We have had one of those pesky growth spurts again you know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I guess it’s good that the kids have their growth spurts during the summer holiday and not mid school season, at least when we get them some new school uniform it will fit them for a time, but it does mean that their summer clothes are on their last legs.
I get asked rather a lot where I shop for my children’s clothes come from and if I have any recommendations for children’s clothing companies, which I often find myself reeling off my favourite high street brands, or offering up a suggestion for a one woman band who produces small batches of tees, yet there is one that I have discovered almost a year ago now that I often forget about but that has really impressed me and had me coming back all year long: Vertbaudet.
Vertbaudet is a French brand that has the style and quality of a high end high street brand with the price point of a supermarket, which makes it an absolute win for me and my children who are harsh on clothing. Vertbaudet has been a firm favourite in France for over 40 years, making it’s debut in the UK in 1997 but it’s still a brand that is overlooked by a lot of us Brits and having tried them out myself I think that is a crying shame.
The brand caters to children up to 14 years old, which meant that I could test drive the products on three very different kiddos!
Edith, who wears a size 2-3 years in most ranges has found that the 2-3 is true to fit as has Toby who wears a 5-6 years usually. To be totally fair neither of these two give me issues with clothing – the issues come from Mr Reuben who has what our family have affectionately termed a “peachy bum” that he struggles to fit in clothing for kiddies and is TALL at 137cm age 7. He finds that shorts are super tight on his bottom, making it uncomfortable for him to wear, however when we size up they are often too long. We found two things: firstly we ordered an age 10 which is Reuben’s usual size, and found that they were a little bit on the snug size for some of the materials, but when we went for a large size to accommodate that tush and his growth spurt upwards, we found that the shorts fitted perfectly.
What I would like to note is one particular pair of shorts, Reuben’s mint green cactus shorts, which I get asked about all the time because it’s his most worn item. I have found that having this larger tushie and yet still only being little, he finds soft fabric really uncomfortable, it’s not something that he enjoys and he would much rather wear something soft cotton – but have you ever searched around for stylish, non tracksuit looking shorts in soft cotton? I have. They are so hard to find! As soon as I saw these shorts for Reuben, with their bright colours (a theme throughout the range that I LOVE) I knew that he was on to a winner. He adores these shorts, calls them his favourites and they fit him like a dream. I’m not suggesting that his other, less stretchy ones don’t fit him, and he loves his yellow chino style shorts, but I do feel that soft cotton shorts are better suited to him and he looks so lovely in them.
We very quickly realised that Vertbaudet was going to make the list of “must check out” shops for us, and with three children buying for their needs can get really expensive. As I mentioned above, Vertbaudet pride themselves on having both stylish and well made products that last and last (and the shorts Roo is wearing having been washed on a fast wash and worn most days CONSTANTLY for the summer holidays so I can say with unwavering confidence that they do actually wash incredibly well) but that are also a price point that keeps you coming back for more and more.
We will be going to Disney in November so the boys will need some new shorts, tees and swimsuits – I will be doing a lot of shopping at Vertbaudet, taking advantage of their special offers, free delivery over £49 and clearance sales on multipacks of custom t-shirts – another thing that washes exceptionally well.
The clothing also offers something that is slightly different too – a unique selling point for the brand if you like. As parents we spend a lot of money on outfits for our kids, I know my own children have farrrr more clothes than I do. With Vertbaudet they think outside the box – from reversible jackets and dressed to added features like little pockets that Edith adores, they really seem to have thought about parent needs and children’s wants.
What are your favourite brands?
H ?
I discovered them as a great maternity/breastfeeding brand during my first pregnancy, and have just topped up my wardrobe for pregnancy number 2. I haven’t used them for my little one’s clothes yet, but I’ve always been really impressed with them, and was also looking at the furniture too which I didn’t realise they did!