Gap Inc - Retail Roundup Series

The Gap, Inc. is an American multinational clothing and accessories retailer. It was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is the largest specialty retailer in the United States with over 2550 stores in the US. In additional to the Gap stores, the company operates 4 other brands: Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime, and Athleta. The Gap offers free shipping on orders over $50 and free returns on all orders.

GapKids carries a line of school uniform items.  If you've read a few of the posts from last summer's Best Bets series, you may have noticed that the regular retail price of the GAP uniform items tend to fall at the top the charts. However, if you're a smart shopper, you can score these items for deep discounts.  Last fall, I bought a few basic polos for may daughter for 5 bucks each off the clearance rack. 

Girls Bottoms

Girls uniform pants are offered in 5 styles: trouser pants, boot cut, skinny and capri and ponte styles. The shorts are offered in two styles, the traditional bermuda short as well as a shorter flat front style.  They also carry fold over yoga pants which would work for PE class and leggings.

Girls Tops

They carry short and long sleeve polos in several colors (white, blue and navy).  They carry a no-iron long sleeve button down, long sleeve oxfords, short sleeve peter pan blouses, and a ruffle shirt. The cable knit cardigans are offered in navy and white and the v neck cardigan in gray and navy.

Girls Dresses

The polo dress is a classic drop waist pleated style and offered in gray, navy, pink and red. The pleated skirt is offered in two styles: a GapShield and a more casual ponte knit. They offer two jumpers: one in Gapshield fabric with a shirred empire waist style and another straighter style in ponte knit. They sell  three packs of knit shorts that a can be worn under the jumpers, skirts or dresses.

Girls Outerwear

They also offer several jackets. A ponte navy blazer, a hooded fleece coat, a peplum coat and a rain coat.

Boys Bottoms

Boys uniform pants are offered in 3 styles: flat front, straight, and pleated pants. They carry a dress pant, as well as a wide-wale cords. The shorts are offered in three styles, the flat front, pleated and cargo.  

Boys Tops

They carry short and long sleeve polos in a nice variety of colors.  They carry a no-iron long sleeve and a short sleeve button down, as well as long sleeve and short sleeve oxfords. The v-neck cardigans is offered in several colors and mock zip cardigan.

Boys Outerwear

They also offer several jackets. A knit blazer, a knit peacoat, and a rain coat.

Clean Up those old School Shoes with Mink Oil

© Rene Shonerd 2014

My daughter's everyday school shoes had seen better days. They have navy leather uppers, but the toes were almost white with scuffs and wear.  They look like they needed replaced. I had been looking unsuccessfully for navy shoe polish as I was out shopping over the holidays.

While cleaning up after the holidays, I came across a very old container of mink oil. I had used it on odd occasion to clean up and shine up my leather shoes. I've had the same container when I was in school and somehow it's traveled with me for numerous moves yet spent years in the bottom of a box in the closet.

I figured I couldn't do anymore harm to those school shoes, so
I found an old cleaning rag and rubbed a small amount of the mink oil into her shoe.

It worked like magic.  I couldn't get over the difference.  I grabbed the camera before I did the other shoe, so I could show you the before and after shot. See how the show on the left is all discolored, but the one on the right looks like a new shoe again.

The directions read as follows:

Remove all excess dirt. Apply with a clean cloth, especially around seams and stitching. After five minutes wipe off excess and polish. Prevents drying, cracking and salt stains. Recommended for all smooth leather and vinyl. May darken certain leathers. Do not use on Suede of Nubuck.

It did actually work that easy. I rubbed it on paying special attention of the areas showing the most wear. The dry leather soaked in that oil bringing back it's color and shine. I plan to spend an evening this week sprucing up my shoes, my husband's shoes, and my handbags. Since its not a stinky spray that you need to use in the open air, you can do it indoors while watching a TV show. I am definitely going to keep that container handy and use it much more regularly with my daughter's shoes.

The brand I have is so old that I cannot find it listed online, but I found Kiwi Mink Oil Conditions & Waterproofs Leather 2.5/8 Oz. available on Amazon. It is inexpensive. I recommend you add it on to your next order.

Video Pick: Do School Uniforms Help Students Learn?

I enjoyed this video published by DNews in August of 2013.  This well done video references several studies frequently cited as schools and parents debate school uniforms and uniform dress codes.  The video description on YouTube provides links to many of the research studies on the topic of school uniforms.

Description for Do School Uniforms Help Students Learn?

"Parents, students, and school officials have been fighting for-and against- school uniforms for years now. So as the 2013 school year begins, Anthony seeks an answer once and for all: do school uniforms really help students learn?"

Mid-Year School Uniform Wardrobe Review

Many retailers are offering their annual sales on school uniform items, so its a great time to take a look at the state of your child's wardrobe and make needed updates. Here is your homework assignment for you to complete over the next few days:

• Has your child grown since the school year started?  If so, check if his/her pants might be looking a bit too short and his/her shirts just won't stay tucked in? 
• On laundry day, take a bit of extra time to inspect the uniform items.  Do you see any holes, loose threads or stains?  Are any items showing signs of wear on the cuffs or along the hemline?  
• Hold up the white shirts to a newer white shirt.  If it now appears yellow, it might need special attention in the laundry cycle or need replacing all together.
• Don't forget to sort through the socks and underwear drawer too.  Get rid of items that your child has outgrown and toss out any socks that with holes or ones that no longer have a mate. 
• Mend or alter any items that still have some wear left in them.
• Make a list of items that need replacing.

Before you rush out to the stores, be sure to check out Uniform Mom's latest Weekend Shopping Guide to check the latest sales and coupon codes.  

(photo used with permission from Microsoft)

French Toast brand Skinny Stretch Twill Pant and Peter Pan Blouse, a Review

I received complementary school uniform clothing items from Ideal Uniforms to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

Ideal Uniforms offered me the opportunity to review their web site and several items of French Toast brand clothing. I had only recently learned of them, so I was happy to learn more about the company and the products they offer. They are based in New York with two retail locations in Brooklyn and Elmont. Those of us outside the NY area can visit their website. Below are a few quotes from the About Us page on IdealUniform.com.

"For over 83 years, Ideal Uniforms has been a family owned and operated business. We specialize in designing and distributing professionally styled apparel, work-wear and outerwear for men, women and children. Ideal Uniforms is your one stop shop for all your educational, medical, corporate and scouting needs. Ideal presently outfits hundreds of schools, hospitals, boy and girl scout troops, and businesses. Ideal Uniforms has been a family owned and operated business. We specialize in designing and distributing professionally styled apparel, work-wear and outerwear for men, women and children."

When I began researching Ideal Uniforms, I found some negative online reviews. Comments centered around two types of issues, poor customer service and inventory management. Knowing that most companies pay attention to online feedback, I asked if they had made any efforts to address customer concerns in these areas. Jack Kassab, a Vice President at Ideal Uniform, told me that they made a large investment this year in both areas. He said, "We now have a system which helps us with inventory control as well as forecasting to avoid running out of merchandise prior to school opening. We also made some changes in our customer service department and we have been getting great feedback."

I had fun browsing the online store where school uniform items are organized together making it easy to view their selections. You can filter by gender and then type of clothing with logical groupings as "pants and shorts" and "blouses, knits and polos". You can also add additional filters by size and color. Because my daughter had recently outgrown her button up shirts, I selected both a French Toast brand short sleeve and a long sleeve peter pan blouses. I also selected the French Toast Girls Skinny Stretch Twill Pant. My final selection was a "Girl's American Doll Plaid Dress". I found these uniform dresses designed to fit the 18" dolls too cute to pass up. It is listed under Accessories and is available in many different plaid patterns. It made a perfect gift for my daughter since grandma planned to give her an American Girl doll as a Christmas gift this year. Personally, I had a positive experience shopping online with them. They contacted me via email to let me know the doll outfit was out of stock and requested feedback on how to fulfill the order giving me the option to wait until the items returned to stock or an alternate pattern. The correct items were shipped to me quickly as one complete order.

© 2014 Rene Shonerd

I had only previously seen the French Toast Girls Skinny Stretch Twill Pant online and in catalogs. They look skinnier in the photo than they really are. As you can see from my photo, they are thinner through the knee than a straight leg pants by about a 1/2 inch yet still have a boot cut bottom. These would be a nice option for girls that want to wear the currently fashionable skinny tight fitted pants if the school's dress code prohibit the fitted pants. They are made from cotton with 3% spandex which gives them the right amount of stretch. The do not have an adjustable waist. Instead they have several inches of sturdy elastic across the back to give them some wiggle room. Currently my daughter has been wearing a 6x in pants with any adjustable waist fully extended and no hem in the length. Her natural waist is a 22" while measuring the area where a waistband would hit her measures at 23". I ordered the French Toast girls size 7 pants which are labeled to fit a waist at 23 1/2" which seems about right since these are still just a bit too big for her. They fit nicely through the backside and the legs. They are labeled as machine wash cold, tumble dry low and iron when needed.

© 2014 Rene Shonerd

The peter pan blouses she'll be able to begin using right away. The fabric is 55% cotton and 45% poly. I ordered these in a size 7 also. Her similar blouses in a 6x are too short, showing her belly as she moves around and making it very difficult to keep her shirt tucked into her pants as her dress code requires. This short sleeve blouse fits her perfect. The long sleeve needs the sleeve turned up once which is expected as she is just growing into this size. The weight of the shirts are perfect for layering under a jumper or sweater; however, they are also thick enough to be worn alone or simply paired with a criss-cross tie. They are labeled as machine wash cold, tumble dry low and iron when needed. I put the "Wrinkle No More ™" fabric to the test. This photo shows the short sleeve blouse on the right straight from the dryer. The long sleeve blouse on the left I touched up with the iron. While I prefer the crisp look of the ironed blouse, I admit that I'd let my daughter wear it to school without ironing, especially if she would be wearing it under a jumper or sweater.

Overall, I had a positive retail experience with Ideal Uniforms. I am also pleased with the quality of the French Toast brand items I received. I like that they stock school uniform items year round so you can find the items you need in stock mid-year. You can connect with them online on Facebook or on Twitter to get a heads up when items go on sale and find useful coupons codes. To learn more about the items they carry, check out the details from the Ideal Uniforms post in the Retail Round up series.

Currently, Ideal Uniforms is sponsoring a giveaway that is being organized here on Uniform Mom. One lucky reader will win a prize pack which includes your choice of one top and one bottom of French Toast brand clothing for either a boy or girl! It ends on 1/13/14 at midnight ET. Enter now so you too can get a chance to pick out an school uniform outfit from Ideal Uniforms.

Related Posts:

Ideal Uniforms: Retail Round Up

Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids

Children's Place School Uniform Cotton Sweater, a Review

Last summer, I spent time researching clothing items for the "Best Bets" series for Back to School. When reviewing the options for girls school sweaters, I found that many retailers offered inexpensive acrylic sweaters, but only a few offered them in cotton.  The most budget friendly of the cotton sweaters was the Crew Neck Cardigan Sweater offered by The Children's Place. I picked one up in navy at the local outlet for my daughter to try this year.

During the cooler months of the school year, I pack a sweater in my daughter's backpack everyday. Sometimes she comes home wearing it and sometimes it is still in her bag.  I never want her to be cold, so I make sure she always knows that there is a sweater in her bag. Each Friday, I put it in the laundry pile for the weekend.  Once clean, it goes back in the bag.  So this year, I alternated between her favorite sweater from last school year and this new one.  Both are made of cotton and very soft.

Children's Place
Crew Neck Cardigan Sweater 

I am pleasantly surprised that this Children's Place sweater has not shrunk or faded.  It has held it's color as a true navy through many washings so far this year. It still looks new and we're half way through the school year.  We found it to be true to size.

It retails for $19.95.  It is still available online in limited quantities in white, pink and heather gray. Please note that these colors are online exclusives and can only be returned by mail. Recently, I was back at my outlet store again where I saw the navy sweaters were still available.  That day they were 30% off.

These sweaters are great for school. They can be worn over a polo or peter pan blouse. They are also perfect for over a jumper or a even a "non-uniform" dress. And the cotton jersey fabric works well with casual as well as outfits for dresser occasions. If you are shopping for a boy instead, the Children's Place carries a Boys Uniform V-Neck Sweater in the same cotton jersey fabric.

My daughter loves this sweater. Being honest, she only cares about two things. 1) Fit - if it's too tight she'll pull it right off. The sleeves on this sweater are just wide enough that she can comfortably wear her long sleeve polo under it on really cold days. and 2) Texture - it's gotta be soft. Itchy fabrics are a no-go for her. I like it too and would definitely recommend it. I care about price; it's a fair deal at regular price and an even better deal if you can catch a sale. I also care how it looks and how it holds up. Since it still looks good after 3 months of regular use, I would definitely buy this item for her again. In fact, I just picked up two more Children's Place cardigan sweaters in different colors and similar styles for her to wear over her Sunday School dresses.

Ideal Uniforms: Retail Round Up

Ideal Uniforms has been a family owned and operated business for over 80 years. They have two locations in New York City and have a newly redesigned website with an online store. Below is a quote from their web site:

"Ideal Uniforms is your one stop shop for all your educational, medical, corporate and scouting needs. Ideal presently outfits hundreds of schools, hospitals, boy and girl scout troops, and businesses. This allows us to retain a vast inventory which is stocked year round. Ideal manufactures many of its own products to ensure that customers get what they need when they need it."

They carry the following brands in children's uniform clothing: A+ School Apparel, Classroom, Elderwear, French Toast, Rifle Kaynee, Becky Thatcher, Dickies, as well as their own brand Ideal brand. They also sell scouts uniforms, dancewear, backpacks, and caps and gowns.

Boys bottoms include four different brands of flat front pants, two brands of pleated pants or pull on pants. Boys shirts include polos in short and long sleeve, turtlenecks, and short and long sleeve button up dress and oxford shirts. In sweaters, they carry acrylic vests, cardigans, and v-neck pullovers. Finally, they carry the Rifle Kaynee Unisex Blazer in five colors. Boys accessories include a variety of ties and belts.

Girls bottoms include French Toast, Becky Thatcher and Dickies flat fronts and basic shorts. In skirts, they carry a basic kick pleat in solids and plaids, plaid knife pleats, and plaid kilts. Girls tops include polos, turtlenecks, peter pan blouses in short and long sleeve, pointed collar blouses and oxfords in short and long sleeve. In sweaters, they carry acrylic vests, cardigans, and v-neck pullovers. They also have two options for vests, a bolero (open in the front) and a pointed (button up). The v-neck jumpers are available in solids and plaids and the slit neck jumper in plaids. Finally, they carry a wrap around kilt in solids. Finally, they carry a fun selection of coordinating criss-cross ties, scruncies, head bands, bike shorts and tights.

They have a typical return policy, or most items, for a full refund with a receipt within 14 days for items in their original condition, unwashed and unworn. Exchanges can be made within 30 days.