We invited Julia Angel of Boys Be Cool to share her expertise on dressing boys in high style on a budget. Below is her take on the world of boys fashion and tips on how to shop for boys without breaking the bank:
I can talk forever about shopping for Boys but I really want you to READ it, so I’ll keep it sweet and relatively short. Below are basic rules of smart shopping as well as interpreting trends to style outfits for little men’s clothes.
Tops
You will need to get great, simple basics, like fitted turtlenecks and crew neck long sleeves tees in solid colors. They are great for layering. H&M is the best source. They also sell awesome solid color/striped tees combos. You would be amazed how versatile those striped tees are. H&M is also the place to shop the best jeans under $20 (fit, design, washes, whiskers, and hardware), creative tees, hip shorts and jackets, groovy hats, stylish scarves, basically EVERYTHING! Unfortunately, H&M is not widely available and in some places the selection is quite limited.
Check out Hot Topic Kids for rock stars and music legend inspired tees and onesies. A look that’s always look terrific on boys.
Bottoms
Crazy 8 and Gymboree are great for “soft pants” as my son calls them. These are light roll-up pants either striped or decorated with contrast stitching, slant-patch pocket or back flap pockets, hardware etc. They are really versatile; great rolled up or down and hold up for more than a couple of seasons. Try to widen the variety of bottoms in your son’s wardrobe. There is a life outside standard jeans! Buy different washes whenever available, like the awesome GAP orange jeans pictured to the left above.
A great alternative to online-phobe H&M, is its UK counterpart asos.com, which is in slightly different price bracket. Their Little Asos line is extraordinary! They ship almost everywhere, and their oversees shipping charges are lower than domestic shipping charges of GAP and 77kids! The groovy coolness of their boys’ clothes proves that Europe is on the totally different level when it comes to boys’ style. Check their cool tees, colorful skinny jeans and hip cardigans, which in combination with the price tag will leave you speechless.
Older boys (6-12) have recently gotten a style injection thanks to the smart decision of affordable style retail monster, Forever21′s venture into the children’s clothing market. Their very stylish kids line HTG81 offers surprisingly great selection of carefully edited boys’ clothes for all occasions. Knit tops and jeans are fantastic! Do not forget that everything is manufactured in the US, especially jeans (in the very heart of the formidable LA denim industry). The washes, fit and styles are spectacular!
Stock up on activewear, which does not have to be boring or downright ugly. Boys love their cool sweatpants, so indulge them. The coolest sweatpants definitely hail from 77kids land, but wait for clearance. Less than $8 for the pair of groovy sweatpants is worth waiting for! Their bottoms run long, so if your kid is skinny, buy one size less than he needs and he will be set for at least a couple of seasons. Check their sueded cotton tees with awesome graphics too.
Boys Be Cool is blog about how to dress little boys in impossibly cool style on a tight budget. Their motto: You don’t have to be a celebrity to dress your kid like one. Boys Be Cool helps you navigate the tricky world of boys’ fashion with a minimal damage to your bank account. In brief words, they take good care of you and your little boys, making life of son raising budget stylistas a lot easier.
Loobalee.com: Your premier site to buy and sell quality kids’ clothes!
