Monday, April 29, 2013

School Uniforms at French Toast - Retail Round Up Series

French Toast - America's Most Popular School Uniforms for Less!
French Toast Official School Wear™ proclaims they are "America's leading brand of school uniform." Founded in 1958, the mission of the company is to provide families with quality children’s wear and boys and girls school uniforms at great prices."  If your school is considering implementing a school uniform program, their Partnership For Education Program™ offers assistance and an educator's toolkit is available for download. 

According to their website, they carry over 1500 items in their official School Uniform Wear line. Sizes include grouping Toddler (2T - 4T), Girls (4 -14), Junior (3 - 13) and Young Women (10-20). Several styles of pants are available in the slim fit. They carry a plus fit for many types of items.  Their website for on-line shopping makes it easy to find items by gender, size and category for items. If your school has registered their dress code with French Toast, you can use the Find Your School Code feature on the retail website which will then filter the selection to show only items that meet your school's uniform dress code.

Their return policy allows returns within 30 days with a receipt for any reason, except embroidered items unless the product is defective. French Toast uniforms can be found at retailers across the nation. You can likely find French Toast brand items at your local JC Penney or Kmart, or use their retail locator to find a store near you.

Normally for the Retail Round Up series posts, I list the items available in the current school uniform collection by gender and clothing type. French Toast offers too many items to list.  Instead, I'll link you to the major groupings and featured product lines:

Thursday, April 25, 2013

ISO Feedback on School Uniform Fundraiser Programs

So naturally, I'm curious to hear feedback from schools that participate in school uniform fundraising programs.  Do parents take the time to enter the school code in their online orders, and if so what kind of royalty does the school receive for their efforts?

If your school has promoted a school uniform fundraising program in the past year and are involved with the administration of the program, I'd like to hear from you.  Please complete the survey below.  If you participate in programs with several brands, please feel free to complete this brief 4 question survey multiple times.

If you weren't involved with the program but you know who was, please forward this link to them so they can complete the survey.

Based on the feedback collected, I'll plan to share the feedback in a future post.

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Myself Belts, a great addition to the School Uniform Wardrobe


if_uniform from Myself Belts
A sample product was gifted from MyselfBelts for this post. Opinions expressed here are my own.

I recently posted the question, "Should belts be required for Kindee Kids?" They are required as part of the uniform dress code at my daughter's school, but I have found that they haven't enforced it, at least with her classmates of Kindergartners. Because traditional belts can be a challenge for the younger kids, I was curious if other schools include belts as part of the required dress code and if so, at what age they begin enforcement.

Then I connected with Myself Belts on Twitter and learned about their product. It's a company founded by two sisters Talia Bahr Goldfarb and Danielle Bahr Eason, after Talia's son had a problem with his pants staying up during potty training. Together they invented Myself Belts TM, the belt kids can fasten themselves. As I read about the company, I couldn't help being impressed with how they have made a successful business and product with such a simple idea. Other Moms have given it rave reviews online, and the product has won several awards.

The belts come in a variety of fun colors and patterns. Most are fabric, and a few are leather. The school uniform belts are offered in the following colors and styles: Solid Navy Canvas, Solid Brown Canvas, Khaki Corduroy Distressed Brown Leather, Brown Leather, and Black Leather. They retail for between 16.95 and 18.95.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Skool-Kit.com, a UK based classifieds for school uniforms

It's like Craigslist for school uniforms, sporting goods, instruments and and other items kids use. Skool-kit.com is a site based in the UK that helps match buyers and sellers.

Sellers can place an ad for £1 which includes option to upload an image of the item. Ads are listed for 30-180 days. To have your item "featured" is an extra 50p. The site suggests a pricing model based on the original cost and the current condition of the item. It also offers suggestions to make your listing descriptive. Buyers and sellers are encouraged to work out payment options and shipping costs amongst themselves. Sellers that multiple items to list can purchase a membership for 6 months for £10 to list up to 15 items.

Items for sale are organized into the following categories:
  • School Uniforms 
  • Musical Instruments 
  • Sports Equipment 
  • Sports Clothing/Footwear 
  • Books 
  • Dressing Up Items 
  • Out of School Clubs (Scouts, Brownies) 
  • Other Items (Holiday /Ski Accessories) 
Check out the site at skool-kit.com or follow them on Twitter at @skoolkit

Monday, April 22, 2013

Lands' End School Uniforms in the Retail Round Up Series

Lands' End LogoLands' End was founded in 1963 as a sailboat company which expanded into clothing and home furnishings. Traditionally they were primarily a mail catalog company, later expanding to include an online business with a few retail locations in the Midwest. The brand built its reputation on its guarantee policy, which allows for returns or exchanges at any time and for any reason. In 2009, the company was bought by Sears which now offers the Lands' End clothing line in many of its retail locations in the US.

The brand proclaims to be "America's premier school uniform provider". Lands' End school uniform catalog is one of the most expansive collections available. As I read about schools researching and developing a uniform dress code, I'll often see references that the school worked with Lands' End to develop their policies. They even have a administrators portal website dedicated to supporting school administrators with their uniform programs. The site states that they are supporting over 4500 schools and outfitting over 1.5 million students.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Why Non Uniform Days as Fundraisers are a Bad Idea

School Boards implement uniform dress codes for a variety of reasons. One of the most commonly cited reasons is nicely stated by the Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five (SC) to "to reduce stereotyping based on apparel and build unity across social and economic lines". So I applaud Susan Gleaton, a trustee in that school district, for questioning why principles are allowed to declare dress down days that allow students to pay cash to be exempt from the school's uniform policy for the day as reported in the Times and Democrat. Via Twitter, I see evidence of these types of fundraisers used at schools in the US and the UK. I encourage other school boards to examine if this type of activity is occurring in their schools and decide if it is a practice consistent with the goals they set forth when implementing uniform dress code for the students.

These "fundraisers" teach kids that you can buy your way out of following the rules. It promotes a perceived benefit for those with the ability to pay. Aren't we trying to teach kids that socioeconomic status is irrelevant to ones ability to succeed in school, both academically and socially. If your child attends a school with a uniform policy or uniform dress code, you are likely well aware of the both sides of the uniform debate.

So instead of recounting that debate, lets take a look at what students themselves are saying about the specific issue of non uniform days:

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Cherokee School Uniform Scooter, a Review


I purchased the Cherokee girls school uniform scooter for my daughter early last fall. I liked it because it was longer than most other uniform scooters hitting at the knee. As a scooter, it has knit shorts built in underneath. The front has pleats and pockets.  My daughter likes it because it is easy to get on and off due to the elastic waist. She calls it her pull-up skirt.

It has held up well. It faded a bit after the initial washing, but has held its color since. It looks fine straight out of the dryer, but could benefit from a quick touch of the iron for a crisp look. It is available through Target in navy and khaki in sizes XS - XL. It retails for $14. It is currently available on clearance for $7.48.

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Monday, April 15, 2013

School Uniform Shop at Kmart in the Retail Round Up Series

Kmart is an American chain of discount stores founded in the US in 1962. Currently it is the third largest chain in the world with over 1300 stores in 49 states and US territories.  It features School Uniforms as one of it's featured shops categorized in Clothing making it easy to find through it is website navigation. They carry French Toast brand items, Dickies brand items, and TKS, or The Kids Source, brand items. For purposes of this review, I'll highlight only the Dickies and TKS brand, as French Toast items will be covered in their own post.

When shopping online, Kmart offers free shipping to a local store or free shipping on orders over $59. They have a rewards program called Shop Your Way, which includes benefits such as free standard shipping.  You can enroll free for a 90 day trial, then it is a subscription fee based program afterwards.

Returns with a receipt are accepted for 90 days.  From reading the return policy, it was unclear to me if you can return items purchased online to a local store.  You can create a return shipping label online to make a return via mail. Shipping charges will be deducted from the credit card used in the original purchase.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Don't loose Money replacing lost Uniforms - Get Clothing Labels Instead

My daughter came home from school with an extra sweater in her book bag. She told me that she didn't think it was hers, but that the teachers at the after school program kept putting it in her cubby. Upon a brief investigation, I found that it was a navy Land's End cardigan identical in brand and style to one she owns and wears often; however, it belonged to her friend. How did I solve this great mystery, I looked at the tag. Her Mom was smart and placed a label on the tag. Why I was the only one to check? Well - that remains a mystery. I sent it back to school with her with instructions to return it to her friend directly or to one of the teachers in her classroom pointing out the tag.  I'm sure her friend was glad to have the sweater returned.

This incident reminded me of an article I came across recently out of the UK. Research by label retailer, My Nametags, published in February 2013 "shows that the average family could spent up to £150 this school year replacing lost school uniform… yet 64% of parents don't bother to use name tags to prevent this." Twenty percent of survey respondents with children indicated that they regularly loose items of school clothing. The press release smartly implies that parents can save money in the long run by spending a small amount of money on clothing labels.

The findings of the My Nametag's research, although self promoting, were in line with a similar study by Sainsbury's, a UK superstore. This 2012 study found that "British primary school pupils lose a staggering £187m worth of uniform every year". They reported that "two thirds of parents polled said they lost uniform, which had never been found, while one in five said this happened in their child’s first week."

This problem is not unique to the UK. This spring as I was visiting the school for parent teacher conferences, the school had set up a clothing rack in the entrance and hung out all of the clothing  items from the lost and found bin in hopes that parents might recognize items they thought were lost for good.  Although I commend the school for their efforts to reunite lost items with their owners, I'm hoping to raise the odds that any our lost items will be returned to us.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Izod School Uniform Bermuda Shorts


When I began browsing school uniform clothing last fall, I was surprised at the offerings at JCPenney. They carry Izod and French Toast brand items and the prices seemed very reasonable to me.

As I planned out what items she'd need for school, I decided to get her 2 pair of basic shorts. The Izod brand girls shorts fit her well and appeared to be well made. I expected that they would hold up well to playground play and many spins through the wash. And so far, they have. They do not need any ironing as long as I remove them from the dryer promptly. Even when I forget, a quick touch of the iron and they look great again. They are flat front style which is available in navy and khaki. They retail for $10 and are currently on clearance for $7. They have an adjustable waist and an easy to use hook slide closure.

Here in northern Virginia, the weather turns cool in late fall and gets warm again in mid spring; meaning the "shorts" season for school clothes is basically 2 months in the fall and 2 months in the Spring. If we're lucky, these shorts we bought in the fall will still fit come Spring. If so, these Izod shorts definitely have enough life in them to last through the rest of the school year and then to be passed along to the uniform exchange program.

I am likely to buy this product again. I would recommend them to other parents looking for quality kids shorts at a great price.

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Monday, April 8, 2013

JC Penney - Retail Round up Series

JCPenney is an American department store chain that operates  more than 1100 stores in the US and Puerto Rico. Most stores are located in suburban malls and they have an online store which makes it easy to find kids school uniform items through the secondary site navigation.  The online store offers free shipping for orders over $75 and free delivery to your local store.  Online orders can be returned to a local store or via mail. The uniform items feature Izod and French Toast brand items.  For the purposes of this post, I will highlight only the Izod brand items since the French Toast brand items will be covered in their own post.

I shopped in a local store during back to school season this past fall when they featured a sizable uniform section between the girls and boys departments.  I visited again later in the fall to find one lonely rack of uniform items.  However, I have also had success ordering from them online.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Cherokee School Uniform Pants, a Review

Last summer, my daughter had outgrown and worn thin her favorite pair of jeans, and I had a hard time finding her a replacement pair. Old Navy had been a go-to store for us to find basic jeans for her. But as she aged out of toddler sizes and grew into girl sizes, we couldn't find any to fit her. Taking her shopping with me was a big headache, so I didn't have the benefit for letting her try on items in the store. I must have made 3 different trips to bring home different sizes and styles for her to try. Regular, skinny, super skinny, etc.  Our daughter is "fit" with an athletic build.  The regular style was so baggy on her, but she couldn't even get her legs in the skinnies. And don't get me started on the length, yikes! The difference with the inseam between a 5T and a 6 in girls seemed like a foot.  I took everything back and gave up on Old Navy Jeans for the year.

Like most Mom's I know, I find myself at Target almost every weekend. There, I spied a pair of basic jeans by Cherokee. The 6x fit her very well. They were a little too long, but they fit close enough to the leg at the ankle that they stayed rolled up.

So when it came time to buy uniform pants, I went straight for Cherokee again.  She needs to wear PE clothes twice a week and regular uniform dress the other 3 days. I bought 2 pair of pants and most weeks she alternates a dress or a skirt on that third day.

And as I've mentioned in a previous post, she'd been wearing holes through her jeans at the knees during her preschool years. These Cherokee pants have been worn and washed every week since September, and they have held up well with no signs of excessive wear in the knees.  They are described online as "stain repellent, wrinkle resistant, and shrink resistant." They have an adjustable waist which we've adjusted several times already.  They have a boot leg style and an easy to use metal slide fastener (the button is just for looks). Like her other pants, they are too long so she's simply worn them rolled up at the bottom. My Mom recently visited for Spring Break and she kindly hemmed them using a basic whip stitch hem that can be removed easily when she has a big growth spurt.

Target sells these Cherokee brand girls uniform pants in navy and khaki in girls 4-16 regular and plus sizes. They also offer Cherokee brand boys school uniform pants in sizes 4 -16 in regular and husky.  They retail around $14 - 16.99 which is a very fair price for how these have lasted for us.  I would definitely buy these again and recommend them to any mom looking for basic quality kids pants, uniform or no uniform.  You can find them on sale too.  And as we smart Target Mom's know, you get an extra 5% off and free shipping when you use your Red Card.
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Cherokee School Uniform Scooter, a Review



Monday, April 1, 2013

Children's Place School Uniforms - Retail Roundup Series

The Children's Place was founded in 1969 and operates retail stores offering baby and children's clothing and accessories. There are over 900 stores located in US malls, strip malls, outlets and street front stores, as well as it's online store. Online purchases can be returned to the retail store, except online exclusives which must be returned via mail.  Free shipping is standard on orders over $75 and $5 flat on other continental US orders.  The loyalty program is called The Children's Place My Place Rewards!  where you can earn 5 points for each $1 spent.

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Boys Bottoms

Boys sizes run from size 4 through 14 in slim, regular and husky.  Boys pants come in khaki, light khaki, navy, and black.  Bermuda shorts come in khaki and gray in regular and slim.

Boys Tops

Short Sleeve Polos come in white and navy, blue and gray.  The long sleeve polos come in white, navy, blue gray, burgundy and green.  The long sleeve oxford come is white, yellow, blue, pink and peach. They carry a rugby style shirt in navy, burgundy and green; Turtlenecks in navy and white; a hoodie sweatshirt for PE in navy and green and a sweater vest in navy.  Navy blazers are available in 3 styles.

Girls Bottoms

Girls sizes run from 4 through 14. Pants and Bermuda shorts are available in regular, slim and plus sizes in khaki, navy, and light khaki. Scooters are available in regular, slim and plus sizes in 2 styles in navy and khaki.

Girls Tops

The short sleeve polo with a ruffle comes in white, pink and navy.  The regular short sleeve version comes in white, navy, blue, and bright pink.  The long sleeve polo comes in white, yellow, blue and burgundy. The peter pan woven is available in short and long sleeve in white and yellow.  A turtleneck, a sweater vest, and a cable hoodie zip up are available in navy.  They also offer a faux layered white short sleeve and long sleeve navy v neck sweater.

Girls Dresses

A knit polo dress comes in navy, pink and blue.  A jumper is available in regular and plus sizes in navy, khaki, light khaki, and black.  A sweater dress is available in navy.

Preschool Boys

Sizes run from 6 months through 5T. Pants with an adjustable waist are available in khaki, navy and black. Bermuda shorts with and adjustable waist in khaki and navy. Short sleeve polos are available in white, navy, blue and gray. The long sleeve polos are available in white and blue. A sweater vest is available in navy. And Navy blazers are available in 2 solid and pinstripe.

Preschool Girls

Sizes run from 6 months through 5T. Pants with an adjustable waist are available in khaki, navy and black. Pleated scooters with built in shorts are available in  khaki, light khaki, navy and black. Short and long sleeve polos with a ruffle are available in white, navy, blue, pink and yellow (short sleeve only). The basic long sleeve polos are available in white, navy, yellow, pink and blue. A short sleeve knit polo dress is available in pink and navy. And white turtleneck is available.

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