Shopping for 8 year old boys

[RadioNate]

Where do your 8 year old boys get clothes? In the past we've done Old Navy, Kohls, Children's Place and the Gap but I hear those are 'uncool.'

DS needs a few long sleeved shirts and a light jacket. I don't want to spend a lot, especially on the jacket since it'll hardly be worn before it is outgrown.

We've had good luck with Old Navy fleece but seems things have gone up in price this year ($40 for a kids fleece!) and are covered in OLD NAVY!

Where are all the deals for 'cool' clothes?

 

[diznygirl]

There is Tony Hawk skater stuff at Kohls that my son likes. And his aunt buys him anything that says *********** - I think she gets it at Macy's. He has two hoodies that she purchased that he absolutely loves. Usually he doesn't care what he wears.

Hey - quick silver got edited. Hmmm. Anywho - that's the brand.

Hope that helps.

 

[NikitaZee]

We have good luck at Children's Place (for shirts). They have nice thermal-type shirts without writing on them - solid colors and with stripes if you like. We like Oshkosh for pants only - good fit, nice carpenter-type jeans and cargo pants. No shirts there - they all say Oshkosh all over them. We live near an Outlet so we find really good prices too. BTW our 8 (almost 9) year old is slim, and size 10 at these stores is perfect for him.

 

[RadioNate]

We have outlets close too. I think I'm going to have to head down there and look. DS is super skinny and tall.

Being in FL we only need a few winter weather things.

I always forget about the department stores. Never shopped there when DS was young because there were better deals elsewhere but in this economy it seems to be changing.

 

[worm761]

We just went to Sears yesterday to get DS some clothes. He is older than yours but tons of stuff was 55% off. We got him a $40 hoodie type jacket for $15! Love sales! They also have Kidvantage there. Free to sign up and if anything wears out or buttons fall off, the will replace it for free. No receipt needed unless it is Levi brand. And for every $100 you spend on kids shoes or clothes you get a 10 or 15% off coupon. With a baby on the way we are buying a ton of stuff. I have no idea what is considered cool though. You may want to check it out though.

 

[barkley]

what exactly are 'cool clothes'? i mean, unless a kid is into brand logos on their clothes the only way to realy tell one brand from another is if you look inside at the manufacturer's label (and if kids are doing this at school to one another ).

that said-ds is 12 but is REALY thin so he's traditionaly worn stuff much smaller than the norm. i would kill to get him some more of those fleece pants old navy sold last year but there not doing them anymore (the ones they have just are'nt the same). so-i got him several pairs of sports type pants (think drawstring so we can get them long enuf but he can cinch them in). i got some at old navy (no identifying logo) and some at walmart (white stagg brand so it's the same as you'de get at a department store but much less expensive). for shirts this year (long sleeved cuz its COLD here) i got some totaly unlogo'd hoodie shirts (look like the old baseball style shirts but have a hood attached) at old navy-HE LOVES THESE. thermal shirts i can get good deals from jc penny or again through walmart.

my kids have never been brand conscious so it's not an issue for us-but as i've suggested to friends, if its a brand you can buy for less at one store vs. another just take the freaking price tags off and the kid will be no wiser.

as a last suggestion-if you've got no issue with gently used clothes for your kids, great deals can be found at consignment shops or by talking to friends. recently i went through ds's closet and came up with an entire big black garbage bags worth of winter clothes he had outgrown that was in great condition, i asked a neighbor if her sons could use them and they were thrilled.

for coats i tend to get them large enuf to get 2 years of wear out of them-the first year when it's kind of loose ds tends to wear his bulkier shirts and the next when the fit is perfect he wears the thermals and such.

 

[paintnolish]

I don't really understand what is uncool about those stores...ds is 9 and likes button down shirts (plaid, retro look), skater t-shirts and sweatshirts (Tony Hawk from Kohls), and wears jeans from Old Navy and Gap (slims). I also really like H&M, but we don't have one very close. The only thing he hates are cartoon shirts. He is so over them!

 

[Hillbeans]

I do well at Kohls for my 8 YO but have noticed that a few of the kids in the class own the same clothing. Not a huge deal, but still....

He like the pants at Children's Place (the elastic Khaki ones in blue and tan) and I just got a few really nice long sleeved shirts at the Polo outlet for $19.99 each. They can be dressed up and down, and I like the solid colors.

EDITED - for some reason ds doesn't like wearing jeans - and only likes elastic waist pants. I'm sure he won't feel that way forever but I guess they are not comfortable on him.

 

[ReneeA]

My just-turned-8-year-old will not wear khakis or dressier pants anymore. Only jeans, and the rattier looking, the better, apparently.

I shop all over for him. I pick up screen printed tees everywhere - Kohls, Target, Old Navy, Gap, Meijer, and Macy's just to name a few. The last few times I've gotten jeans for him have been off ebay. You wouldn't believe the great buys and nice looking, gently used jeans I've gotten. In fact, I won a lot of 9 pair of jeans - all name brand - today for $20 + $15 shipping. 3 pair still have tags on them.

My biggest problem shopping for him is finding slims. Everywhere has tons of regular and husky, but finding a slim pair is next to impossible. He's now wearing a 12 slim and I've been looking for almost a month...which is why I just bought the ebay lot...9 pair all in one spot, all 12 slims without the running around!

 

[EthansMom]

I like Children's Place, Lands End, and LL Bean for both of my kids. Lands End and LL Bean can be a little pricey, but I regularly check their sale and closeout pages and usually score some decent prices. I like their clothes for the style and how well they hold up.

Both of my kids have/have had the Lands End fleece jackets. They are a nice spring/fall jacket, available in a ton of colors and not a bad price at $25 for the Thermacheck 100.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I didn't know 8 year old boys WERE cool. Mine must be out of the loop, they are 9 and 11 and don't really give a rip what they wear most of the time. They certainly don't look at labels. Maybe the uniform requirements at school are having an effect!

 

[mrssmee]

I get nearly all of my 8 year old son's clothes at Children's Place.

I have to also wonder about the "coolness" being a concern. I guess all kids are different, but my son and all of his friends have not yet reached the point where they are concerned about where their clothes come from.

 

[Crystal0608]

My ds will be 8 in Dec and doesn't care about brands. His favorite styles are tees with guitars, skulls, rock stuff, the color pink, transformers or other boy characters, mostly black, navy, gray, red colors. He wears mostly bootcut or carpenter jeans or funky patchwork/plaid shorts. Right now, he's liking plain long sleeve with a tee over it with a grey/black hoodie with skull prints. Socks are no shows. Shoes are black or dark with skulls, lights, gi joe... I get his clothes from JC Penneys, Target, Macys, Old Navy, Gymboree, Crazy 8,Gap, as long as I don't buy button downs, stripes, anything "itchy" (I buy cotton tees), neon, polos, shorts that cover the knees, and jeans that cover the ankles he'll pretty much wear it. I'd take your ds shopping at a few different stores and find out what style he wants to wear.

 

[RadioNate]

hey I'm with you all about "cool" but it isn't coming from me! I'd rather buy some reasonably priced 'cool' stuff and not have the fights about it.

He'll wear jeans from anywhere. It is mostly the shirts. Doesn't like brand names on them and most clothes from Old Navy/Gap and places like that say the brand, even if it is small. I think that is the biggest issue.

The Lands End coats sound great. It only gets worn like 10 times a year (coats in general are uncool.)

I'm not certain my DS is making a determination about coolness himself but I do know he's been told by peers that some things are cool (or not.) And actually, I can pin point a few of the 'friends' doing it. I'd rather save him and myself the grief and get something he is comfortable in.

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I forgot, there is one thing my boys won't wear-jeans with a button on top rather than a snap. They are too lazy to do the button. They would freak out if they ever saw a pair of button fly jeans!

If you have a thrift shop in your area you may want to check them out. Since kids outgrow coats after one season, they are usually in really good condition.

 

[eeyore65]

Thank god for uniforms and eliminating the coolness factor at school!
My DS (10) likes "dress up" clothes from surf shops. They have really nice button shirts and long dressy shorts which are appropriate for parties and going out to dinner here in FL. You can check them out on-line.

 

[krcit]

Are you near a TJ Maxx or Marshalls?? My son loves the skate shirts(DC, Element, Hurley) Sometimes I can find them there for a good price.