This giveaway is closed. The winning numbers, according to Random.org, are: #28 and #8. Congrats to Kim and Tania.
For many of us — those of us who are moms, that is — our own fashion quests tend to take a backseat to our kids’ at this time of year, so I thought it might be fun to do a Back to School Fashion Friday post this week.
I confess, we haven’t done much BTS shopping yet. It’s been too. dang. hot. And my kids don’t start school until September 7th. But I did stop into Gymboree a few weeks back when they were having their promotion to earn Gymbucks and picked up a first day of school outfit for each of my girls. The outfit I got for my older daughter is no longer on the site, but this is the one that R fell in love with.
My girls are always drawn to those hippy dippy trippy prairie skirts. The nice thing is, you don’t even need bike shorts under them to keep them modest. Some of our girls’ summer skirts are getting a LITTLE SHORT, if you know what I mean.
Another one of my other favorite places to shop for my kids’ clothes is the Gap, especially for my son. Their slim fit jeans are the only ones he can wear. While he’s perfectly content to wear jeans, he absolutely loves athletic pants. He would live in these if I let him.
I also shop for kids’ clothes at Old Navy, Kohl’s, and Target, and sometimes I find things for my son at The Children’s Place. Oh! And I love the outlet malls nearby. I always hit up Carters and Osh Kosh — I’ve gotten some really cute things for the girls at Osh Kosh. But I stay far away from Justice, if I can help it. The styles are too mature and the colors are LOUD. I know our time’s coming, but I’m holding out as long as I can.
One place I’ve never considered before for kids’ BTS fashions is a wholesale club. Sure, I’ll stock up on Pampers (or I did, back in the day; no more diapers for me! Booyah!) and paper products, but I’ve always walked right by the clothes, which is unfortunate, because would you believe it, BJ’s Wholesale Club actually has an extensive selection of BTS clothes from well known retailers.
They carry brands such as Izod, Champion, Levi’s, Carter’s, and Flapdoodles. (I love Flapdoodles; usually it’s sold only in high end boutiques.) Prices are competitive, of course. For example, Champion athletic sets that retail for $29.99 sell at BJ’s for $18.99. That’s for an outfit, not just one piece. They also have IZOD 3-piece pant/shirt/sweater sets for $18.00. Compare that to $48 at a department store. And look how cute:
Likewise, Flapdoodles legging and tunic sets for girls, which you will find at boutiques for $48, sell at BJ’s for $14.99.
Aren’t those darling? Honestly, I want to run right out and get one of each for my 4-year-old.
And they also have Levi’s jeans for boys and girls — dark wash for boys and slim fits for girls are only $13.00 (compared to $28.)
Name brand fall jackets are available as well.
Incidentally, BJ’s also carries Built NY and Arctic Zone lunch bags. I’m a huge fan of Built NY products. I absolutely LOVE my Built NY laptop case; I get compliments on it everywhere I go, and it’s so functional. I’ve eyed their lunch bags many times. They are so cute, and they fold up flat when they’re empty.
They also have a selection of backpacks to choose from.
Of course, BJ’s is also a great place to stock up on snacks and drinks for lunchboxes, as well as school supplies. And let’s face it, who wants to make 10 stops for BTS shopping with all their kids in tow. BJ’s is one stop shopping for all your BTS essentials, fashion and otherwise.
WIN IT: BJ’s has offered two $25 gift cards to Musings of a Housewife readers. Just leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite place to shop for Back to School fashion. I’ll randomly select two winners next Friday, September 3rd. Make sure you’re following Musings of a Housewife on Facebook so you don’t miss when I announce the winners.
And for more fall fashion posts, be sure to visit Big Mama, Girlymama, Mommies With Style, Water Water Everywhere, and Centsible Life on this gorgeous late summer day!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by BJ’s Wholesale Club.
i love to hit target for back to school. but that laptop bag is super cute! i’ll need to stop in to bjs!
I hit up all the stores looking for the best deals, but typically I find everything in TJ Maxx or Gymboree. I never thought to check out BJ’s, but after seeing all the cute stuff you got, I am def gonna stop in there this weekend.
Please enter me in your contest. Thank you!
old navy
I sometimes browse the clothes at Sam’s and I’ve found some pretty cute stuff there. We have a Justice in our mall and my daughter and I walked in to check it out, but I didn’t buy anything. We couldn’t agree on what was appropriate. They had some cute tops and skirts, but the stuff she wanted was too flashy so we went across the mall to Old Navy.
I adore BJ’s, but never thought of checking there for soft goods, and it’s been years since our membership lapsed! We have a great consignment shop I frequent for my chicks, and also I have found some great items at the Lands End shop at Sears and Penneys. My daughter and I have just reached the stage of debating what is appropriate…. it may be a long few years.
I’m a total Gymboree addict. Like hardcore. I do also get fantastic deals at the Children’s Place outlet by me…have you checked out your outlet? Certain times of year they fill huge racks with boys clothes for like $2.50 or $4.50 a piece, and last year I bought about ten multi colored polo shirts at that $2.50 price. I bought them a size bigger and now that school has started he is wearing a different one every day
For fashion friday today I’m talking about my 15 pieces of clothing for 30 days project, as well as my end of summer bargains. Cuz we’re not at all ready for fall down here.
Honestly, I do most of my clothes shopping in my attic. I have a friend who passed down a ton of sizes, so I put them in bins in the attic. I just switch out the bins with the seasons. If I need to buy something new, I usually hit JC Penney. I feel like this is the best kept secret for kid’s clothes! I always get their brand (Okie Dokie) for $5 a piece, shirts and pants. They also carry Arizona and Carters brands. I don’t know how they compare for bigger kids clothing. I’m still buying toddler right now.
My favorite place to do our BTS shopping is Old Navy. They have things my boys like and with 4 kids I can afford stuff for all of them!
I pretty much only BTS shop for clothes at the Carter’s outlet – My son needs long pants with a teeny tiny waist and that’s the only place I can find something that fits him.
I love to shop at Crazy 8 – they have some great things for boys and a wide variety of tights for girls (all with great prices!)
I like to do most of my shopping for back to school at target. It has a large selection and close to home!
We have a dress code/uniform, so we mostly shop Lands End or Target for BTS clothes.
I go for Target or Wal-Mart for clothes. Of course, Darla is a big fan of Justice.
This was my first year of BTS, as my 4 year old started pre-K two weeks ago. He wears a uniform, so BTS was super easy! As far as fall shopping (which is pretty much all the shopping I do in FL since we don’t have winter) I like The Children’s Place for adjustable waist pants, Old Navy when on sale, and Kohls with % off online codes.
This year we bought most of our BTS stuff from gap online.
I hit second-hand stores to stock up and focus on Gymboree. Also the Gymboree outlet and Ebay. With three kids, I have to make the funds stretch! We just joined BJ’s and I’m excited to make a trip and check it out!
Our oldest wears uniforms, so we do most of the shopping at Wal-Mart and Target, although, all throughout his Kindergarten year last year, I was always looking for the navy blue, light blue, or white polos or collared button-down dress shirts where-ever I went. I hit the jackpot on longsleeved light polos at Wal-Mart at the start of the summer on clearance for $2.99 — jackpot, so I bought the next 3 sizes!!!! Our youngest is starting K-4 this year, but I only have to get out the bins of clothing handed down from his older brother.
Jeans..Jeans…Jeans… I have 3 daughters with 3 different body types and issues with jeans fitting properly. Would love to win this!!
We did a lot of BTS shopping at the outlet centers near us (central Florida). Did well at Gap, Aeropostal, Reebok and Levis.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
Probably Target… but I just got some GREAT deals at Old Navy.
Target, Old Navy and Costco
Target and JCPenney probably.
Childrens Place for my son, the outlet has great deals! My daughter is 4 months old- but she goes to daycare so that is an excuse to BTS shop, right?!
I’ve done most of the BTS clothes shopping at Hanna Andersson. Yes, it’s pricy, but I appreciate the fact that many of their clothes are made from organic cotton, or if not organic, most are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. Having two girls makes it a bit easier to handle, however, as the clothes wear like iron and can be passed down so easily! I just feel that what we put on our bodies is as important as what goes into them.
I may or may not have purchased the entire “American in Paris” line for my daughter from the Gap. I may or may not get in trouble when my husband finds out.
My boys prefer Target, H&M and (shudder) Hot Topic.
I usually wait until after school starts to do my BTS shopping since the kids can continue to wear their usual summer outfits for at least another month, but we had a very rainy week recently that prompted me to get started. My daughter is only into elastic-waisted bottoms – yoga pants, sweats, leggings – but not skirts. Since I don’t want her to look too sloppy this is actually a challenge. So far our BTS includes two nice pair of leggings from the Gap. I also found some shorts for my son that were on sale at Lands End and perfect for next summer (does that count as BTS shopping?) Last year I bought my son several pairs of pants from The Children’s Place and Gymboree outlets in Kittery ME and they lasted all year – no small feat as he wears out the knees in everything. I always check out BJ’s clothing and so far this year have bought an 8-pack of athletic socks for my son there.
My favorite places for BTS shopping are Gymboree, Gap (daughters love the Paris collection) and I can’t wait to check out the new Crazy 8 store that opened at the mall. I’m sure I will find so cute things for my girls! Thanks for the giveaway!
I have to say that I am like a Target stalker.. I love it.. and I love their clearance prices! What a great giveaway!!
My favorite BTS spot is definitely JC Penney’s. Their jeans for the boys are fantastic!
Have a great week!
i love childrens place for my girls. Its the only place I can find nice pants with adjustable waist lines. All my kids are taller than there size allows!
I hit the carters outlet, target and BJ’s!
Oh TJ’s for me too! I love TJ Maxx and would love to win! Thanks
I do a lot of my BTS shopping at Target and Children’s Place!
I do my BTS shopping wherever I can find deals – Target, Children’s Place, etc.
I shop at Bj’s regularly as they have clothes that go on clearance as also the other things that you buy there. Also they are the only place that accept manufacturer’s coupons. Other than that, well it’s mostly gymboree and childrens place.
Target is the best place to get the cutest clothes for a the best price.They are a little more pricey then Wal Mart but the clothes are cuter and better quality
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