Lands End Girls Uniform Pleated Twill Skort

During the same shopping outing when we found the Lands End knit dress that is a favorite in my daughter's kindergarten wardrobe, we also bought her the Land's End pleated twill skirt.  I thought that this item would be a weekly staple. It has a flat front with pleating beginning on the front hip bones and continuing around the back. It can be worn with a top and cuff socks in the early fall and early summer, with knee sock during fall and spring, and with tights during the winter months.  The waist is adjustable with a side zipper and knit shorts built in underneath.


At the time, my daughter was just growing into size 6 clothing.  Trying to stretch the life of the uniform item, I had her try on both a 6 and a 6x.  The 6x fit only after I adjusted the waist to the tightest button.  We bought the  6x and she wore it to school the first week.  As I was getting her dresses for school that morning, I realized how small the button was on the top of the side zipper.  What was I thinking? A side zipper! She's never worn bottoms with a side sipper before.  And although she can manage buttons herself, large buttons are easier for her than small ones.  What if she struggles with it in the restroom and I'm not there to help her? I made it a point to show her how it worked.  Since she seemed unfazed, so I let go of my concern and thought, "we'll see".

She did not report back any issues getting in and out of it in the restroom.  It looked as good on her at the end of the day as it did that morning, so she then wore it again the following week before I washed it.  After washing, it needed touched up with an iron.  The pleats held their form fine, but the bottom hem needed ironed flat.  When we went to put it on her again, we couldn't get it buttoned.  I loosened the adjustable waist a few buttons and we tried again.  I loosened it to the loosest button, it closed but it was tight.  She didn't like the way it felt, so that was that.  She was done with that skort.

So because the item shrunk in the wash, we did not get the amount of use from it that I was hoping. At full price, it cost $27.  It is currently on sale for $14.99.  I doubt we'll purchase this item again. Because it otherwise seems to be a good quality and would last the school year, I would pick one up at a uniform exchange in a size larger than my daughter is currently wearing.  I'll be donating ours to our local uniform exchange program and hope that another girl is able to make good use of it.

I would be interested to here from others that own this skort.  Did you have the same or a different experience?  Please let us know in the comments below.

Related Posts:

Izod Flat Front Uniform Skirt, a review

Cherokee School Uniform Scooter, a Review

Lands' End School Uniforms in the Retail Round Up Series

Review of the Lands End Knit Ruffle Front Dress

Reviews of Girls Cardigan Uniform Sweaters

Treating stains on white shirts - a review of the Clorox Bleach Pen

photo by Uniform Mom

Recently, my daughter came home from school wearing her sweater buttoned up. She's rarely cold so as the intuitive type, I asked her if she spilled something on her shirt at school that day. Sure enough, the puréed prunes that had been packed in her lunch that morning were smeared across the chest of her white long sleeve polo shirt down the sleeve and dried in.

"Okay no problem", I reacted, knowing I had a secret weapon in my laundry arsenal - the Clorox bleach pen. I love this thing! 

Review of the Lands End Knit Ruffle Front Dress



The last year or so of preschool, my daughter quit wearing dresses. Her best friends were all boys and they were into playing superheroes. No more cute sweater dresses with tights, instead she wore jeans everyday with simple t-shirts, many with images of her favorite superheroes. Thank goodness Old Navy carries superhero T-shirts for girls.  But don't take me too literally, this was not some form of preschool gender identity crisis, just a brief tom-boy stage to fit in with her friends.

So when we headed out shopping for school clothes, I was mildly worried about her pitching a fit over not being able to wear jeans. But she took the whole uniform thing, including navy bottoms, in stride. While in Sears, I pointed to a Lands End Little Girls' Short Sleeve Knit Ruffle Front Dress - Classic Navy and asked if she would like to try it on. To my surprise she said yes.

Throughout the fall, she wore that dress once a week. At first with simple cuff socks and school shoes, later with knee socks as the weather got cooler. It has fallen out of rotation during the winter months, but she could be wearing it with leggings underneath and a sweater. I was so thankful she took to this dress because I enrolled her in Sunday school shortly after school started and she is again willing to wear dresses.  Still not "girlie girl" dresses, but cute casual dresses.

The Lands End knit ruffle front dress is made from 100% cotton fabric that is noticeably softer to the touch than the mesh polo knits.  It has a slight A-line shape and has a small cap sleeve.  After many washings, only minor fading and no piling so far.   It doesn't need any ironing as long as you get it from the dryer in a reasonable amount of time.  Little girls definitely need to wear bike shorts underneath to cover their underwear while sitting crisscross applesauce in circle-time and while playing on the playground.  I would definitely buy this dress or a similar style dress in cotton knit fabric from Lands End again.  In fact next year, I'll likely look for a sale and get both the short sleeve and the long sleeve version of this dress.  

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Related posts:

• Lands' End School Uniforms in the Retail Round Up Series
• Lands End Girls Uniform Pleated Twill Skort
• Review of the Lands End Knit Ruffle Front Dress
• Reviews of Girls Cardigan Uniform Sweaters



Review of the Girls Izod Short-Sleeve Woven Shirt

On my first back to school shopping trip last fall, I took my daughter to JCPenney.  I had scoped it out ahead of time.  They had created a School Uniform section in the store between the boys and girls departments.  I knew this would allow us enough choices to see what type of school clothes my daughter preferred and for me to figure out her size.

photo by Uniform Mom

I don’t recall that she had ever had a button up shirt previously, so she was excited about the Izod short sleeve peter pan woven top.  She noticed the little bit of a puffy sleeve and it seemed to make her feel special.  We even took a picture right in the dressing room when she tried it on.  At $8, I didn’t blink at the price.  We bought it and a few other items that day.

She chose to wear it on the first day of school with a navy skirt.  We were so in a rush to get to school on time that day, I only have one photo of her back taken in the elevator on the way out of our building.  I know you all can relate to those kinds of mornings.  Anyway, she wore the shirt a few more times last fall either with shorts or a skirt. One day in late fall when there was a chill in the air, I had her wear a white cami t-shirt underneath. 

I’m not sure exactly why, but it fell out of favor and is no longer part of our weekly wardrobe routine.  I see other girls from her school wearing that style shirt often.  Many times they are worn under a jumper style dress.  My daughter has always hated jumpers.  Even when she was a toddler and had no opinion of her clothes, if given a choice she would always choose to wear whatever other option I presented.  So honestly I’m not sure if she picked up on that or not.  Or maybe she simply prefers the softness and ease of the polo shirts.  

I had picked up the long sleeve version of this shirt at the school’s Uniform Locker exchange program, but she has never worn it. The long sleeve version does not have the same cap sleeve as the short sleeve version. It is unlikely I will buy this product again for next year, only due to my daughter’s current preferences and the flexibility in her school’s dress code. 

So here’s my Mom take on this item. If your daughter likes to wear jumper dresses or if it is a required part of your school’s dress code, this is a great blouse to wear underneath.  The shirt is well made but is thin.  It can be worn alone, but it looks better with a cami underneath or with a jumper or sweater over top.  It washed well and only needed a quick touch up with the iron to look crisp and sharp again. It retails for $8 at JC Penneys, so it doesn’t break the bank and you could stock up on several.  In fact, the full regular price of this shirt is typically less than similar styles offered by other brands.

Related Posts:

• Izod Flat Front Uniform Skirt, a review
• Izod School Uniform Bermuda Shorts

Reviews of Girls Cardigan Uniform Sweaters

As this is our first year buying school uniforms, I bought sweaters by three different brands with the intention to see which lasted through the year while continuing to look good.

The first item I bought for my daughter was the School Uniform Girls' Fine Gauge Cotton Cardigan Sweater - Classic Navy. My personal preference for a quality soft material may have factored into this purchase.  I had read great reviews online. I got it at the Back to School sale at Sears when all Lands' End items were 30% off.  The navy color faded a bit initially after the first time it was laundered, but it has held steady in repeated washings since.  The buttons are small which may be difficult for little fingers still learning to button and unbutton. It is the favorite of the three and is the one that gets packed in the backpack most days.

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The second sweater I bought for her was a white Fine Gauge Knit Cardigan Sweater from French Toast.  It is 100% Acrylic.  I thought she might also get some use wearing it over her non-uniform dresses.  We've also washed this sweater many times over the season and it has not held up as well.  It is piling a bit and the color is no longer bright and clean looking.  I launder most white and light in Warm or Hot water and typically with a dye free detergent. The instructions on the tag recommend cold water, delicate cycle and to dry flat.  I'm lucky enough to have a husband that helps out with the laundry which means I'm sure this item has taken a spin in our dryer on low.  I got it on sale for under $10, so I say it has "met expectations".

Later in the fall, I picked up a third sweater at Target -the Cherokee Girls School Uniform Cardigan.  I is 100% cotton in a button up v neck with pockets.  It has held up well to repeated washings, even the color has not faded.  The buttons on this sweater are much larger than on the Lands' End sweater which are easier for little fingers that are still learning how to button and unbutton.  I bought this item on sale too for around $10, and I would rate it as "above expectations".



So next year or when my daughter grows into the next size, I'll most likely pick up another Lands' End sweater for her.  The reality is that she doesn't end up wearing the sweater everyday and could get by with only one and holding on to one of these as a backup.

(Photos by Uniform Mom)

School Shoes with Man Made Materials

During my Back to School shopping last fall, I bought a paid of navy school shoes for my daughter.  They were the very cute French Toast's Navy T strap which I got at my local JCPenney store in late July at the beginning of the Back to School season. 

We learned while on the way out the door on the first day of school that they no longer fit.  Instead she wore the old sneakers that were very broken in after months of use in preschool.  After just having met the Kindergarten teacher, I respectfully requested she give my daughter a hall pass on dress code on the first day.  I quickly explained why she wasn't in proper shoes and promised that she would be on following day.

That evening after work, I went off to the mall to see if I could exchange the shoes for the next size.  By that point in the school shopping season, my local JCPenney did not have that shoe or any uniform shoes in her size.  JCPenney has a wonderful return policy and gave me no problems with the return.  With about 2 hours left to find proper school shoes for the next day, I headed to the local Target store.  There I found the last pair of  Cherokee uniform shoes (Falda Ballet) in her size.  I am not a fan of shoes made from "Man Made Materials".  It has been my experience that they don't hold up well, but with one hour to go, I didn't have much of a choice.  I put them in my cart, checked out, and headed home for the night.

The Hunt for the Long Sleeve White Polo

When I bought school clothes in the fall, I didn't stumble upon any long sleeve white polos. I instead bought a few cardigans for my daughter to wear over her short-sleeve polos and blouses. As the weather got colder, I kept an eye out for them to show up at the locals stores. As far as I can tell, they never did.

As some point over the holidays, my daughter began asking for "a shirt with sleeves". Even during the post holiday sales, none of the online stores were offering free shipping and I couldn't find any valid promotion codes. Call me a penny pincher, but I back out of an online sale when the shipping is more than the item itself.

I headed out shopping mission to find her a long-sleeve white polo.

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I hit the local Sears to check the Lands End offerings. They were pricer than I wanted to pay. I found only short sleeve polos at Old Navy. Target did not have any uniform items in stock. And the local JCPenney had one, but it wasn't her size. Then I decided to stop in the big box store that I rarely shop at -- Walmart. Our local store was so crowded on a Saturday afternoon in January that folks were circling for parking spaces like it was Black Friday. So I bailed on that madness and checked out their website from the comfort of my couch.

I learned that they carry a small selection of basic uniform items. Since I'm not typically a Walmart shopper, I was not familiar with their store brand, George. The website organized items into a School Uniform Shop. Most items were George and Dickie brand items. They also featured Hanes brands socks and undergarments in the uniform store. The prices were some of the lowest I've seen. The also offer value bundles in qualtities of 2, 4 and even a 7 item mixed bundle. After you add a bundle to your cart, they smartly let you mix up sizes and colors within the bundle. Brilliant!

The item I had spent the day shopping for all over town was in-stock in her size. I ordered a 2 pack of George brand long-sleeve polos for $11 and 97 cents shipping. The item shipped later that night and arrived later that week. At that price, I had low expectations. The cotton is softer than I was expecting, and my daughter is happy with them. We've washed them a few times already and they are holding up fine. I can update this post later in the Spring to let you know ow they hold up after a season of wear.

H&M's Organic Cotton T-shirts

On PE days, my daughter is required to wear "navy sweat pants, skort or shorts, and a plain white or navy t-shirt or sweat shirt". As we started the school year, she had several plain white short sleeve Organic t-shirts from H&M. They were a staple in her preschool wardrobe. She wore them with basic navy shorts when it was warmer. As the weather grew colder, I returned to H&M and found the long sleeve version of the same shirt. She paired them with basic navy leggings from Target and Children's Place. Today during the heart of winter, I found the turtleneck version of this same organic t-shirt. Two for $14.95.

Although our school policy allows the basic t-shirt (think Hanes), these have worked as a more stylish and comfortable alternative for our daughter. They have a feminine fit, are soft and have the right amount of stretch to them.

Most of H&M t's kids shirts are sold in a 2 pack; however, it seems I've bought some of these as individual items too. And not all of their t-shirts are the same. I just browsed through my daughter's dresser and found that the ones we like better have "Made in Bangladesh." printed at the bottom of the sewn in tag or printed in the shirt on the tagless variation. We have several of a similar style that are "Made in Turkey". Attached to the sales tag was a green tag that encouraged me to visit hm.com/conscious. I checked it out and browsed the site that summarized H&M's "...vision is that all business operations shall be run in a way that is economically, socially and environmentally sustainable." This lead me to click on a link to read more about H&M's Bangladesh Development Plan. It was nice to see a brand acknowledge difficult issues in the clothing industry and present a plan to let us, as consumers, know that they are working to make things better for those folks who make the clothing items that my daughter enjoys wearing.

H&M's online store is not available in all areas. Here is their store locator.

Share with the Class

As I mentioned, I'm the Mom of a Kindergartner at a public school with a uniform dress code, and I'm learning things from that perspective. And I fully acknowledge that I don't know it all.

To that end, I invite you to share your experiences, advice and lessons learned, even if your opinions and perspectives differ from mine. Here are a few ways you can get involved: