Back to School Fashion Must Haves for 2014: Part 1

​Guest Post by Author Whitney Hollingshead

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The end of summer is near and school will be back in full session soon. Before you head out to purchase clothing for your kids for this school year, take a look at these trends and tips to help your kids look their best this fall:

 

                               Girls top in 4 colors, only $4.40!           Levi's skinny jeans size 7-16
General Tips

1. Set a budget for school clothing and supplies before you start shopping and stick to your budget.
2. Focus on building a wardrobe for your child, instead of buying individual outfits. This means you’ll want to choose a lot of pieces that work well in different combinations. This doesn’t mean you should choose everything in the same color. Instead of obsessing about items matching perfectly, focus on items that work well together.
       
Zunie dress sizes 7-16 and leggings in several colors!

3. Purchase comfortable clothes. Your child should be able to play on the playground and sit still without clothing irritating them or getting in the way of common activities. Comfortable does not mean sweats and baggy tees. Comfortable should mean clothes that fit well and are made of fabrics that don’t irritate the skin. Once the items are home, remove all internal tags, as tags can be especially irritating.
4. Plan on dressing your child in layers. For girls, grab some cute leggings and cardigans to pair with dresses. For boys, consider plain or striped long sleeved tees that can be worn alone or layered under short sleeved graphic tees, and add a hooded sweatshirt.

 

            Boys long-sleeve in several colors and hoodie!

5. Make your kids try everything on. Sizing varies from brand to brand, store to store, and even item to item. If your child is between sizes, always size up. Kids grow quickly!
6. Check the care instruction labels BEFORE you buy anything. Items that require special washing and drying methods are most likely not worth the cost, nor the potential headache.
7. Don’t forget the extras: purchase new underwear, socks, etc.

8. If you find yourself torn between buying pieces that are trendy or buying pieces that are classic staples, go with the classic staples. Then consider buying some inexpensive trendy accessories to spice things up. This way your kids can look great and in style, but you won’t be committing all of your budget to trends that may be on their way out by Christmas.