck or plain t-shirts in solid, ombré or tie-dye. He’s also has a few character tees and is starting to get into band t-shirts for music he likes.
DS is 12 and wears a lot from GAP and Old Navy. I also get a lot of Adidas and UA from or Kohl’s. He is very not into clothes but finds the basics at those places.
I need to check Old Navy again. (That link was broken, but I’ll look around.) When he was younger, shirts from there were generally too short & wide, so I stopped looking. He’s a little wider build now, so maybe they’d work again. My younger son is super long and narrow…so I’m buying for two very different builds!
It sounds like our boys have a similar style!
My kids are slim and I used to feel this way, especially for infant / toddler clothes but I don’t think it’s like that anymore (a lot of the wide stuff that didn’t fit were ON hand-me-downs). ON, Gap and Target have some slim options for certain things or variations in sizing, 10 or 12 vs. 10-12 vs. L which helps with finding a good fit. We love the ON toddler pj pant / shirt sets for my 5 year old and I actually think they run really slim compared to other brands. ON also has long/ tall sizes for women’s shirts so sometimes I buy those for me to combat the short shirt trend.
I put a lot of kid expenses on my Banana Republic card but pay it off every month so I don’t pay the high interest rate, then get a lot of store credits and sales/ coupon codes to buy their clothes at ON / Gap.
I need to check Old Navy again. (That link was broken, but I’ll look around.) When he was younger, shirts from there were generally too short & wide, so I stopped looking. He’s a little wider build now, so maybe they’d work again. My younger son is super long and narrow…so I’m buying for two very different builds!
It sounds like our boys have a similar style!
My kids are slim and I used to feel this way, especially for infant / toddler clothes but I don’t think it’s like that anymore (a lot of the wide stuff that didn’t fit were ON hand-me-downs). ON, Gap and Target have some slim options for certain things or variations in sizing, 10 or 12 vs. 10-12 vs. L which helps with finding a good fit. We love the ON toddler pj pant / shirt sets for my 5 year old and I actually think they run really slim compared to other brands. ON also has long/ tall sizes for women’s shirts so sometimes I buy those for me to combat the short shirt trend.
I put a lot of kid expenses on my Banana Republic card but pay it off every month so I don’t pay the high interest rate, then get a lot of store credits and sales/ coupon codes to buy their clothes at ON / Gap.
Sorry the link was broken, it's the boys go-dry color-blocked mesh performance tee...comes in lots of colors and I like it more than just a solid colored tshirt. My ds is very slim, and we actually find that old navy stuff fits him better than a lot of other brands.
Post by formerlyak on Jul 16, 2021 18:07:39 GMT -5
DS is 15 and really likes the crew neck Good Fellows t-shirts at Target. They are plain colors and like $7. He pairs them with board shorts (try Nordstrom Rack to get those cheaper) or jeans.
ETA these are in the men’s department, but have a fairly slim fit and I believe they come in an XS.
Post by simpsongal on Jul 16, 2021 18:58:29 GMT -5
Surf brands are great. Quicksilver, Hurley, rip curl, Volcom, etc. Not cheap, but you can shop sales and it’s higher quality. You can find them at tjmaxx sometimes too and zulily.
My boys are younger, but I avoid the same types of clothing.
I get most of their stuff at Costco, actually. I got a lot of adidas and Hurley this year. They are typically really well priced - like 2 for $20 or less, for shirts. Similar deals for athletic shorts. I usually get Levi brand jeans or jogger pants there too.
Post by bugandbibs on Jul 17, 2021 11:32:19 GMT -5
So, my suggestion for inexpensive is Target but the men’s section. Your 5th grader could probably fit well in a small and there are lots of solid option and more subtle graphics. We prefer the Goodfellows line at Target- the shirts are soft and they wash/wear well. Kid sized shirts are usually too short and wide for my family. Men’s tend to be cut longer. Basic, solid color short sleeve shirts start at $6.
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We have had the best luck with Stitch Fix. They send such great stuff. I pay for it for my older son, knowing my younger will wear it too. The younger wears 90% hand-me-downs and occasional new stuff from Target and Old Navy.
Stitch Fix is a tad pricey, so an option is to just get one box and find someone with a $50 referral code or higher (I only have $25, sadly) and get a bunch of great clothes for a good price!
Post by estrellita on Jul 17, 2021 18:37:50 GMT -5
We usually shop at Target, Old Navy, Carter's and Kohl's. We usually buy plain shirts and only graphic ones when it's something he's into (Pokémon, superheros, etc) for the same reasons you mentioned. I didn't read all the responses but someone else mentioned athletic type shirts and E loves those. Kohl's is good for those!
My son is 11. We shop at Old Navy and Target for most of his clothes. I’ve found simple staple clothes at Lands End in the past, but I only buy them on sale.
I feel you. Seems that middle aged boys are doomed to sport wear until they are old enough to hit men’s. I also don’t like sport wear. I found some cute stuff at Tilly’s and Nordstrom recently. Kohls has a tween online store and the stuff is ok. I found the in-store selecting lacking.
My ds is slightly older but wanted some plain shirts. I got some Amazon Basics or Amazon Essentails clothes. They seem to be decent quality and inexpensive. I always check the reviews and sizing info because that varies. Would he like something like these?
My ds is slightly older but wanted some plain shirts. I got some Amazon Basics or Amazon Essentails clothes. They seem to be decent quality and inexpensive. I always check the reviews and sizing info because that varies. Would he like something like these?