Poll: Your favorite clothing brands

[AngelaS]

I love Gymboree. :) I love the way the clothes run true to size, that they're durable, that they mix and match and that they have a great resale value. LOL I also love that if I walk into a store today and HATE everything I see, next month, there will be all new stuff and I'll probably find something I LOVE! LOL

I also like OshKosh--they're now doing the mix and match thing, but their clothes aren't quite as durable. Their overalls are, but their tops and leggings don't seem to be made from as study of fabrics.

I LOVE Carters pjs. I only buy Carters (or Lands End) pjs for my girls. They're soft both inside and out and that only makes sense.

I also love Land's End. I've been slowly collecting some pieces off eBay and I'm impressed with their fabrics, mix and matchability and how well they hold up!

Anybody else?

[Rachels]

Our biggies are Gymboree / Janie and Jack, Carter's, Little Me (although we HATE it when they put snaps up the back), Baby Gap, and Hanna Andersson.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[Momof3Labs]

I have a looooong, skinny baby, so we like Baby Gap and Old Navy. Gymboree has adorable girls' clothes but their boys' clothes aren't generally as cute, IMO.

We need to try Land's End.

[sntm]

Can I vote though baby's not here yet?
Of the ones I've bought and haven't tried out, I am really impressed by Gymboree. I like Petit Bateau, Absorba, Little Me and Le Top. I love the patterns for Catimini but only have one item that was used and was a little faded. I haven't liked Baby Gap as much -- their selection for boys' clothes is not that great.
Like Carter's for sleepers and rompers - found stuff at Once Upon a Child in fabulous condition!



shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03

[momathome]

Gymboree is our absolute favorite - comfy, well-made clothes that fit well. Hanna Andersson, Gap, and for dressy or special clothes, Baby Lulu and JM Originals. I also really like Mulberribush - very well-made, cute, fun prints. While I think the quality of Lands End is good, I think their clothes are kind of boring - love their outerwear, though.
-Lauren

[MelissaTC]

Matthew is skinny and long and I must say, Baby Gap has served us well. I love how everything fits him so well. I really like Gymboree but now as he is growing out of the layette sizing, I am not so sure we are going to be buying too much. I dislike the striped clothing. Zutano is another favorite of ours as well. I love how soft everything is and how fun it is to mix and match colors and patterns. Carters is great for pajamas and I love the fact that a lot of their little boys clothes look like clothes for little boys. I do not want to make my baby look like a man, kwim?

[parkersmama]

My two favorites are Lands' End and Gymboree. I have been using them both for years and when I pull out the hand-me-downs for my 2nd son, they look almost brand new even after being worn for a whole season. Although neither of them have as cute clothes for boys as they do girls, they are still the cutest and best made around. I think Lands' End prices are very reasonable and love the Gymboree has constant sales and new lines. I like the quality at Gap and Old Navy and have bought a few basics (jeans, t's) there but I find their boys stuff to be pretty dull. I'm looking forward to outfitting our baby girl from those places, too. I also like Target pretty well. Their basics seem to hold up pretty well and the price can't be beat!

Edited to add: My favorite pajamas are from Gymboree. They are great! I can't stand synthetic pjs that pill and get threadbare after a few washings. I love the all cotton pjs from Gymboree. They hold up so well and have easily lasted through 2 boys in my house. Target and Osh Kosh have some similar all cotton ones that I like pretty well. And I also like the ones from Baby Gap.

[khakismom]

It's really different buying clothes for a toddler rather than an infant. Now that Kathleen is almost 2, her clothes really take a beating between eating and playing. I *love* the Koala Kids and Miniwear brands at BRU for play/school clothes--they are priced well, have really improved their style lately, have all the matching pieces (dress + matching hat, sweater, and socks), and now have 36 and 48 month sizes. Also good for play clothes is Target--cute stuff that wears well and doesn't cost too much. We also love Baby Gap, Hanna Anderssen, and Talbot's Kids for non-play clothes, and always have one Lilly Pulitzer piece for the summer. The best jammies--especially in the winter--are from Children's Place. They're so soft on the inside and don't have the scratchy, plastic feet bottoms.

Good poll! :)

...Maureen

Mom to
Kathleen 3/22/01
Baby girl 6/12/03

[egoldber]

Sarah's wordrobe consists mainly of Lands End, Carters, Gymboree, BabyGap, Old Navy and Target. When I feel like a splurge, Hanna Andersson.

I also LOVE the Moonbeams brand from Lord&Taylor. Very soft cotton knit, and the sizing is very generous.

I also really like NKids, the Nordstrom store brand. Their spring line is really adorable and comparable in price to Lands End stuff, although the shrinkage is a bit more. They have good sales though.

I recently discovered the JCPenney store brand called Okie Dokie. They sometimes have cute things at reasonable proces. But i find that Target clothes tend to be cuter for a bit less.

[colleenfs]

Another big Gymboree fan here, especially when they are on sale. The clothes wear and wash well and are so incredibly cute. Julia has short legs, so she still fits into her Gymboree 6-12 month overalls, even though everything else she wears is 12-18 months. I also love the fact that their clothes are meant for little girls and not downsized teeny bopper styles.

Love Little Me layette. Can't find much now that she is out of the 0-9 size range. Love the Hanna catalog, but have yet to splurge. I will get the stripey dress and reverse stripe leggings at some point. That is just too sweet.

She mostly wears Carters pjs. They fit and wear well. We have some Children's Place sleeper pjs that are great as well.

I could take or leave Old Navy and Baby Gap. Occasionally I find something cute at these stores, but I find that they are pretty trendy in general. The only things I've liked from these 2 stores are summer dresses and, of course, the socks.

On the other hand, I pretty much hate Children's Place and KRU (in toddler on up sizes) in general. My daughter is 14 months, she is not a floozy! Whywhywhy do these companies try to make our little girls look like teen hussies? Honestly, I don't know what I will do when Julia gets bigger. Where can you find cute clothes that allow our daugters to look like children? I may have to learn how to sew!!

Rant over! At any rate, at least I can shop at Gymboree for the next few years!

Colleen
Mama to Julia 1-10-02

[sarasprings]

I buy almost exclusively from Talbots. We have an outlet half an hour from here, and I've gotten some amazing deals. I bought DS's summer clothes last fall (he is small and fits their sizes perfectly) -- shorts, onesie polos, and hats for $1. That was an exceptionally good sale, but I always get good deals. Plus, they will take returns anytime with a receipt -- even years later.

We get lots of Gymboree infant hand me down and they are some of the most comfy clothing in the house.

Sara
mom to Peter 5/4/02

[lisams]

In this order:

Gymboree, Lands End, Old Navy, Carter's

I love Old Navy's socks (and they are a good price!)

I usually only get Carter's sleepers, and an occasional onesie from one of their lines (love the Eric Carle line!)

[khakismom]

Colleen...

I completely agree with you about CP and KRU. I love the jammies at CP but that's all I will buy. I stick to the classics and therefore, when shopping at BRU or Target have to really search for stuff. :) And the really cute outfits at BRU will go fast too, leaving the trandy stuff sitting on the shelf. I find that you almost have to hit BRU on a regular basis to find the good clothes, because they get new stuff evey few days. If you wait too long, the classic-looking stuff is gone.

The strange thing about CP is that around Christmastime, they carry classic, traditional, dressy coats for girls, and I've bought Kathleen's good coat from them the past 2 Christmases. I always walk in hoping that they'll have some basic clothes because their prices are not bad. But no luck... :)

...Maureen

Mom to
Kathleen 3/22/01
Baby girl EDD 6/12/03

[Andrea S]

I love to shop so we end up with a lot of different brands, but some of our favorites are Hanna Andersson, Janie and Jack (their pajamas are so soft), baby Nordstrom (although he is in their biggest size now), Zutano, new potatoes and baby gap.

Andrea
mom to Andrew 8/14/02

[MinnieMouse]

To be honest...I think Gymboree is overpriced..even when it's on sale. I keep reading how people love them and get such good deals and every time I walk into the store I about have a heart attack at the cost. I don't spend that much on MY clothes!

When my dd was in 0-3, 3-6 and 6-9 I loved the McBaby line at Walmart. Two items of clothes or dress for $10 and everything mixed and matched. They wore well and still look beautiful despite the fact that dd wore them months longer than most kids.

I also think Sears and Macy's have great deals when they have sales on clothes. As a toddler dd doesn't need dress up stuff but good everyday things she can play in...and both stores are great for this.

BRU, when they have their clearance sales are also a great place for good deals. I practically got dd's entire summer wardrobe there last year when she was in 12mo size for about $50 total. Again, great quality and still in great shape to use for #2 when the time comes.

HTH

Christine

[smomom]

I have to admit that I am not a Gymboree fan. Although the girls clothes look cute, the boy's selection is terrible IMO. I found their prices to be really high also. I must not time the sales right.

Since my baby boy is long, I have found that Baby Gap works really well. I absolutely love their overalls with the cotton lining - so much softer than the blue jeans against the skin. I think their cotton t's and onsies wash really well. Most of his clothes are BGap.

I also like Old Navy, but the quality is not nearly as good as BGap.

I have recently discovered Children's Place. I really like the soft feel of their clothes, but some of the styles are not to my liking. I have bought a couple of summer rompers at a resale shop and they look brand new.

I second the comment that Walmart's McBaby brand is good for when baby is tiny. It's inexpensive and the fabric is soft.

And of course, Carter's is always good for pjs and playwear. But I often notice dramatic differences in the sizes of their pjs.

and think that's it......

[August Mom]

My DS is a Gymboree guy, mostly thanks to Grandma, but I love the clothes and quality. And, I think Gymboree has adorable outfits for little boys. My current fav is the Leaping Frogs collection. If the sun stays out, Justin can start wearing some Leaping Frogs clothes soon. LOL Also, I like virtually every piece of the Spring Is in the Air collection. Plus, Gymboree's cuffed socks are the only ones I've found to stay on so we have to have outfits to match, right? :) I also like Carter's sleepers for night. And, from Baby Gap I like jeans (because they are jersey-knit lined and have crotch snaps) and hats (because most have velcro chin straps).

[JulieL]

I second you! Love Baby Gap & Old Navy. They have the best boy clothes around. Gymboree doesn't have as good of sales as the other two. Don't know about you but I don't have money to throw away on expensive clothes that he won't were very long.

-JulieL
mama to Anthony 3/23/02

[sparkeze]

My favorites are Hanna Andersson, Land's End, Baby Gap, and Babystyle. I have very bulky diapers (I mean DS does!) and I haven't found anything that gives enough room other than the ones I mentioned.

[nathansmom]

I love the Sprocket brand at Mervyn's. They have cute clothes for both boy and girl. Usually the styles aren't to far off of what the Gap has but at less money.

[sweetbasil]

While about all the other favorites around our house have been mentioned here, I really like the way Hilfiger clothes fit, and last for playclothes (we have an outlet pretty close by, and sometimes I'll pick some things up on eBay, too).

For dressier outfits (church, holidays, etc.) I LOVE House of Hatten. My new favorite place to lurk is http://www.houseofhattenoutlet.com

When DS was younger, I had him dressing like a little man all the time- baby gap, old navy, etc., but once he hit one year, I realized I wanted to keep him little a while longer, and started dressing him in cuter little rompers, etc. His daddy has opinions about when cute becomes too girly, so I try to respect that :), but I'm enjoying what will probably be his last summer of sweet little boy clothes.

[parkersmama]

Oh, Julie, definitely enjoy the "baby" clothes while you can! We have years, and more endless years to dress them as "little men". ugh. I was always stubborn about dressing my boys as babies for as long as possible. We had the same thing, dh had "veto power" but for the most part it was up to me. Now that they are 3 & 5 I have almost no choice but the little man clothes. :-(