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

School Uniform Clothing Giveaway (Ends 1/13/14 at 12am ET)

Organized by: Uniform Mom

Sponsored by: Ideal Uniform

In our American culture, khakis and polos have become the everyday uniform for life’s everyday events like community outings such as a play or recital, and family events like holiday gatherings or eating out, as well as Sunday School and church. Especially for the little boys, they are the most appropriate attire for all "dress up", but short of formal, events. Girls and young ladies have more fashion choices to weave into everyday wardrobes. Even still, chinos paired with a polos or blouse make a smart choice for many similar life outings. Today more and more schools across the US are requiring students to adopt a standard dress code defining appropriate attire for school. And although options vary from school to school, khakis and polos typically are the foundation for any dress code. And even if your child's school doesn't require a uniform dress code, having a smart outfit in the wardrobe is handy for have on hand for everyday life events.

Prize Package Includes:

One lucky reader will win a prize pack from Ideal Uniforms which includes your choice of one top and one bottom of French Toast brand clothing for either a boy or girl!

The event date opens on 12/29/13 through 1/13/14 12:00 AM ET. Open to US Residents only.  The winner will be chosen at random and will be notified via the email they used to enter the contest. If after 48 hours, there is no response, another winner will be chosen. Uniform Mom is not responsible for fulfillment of the prize. Open to US residents, 18+ only.

To enter: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Uniform Mom, the organizer, was recently provided sample French Toast brand clothing items from the sponsor to facilitate an upcoming review but was not provided additional compensation to organize this giveaway.  Uniform Mom is not responsible for sponsor prize shipment. Please contact navyplaid@comcast.net with questions or to see your business or product featured on the next event! This giveaway is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Yes honey, Santa IS Real

Disclosure – Affiliate Links in Use 

Thanks for supporting Uniform Mom

Did you hear?  

There is a nasty rumor going around your local elementary school this week.  Maybe your child has heard it too.

What is it? The kid in the 5th Grade class said...

"Santa isn't real."

What!

Yes, its our jobs as parents to make sure the truth gets out there.  Arm you kids with the facts! Pronto! Show him, yes honey, Santa IS Real.

So now that you're set up your tree and put up the decorations, after the kids go to bed this evening, you have homework.  Your assignment - Get out your digital camera or phone and take a picture in your house.

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Just wait until they see Santa Claus walk past their very own Christmas tree, delivering their presents, and eating their cookies and milk, all in your very own home!  Here is a short tutorial to show you how easy it is to Catch Santa on Video in your home.

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Do you dread the mall Santa photo op? Are looking for another way to let your child chat with Santa for a few minutes and learn what item is tops on his or her wish list?

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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.

Classroom School Uniforms Unveils New Footwear and Legwear Collections for 2014

Classroom School Uniforms, a leading national manufacturer of school uniforms, announced it is adding footwear and legwear collections to the Classroom brand. The products will be available at retail in June for the back-to-school 2014 buying season.

The Classroom footwear collection includes five styles for boys and three styles for girls in sizes pre-school to adult. Styling for boys includes Oxfords, Slip-ons, Loafers and Trainers. Girls styling includes Mary Janes, T-straps and Saddle Shoes.


The Classroom Footwear line provides outstanding value and style, along with the "Real World Tested" quality families expect from Classroom. Using easy care man-made uppers and non-marking thermoplastic rubber outsoles, Classroom shoes are built to go the distance of a full school year. Fit and comfort features like padded heel counters and insoles, 4-eyelet tie or hook and loop fasteners and textured, slip resistant soles make these easy to wear all day, every day.

The Classroom legwear collection is a high quality, moderate cost program with a unique twist: All socks and tights are Rayon made from Bamboo, a processed fabric using sustainable fibers that is moisture wicking and helps prevent blisters. Available in crew and knee-highs, Classroom socks feature reinforced heels for durability, hand-linked, seamless toes for comfort, and are sold in a 3-pack with peg hanger. Classroom tights are a premium weight flat knit with an anti-roll waistband, sold as a single pack with peg hanger. All are available in 6 colors.

For more information about Classroom's complete line of products, call our uniform hotline at 888-593-6616 or visit classroomuniforms.com.

Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1623812#ixzz2n5S4R5DX