Back To School Shopping: Our Sensibly Priced Style Short List

Goldie is wearing her favorite Cat & Jack dress, and Lex got this striped shirt at the Rockets of Awesome store opening event- she was so excited to wear it, even though the only bottoms she packed for our overnight trip to NYC were a pair of hunter green camp uniform shorts!

No clue how it happened, but it did. Summer is over, school is (almost) in session. We lived it up as much as we could all month long and now, I am kinda scrambling to get my act together so I can feel less anxious about how our day to day schedule is about to get majorly amped up. Anyhoo- I digress…

First up- school clothes for my girls. They are both growing so fast, and simultaneously developing strong opinions about what they want to wear this Fall. One thing to note: I am not the mom who micromanages my kids outfits. For better or for worse (their style is often questionable, at best), I am too lazy to worry about it- and I guess also a result of the industry in which I have worked for so long, I am overly sensitive to the effects that style shaming them into wearing the outfits I would want to wear were I 4 of 8 years old may have down the road. But mostly, I pick my battles and, well, I am lazy. AND- I refuse to buy my kids expensive clothes at this age. I figure I have the rest of their lives to give in when they beg for designer duds- so I take advantage of their lack of awareness in this arena while I can!

Here are the sensibly priced brands- and top picks at each- that we are shopping to update the girls’ closets for 2019 back-to-school style:

1- More Than Magic: This new line exclusive to Target is the incarnation of a focus group made up of young girls raised on a steady diet of unicorns, holograms, sparkle slimes, switchy sequins, positive affirmations and mermaids. However, each item has also been designed with parents in mind- for example, the earbuds are volume limited for safety. My mom took Lex and Goldie to Target on a shopping spree this past weekend, and go figure, every item they came home with was from this brand!

2- Rockets of Awesome: Such a fan of the subscription service option- you get a box of 8 items each season, keep them all for a deep discount, or return what you don’t want by simply slapping the enclosed return label on the enclosed shipping bag and be done with it. Plus, you have a TON of say in what the items are that get delivered to your door- a Sneak Peek link is sent before the box is shipped, and if you don’t like what was chosen, just swap for something else. There are so many options within so many style profiles to peruse- as Alexa has gone from preferring dresses on dresses on dresses to sporty looks, and Goldie has evolved from all things unicorns to, well, all things- we can always find great pieces with just the right balance of soft-touch materials and whimsical details. (NOTE: If you use THIS LINK, you get $20 off your first order - and I get $20 credit towards my future orders, full disclosure!)

3- The Children’s Place: This is where we get jeans- they are so soft and easy to wear, the only jeans Alexa will wear are the bootcut style from here. The snap closure is key- looks like a traditional button, but so much easier for little hands to manage.

4- Cat & Jack: Perfectly priced, this is the brand we gravitate to for comfy, casual dresses- this animal print one is a favorite, and the t-shirt top/tulle skirt bottom one piece dresses are also perennial hits in our house.

5- GAP Kids: We have a GAP in Westport, and ever since my girls discovered the elevator to get to the children’s section, it has been their favorite local shop! Alexa loves the denim-style dresses from here- like this one- and the only ballet-slipper flats she will wear are the ones we find at the GAP (Alexa is very particular about how her shoes feel- we have tried so many different ballet slipper style flats from so many brands!). I scoop up the graphic t-shirts for Goldie- and DYING over the kids version of my beloved Flutter Sleeve basic tee (you may have seen me over-post about it on my instagram stories all summer long, ha) that come with great designs on the front.

Okay- that’s all for now from me. Off to do my second favorite back-to-school activity- color code my calendar with Alexa and Goldie’s activities so as to mastermind the logistics of getting them from A to B and back again…xo JF