Ever since my babies were tiny, I’ve been very picky about what they wear. I went to fashion design school after all, and what I thought would make a great career ended up being a super fun hobby-for my children and for myself. I spent a lot of time working in fancy clothing boutiques for women and children, and I learned a lot about retail, brands and the production of textiles and clothing from large labels to very small, family owned companies. It was my personal experience raising my children that ultimately taught me the most about how, where and what I wanted to spend my hard earned money on.
I bought an expensive pink tutu for Zoe the day I learned I was having my first baby girl. It was the beginning of a long line of learning curves that I set out on in my parenting/consumer journey. That tutu wasn’t worn for another year, and it was quickly trashed when she started walking on her first birthday. Lots of memories and adorable photos remain from the days of that tutu, and I’ll hold them dear forever. Jack and Zoe have swiftly grown out of the sweet and unique clothing that I so carefully curated for their closets, choosing instead to wear sports gear each and every day no matter where we go. I am, of course, fully celebrate and encourage their active lifestyles they embrace at the young ages of 7 and 9, but I sometimes miss the days when I could dress them up in what I wanted them to wear. Taking them clothing shopping has gone from a headache to a joy in the last six months, though, particularly with Zoe. We headed to the Ross Dress for Less in our neighborhood the other day and she had the time of her life picking out a few outfits for this summer and school.
Beau came along for this particular shopping adventure, as he needed a few new things that didn’t have holes in them for summer camp at his preschool. I let them shop on their own and was gobsmacked to find Beau had found four 100% cotton superhero t-shirts in his size, and Zoe had an armful of dresses-dresses!-that she was eager to bring home to wear. Evvie and Jack also found some things as well, all in brands that we like and trust and would normally buy at full price. The things at Ross are marked down 20%-60%, all in name brands and quality that we appreciate. Watching Zoe and Beau curate their own wardrobes has been a really fun, exasperating, sometimes maddening adventure, but ultimately they’re creating a look for themselves based on their personalities and it is truly wonderful to witness.
There are over 1,300 Ross Dress For Less locations, so to make it a little easier to find one try using their store locator here. Good luck and happy back to school shopping!
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