Back-to-School Clothes: Getting Your Kids' Wardrobe Ready

Start with a run-through of the wardrobe

Before you buy anything new, let your child try on what is already there. Sort into four piles, and you quickly see what is actually needed – and how little has to be bought new.

• Fits: clean and intact, ready to wear.
• Outgrown in length: trousers and sleeves that can be hemmed or let down.
• Needs repair: knee holes, loose buttons, a broken zip.
• Fully outgrown: give away, hand down or take to reuse – do not let it sit.

Hem or let down what they have outgrown

Many children's trousers have extra fabric folded into the hem that can be let down as legs get longer – and a pair that is too long can be hemmed. That gives the garment another year.

1. Feel inside the hem: if there is fabric to spare, the trousers can be let down and made longer.
2. Watch the old fold line – it can remain as a line or a lighter stripe, especially in denim.
3. For a quick, temporary fix, hem tape can hold a hem up until the next wash, but a sewn hem lasts longest.
4. If the fabric is thin or faded along the old fold, getting it neat is a job for a tailor.

Sew in name labels and reinforce knees before they wear through

Two small moves save a lot: names in the clothes so less goes missing, and reinforcement before the knees actually wear through. It is far easier to reinforce a thinning knee than to patch an actual hole.

1. Sew or iron name labels into gym clothes, jackets, hats and boots – most of what goes missing at school has no name.
2. Sewn labels on gym clothes and outerwear survive many washes better than iron-on ones.
3. Put an iron-on patch on the inside of a thinning knee or elbow before it goes, and the garment lasts longer.
4. If the knee has already worn through, a neat reinforcement from the inside can save an otherwise sound garment.

Check outerwear: zips, buttons and proofing

The rain jacket, winter jacket and rain trousers need to work from the first day of school. Test zips up and down, feel for loose buttons and snaps, and see whether the rainwear still beads water – a drop test on the shoulders tells you. If the water soaks in, the garment needs a wash and fresh proofing before the autumn rain sets in.

Be ready for the common school stains

Grass, mud, ink and felt-tip are part of the school day. A little first-aid knowledge means most stains let go in the wash.

• Mud: let it dry completely, brush off most of it, and then wash – wet mud only smears further.
• Grass: treat with an enzyme detergent; the tannin and green pigment need more than water.
• Ink and felt-tip: blot from the back onto paper; permanent marker is the worst and cannot always be removed fully.
• Common rule: blot, do not rub, and keep the garment out of the tumble dryer until the stain is gone – heat sets it.

When should the clothes go to a professional?

Letting a denim hem down neatly, reinforcing a knee properly, replacing a broken zip in the winter jacket, or taking in a handed-down garment so it lasts another year – that is where a tailor or repair workshop saves you time and gives a result that holds. It is often worth repairing rather than buying new, especially for good outerwear. Send the garments to us, and we help you across Norway. We alter and repair according to the garment and the need. You order online, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions