the building blocks of a wardrobe (part 2)Jeans. Jeans. Jeans. Such a wardrobe staple, yet I think many of us are tired of our children wearing them every day. Hopefully, but stocking your
child's closet with the right pieces, you might see another pair of pants, shorts, a skirt, or even a dress sometimes. But the reality is that your child will want to wear jeans. So you might as well make sure
the right couple of pairs are there so that he or she still looks clean, put together, and even stylish.
As much as I obsess about my own jeans, and am willing to indulge, I don't think it's worth spending a fortune on your child's jeans. Gap, Old Navy, H&M, Zara and Boden all offer stylish and flattering jeans at pocket-friendly prices (online at
www.gap.com,
www.oldnavy.com,
www.bodenusa.com and in stores). If you can't resist going the boutique-line route, I highly recommend Tea Collection (
www.teacollection.com).
So many washes. So many embellishments. Where to begin? For starters, I think it's worth sticking with a dark wash and avoiding embroidery or other embellishments. That way you have jeans that always look clean, put together, and match everything in your child's closet. If your daughter has been blessed with long legs, embrace the skinny jean trend. At 6, 8, 10 or 14, a girl can really rock this look. The Gap has a good looking dark rinse pair for $29.50.
Mini Boden's slim fit jeans flatter a variety of figures, and are available in several fun colors. They are $36, but Boden is frequently running 4 for the price of 3 or 15% off offers. If a slim cut doesn't work for your child, try a flared leg. They are stylish, fun and flattering. Ironically, classic cut jeans don't tend to do any little girl a favor.
For boys, a dark wash is still a good idea - or a so-called "dirty" or distressed wash - but generally a wide cut is best. As the mother of an excessively skinny boy, I am all too familiar with the tendency to try to by narrow cut jeans. Suffice to say, not a good idea. It is definitely worth buying Gap or Old Navy slim fit jeans, with an adjustable waist, but in loose cut or carpenter jeans, he will be totally cool. Stock up at Old Navy on Boys' Loose Fit Jeans in a slim fit in Nelson (a dark wash) at $14, and Boys' Painter Jeans in a slim fit in Astro (dark dirty wash) for $16.50.
Another slightly out of the box jean for spring, in a cut that promises to fit almost any child, comes from Tea Collection. The girls' Sora Denim Digger Pant is adorable, perfect for spring, and on sale at
www.teacollection.com for $39.50. Tea also offers a full length version in the Sora Denim Slim Fit Pant which is not so terribly slim that most kids can't wear it. Unfortunately, Tea only runs through size 8 (although their size 8 is reasonably generous). For boys, Tea's Sora Denim Relaxed Fit Pants and Sora Denim Regular Fit Pants are adorable and wear nicely.
Buying Options:
Gap and Old Navy jeans can be found online and in stores. With combined flat rate shipping, I find it tends to be worth it to just order a bunch of pairs in several sizes and see what fits.
Mini Boden can be found online at
www.bodenusa.com. They are frequently offering free shipping free returns promotions.
H&M and Zara can currently only be found in stores. If you haven't already visited their children's departments, I highly recommend making a habit of it.
As of this writing, the following sales were available -
Skinny jeans, slim cords - there are amazing vibrantly colored choices available. If you're reluctant to try the brightly colored pants that are on trend right now in your own wardrobe,embrace it in your daughter's wardrobe. That's the great thing about dressing kids after all. Perhaps the richest colors can be found at 
