Hi! I'm Lindsay Ferrier. You might remember me from a blog called Suburban Turmoil. Well, a lot has changed since I started that blog in 2005. My kids grew up, I got a divorce, and I finally left the suburbs for the heart of Nashville, where I feel like I truly belong. I have no idea what the future will hold and you know what? I'm okay with that. Thrilled, actually. It was time for something totally different.
October 13, 2012
As a blogger who does the occasional review and giveaway, there’s not much I love more than being asked to review a product or brand that I already use and love.
Lands’ End is one of those brands.
Each year, the company contacts me and asks if I’d like to review one of their school uniform options and write about it. The first time Lands’ End made this request, my school district had just transitioned to Standard School Attire (in other words, UNIFORMS) and I had already stocked my daughter’s closet with inexpensive khakis and polos from Target and Old Navy. I loved Lands’ End, though, and was happy to try out and compare one of their school uniform offerings to what I already had.
The difference was night and day, and I’ve been buying my kids’ school clothes almost exclusively from Lands’ End ever since.
Here’s why. Over the last four years, I’ve bought school uniform clothing from just about everyone who offers it, including Walmart and French Toast. The bottom line with these clothes is that you get what you pay for. Yes, Target, Old Navy and Walmart have some great deals on polos and khakis. After just one or two washes, though, I start to get really frustrated with what I’ve bought from these stores. The khaki material shrinks and looks wrinkled and misshapen out of the wash. The polos shirts pill almost immediately and also lose their shape after just a few washes. I’m down on Standard School Attire anyway, for forcing me to dress my (to me, anyway) adorable kids in less-than-adorable school clothes. Within a few months, I’m incredibly frustrated with how they look in their wrinkled, misshapen, pill-y uniforms, and I’ve blown my budget for the year so I can’t buy anything new– nor do I want to. SSA clothing is, like, the most boring clothing EVER.
Lands’ End school uniforms, on the other hand, are AMAZING, and hold up for ages. Lands End costs twice as much sometimes as other brands’ uniform options, but I believe I’m saving money in the long run because my children wear everything I buy for two years before they outgrow it. I buy everything for them a size up, including pants and skirts, which have those helpful elastics inside the waistband so that you can adjust the fit to your child as he or she grows- and make sure those pants stay up! The khakis come out of the laundry wrinkle-free and the polos never pill or fade. In fact, on the first day of school this year, my daughter wore a dress I bought from Lands’ End at the beginning of the last school year.
Yep. Good as new.
My son, a brand spanking new kindergartner, is wearing his new Lands’ End clothing one size up. This year, he looks adorably wee in his big kid uniform. Next year, he’ll be wearing the exact same clothes and they’ll fit him perfectly. NONE of my Target/Old Navy khakis have ever made it more than one school year, and generally I’m wanting to throw them out halfway through.
Another way I cut costs with my kids’ school clothes is by waiting for one of Lands’ End many sales, so that I can take 30%-40% off my order. Add your e-mail address to Lands’ End’s e-mail newsletter to stay up on that- It’s well worth it. Another big cost cutting move for me is that I buy packs of long-sleeved white t-shirts for my children (and heavy white tights and leggings for my daughter) so that when the weather gets colder, they can still wear short-sleeved polos/dresses to school with layers underneath. That has saved me a LOT of money!
So that’s my story. I can’t recommend Lands’ End school uniforms highly enough and I never would have known to buy them had I not reviewed one of their uniforms years ago. I will say that while I’ve been completely satisfied with their khakis and polos, I’m less thrilled with their “knit” khaki material (which is offered in the form of jumpers and skorts for girls). It starts looking old and faded after a while– but everything else they offer will last you for years, and is an especially good option if you’re looking for school clothing that can be handed down to a younger sibling.
Yay.
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I totally agree; these uniforms are very well made and hold up to weekly washings. They’re also easy to return–you can take them back to any Sears store.
Yes! Added bonus!
We didn’t have Uniforms in our public schools but Lands End was always the first choice for clothing for my son. The style, the fit, the wearability was perfect for someone (me) who like to buy classic, never go out of style, clothing for my son. Khakis shorts and pants, polos and button downs was the standard attire my son wore to school without a uniform. I think he just got used to it (but probably resented that I didn’t allow sweatpants or gym shorts through 12 years of school!).
So this Standard School Attire is pretty liberal as far as uniforms go. Your daughter is wearing a pink dress with ruffles. I think it makes sense. Not sure why anyone would be against SSA. Don’t get it. I think the stuff they sell — for girls mostly — is just hideous! Been in a Kohl’s or Target lately? Ick. Tacky sayings, garish colors, cheap materials, tired peace sign crap, tight jeans. I’m sure you would dress your kids very nicely, but some people don’t have the sense to put some age appropriate clothing on their kids.
My kids wear uniforms (cute plaid skirts, sweater vests, blouses) and I love it!
Kohls, Penneys and Target girls departments all look like the Disney Channel threw up. I hate it. I’ve been going to more expensive stores for my eight year old just to avoid those looks. We don’t have uniforms so I don’t need such basic looks. I’ve been hitting sales at Crazy 8 and Gymboree just to find cute classy girl clothing.
I love Lands End though!
Ha! As I said to the above commenter- Try Hanna Andersson. I buy my daughter 3 or 4 dresses there a year which are pretty reasonably priced, especially during sale times, and she often wears them for 3 or 4 years, first as a long dress, then as a regular dress, then as a tunic dress over loose leggings– AND they’re her favorite outfits because they’re so comfy. They never fade or pill- can’t say enough good things about them. But uh, Lands’ End has my HEART when it comes to school uniforms. 🙂 And winter coats, too!
I think my primary complaint is that it’s not really cost effective, especially for my daughter. She would never wear the stuff she has to wear to school, so now we have to buy her two totally separate wardrobes. And yes, I had some serious heart pangs about not getting to dress her in cute little-girl dresses every day in kindergarten and first grade. I agree about the girls’ clothing sold in most stores, but I’m addicted to Hanna Andersson (which actually has great prices and their dresses are loose-fitting and flowy and last YEARS) and I hate that she has to save her “cute” stuff for weekends and days off. Boo.
I’m kind of a freak – I like uniforms. When I was in high school there were rumors from time to time that they were going to make us a uniform school, and all the other teenagers were wailing and pulling out their hair over it, but I wouldn’t have minded!
I don’t like the way kids’ clothing is going. Kids should dress like kids, not miniature thugs and hookers.
What bugs me is that our district implemented SSA, then later let schools vote on whether they wanted to keep it. The high schools, whose students, I have to admit, dressed FAR more appropriately when they were forced to wear SSA, voted to get rid of it. And our elementary school, which is composed of kids with parents who would absolutely make sure their kids are dressed age-appropriately, voted to keep it! AAAARRRGGGH.
i know you r but wat am i
Another plus for LE uniforms: My boys ALWAYS wear out the knees on their khaki uniform pants and LE will send you replacement pairs FOR FREE, plus you can ship the old ones back FOR FREE. LOVE!!!
why should kids have to wear standered attire kids want to be theirself not what you want them to be they dont want to grow up spending there money on stupid stuff like school clothes when they can be using there money on something important like bills or stuff for people in the hospital but you people dont care do you no you dont so do us a favor and think about the kids for one take away the school clothes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really appreciate your review. I’m wondering if you are still having this experience with Land’s End? My school is starting uniforms this year. Two of my children will be starting in Kindergarten. As a teacher, I’m thrilled. As a parent, I’ll miss being able to make my kids look ubber-cute. I have heard that the quality in the past 9 months has significantly changed due to outsourcing of manufacturing. Do you happen you have any opinions on this?
In the last nine months, I’ve bought khaki pants and shorts from Lands End, as well as a few collared shirts and dresses for my daughter (I’m still a HUGE fan of those ruffled-collar knit polo shirts and dresses). Everything has held up great! The only school uniform items I’ve been dissatisfied with from Lands End are their knit skorts. They looked old and started pilling after just a few washings.
I read this 2 years ago and saved it somehow in my colander of a brain for when my daughter was ready for Kindergarten. Now here she is, starting next month and Land’s End is having a 30% off sale on uniforms! Thanks for helping me stay on budget and get quality clothes! 🙂
Great info! Much appreciated!!
I used to love lands end. I have 2 daughters and spend usually around $500 on the shirts and dresses. The last 2 years their quality has slipped. I compared the material of the older uniform mesh dresses and shirts to the ones I purchased in the last 2 years and they have slipped. Sad, since it’s the only place online that puts my kids’ school logo on shirts and polo dresses.