About this time of year, organized folk start thinking about getting their act together for the forthcoming term. Normal people (the rest of us) pretend it isn’t happening and then hurtle around the shops in a mad flap the day before school goes back, trying to work out why – once again – the only sizes not available are the ones they need.
Sigh.
It’s 12 years since Boy One first pulled on a pair of school trousers and became a school pupil. Since then, he and his two brothers have put quite a lot of school uniform to the test. It was therefore from a position of weary experience that I accepted the opportunity to review some school clothes made by Trutex.
What I need from school uniform is that it is:
- Hard wearing (Boy Three in particular is an expert stress tester)
- Remains defiantly smart in the face of extreme provocation
- Means it when it says ‘non-iron’
- Must fit either a tall thin boy, a middle-sized solid boy or a small boy whose lack of waist means his trousers keep falling off
- Good value
An investigation of Trutex’s range reveals that everyone is catered for. In particular, they offer trousers in a 34 inch leg length for a variety of waist sizes. They also offer ‘sturdy fit’ trousers for the other end of the spectrum. Crucially these trousers come with the internal size adjusters not normally seen in older boys’ clothes.
Trousers are in a slightly textured fabric that resists becoming nasty and shiny.
Boys One and Two are required to wear a white shirt and tie as their school uniform. This is fraught for two reasons, firstly the shirts quickly wilt and look dingy and secondly it generates a shed-load of laundry.
We were sent the Trutex clothes not long before the end of the Scottish summer term so they haven’t properly had the chance to be put through their paces. However, a quick hunt through the boys’ wardrobes revealed that some Trutex shirts acquired THREE years ago for Boy One are still in daily use by Boy Two and still looking good.
Compared to the new shirts, they are slightly less snowy, but, otherwise, are hardly worn at all. This is a hugely significant result compared to many cheap school shirts that don’t even make it to the first half term.
Trutex, while not expensive, are certainly a bit more costly than the most recent cheap-as-chips uniform (Lidl £3.75 for full kit) but without doubt, they are better value. (I haven’t tried Lidl’s kit, but the boys have variously worn uniform from all the main supermarkets and found them all lacking to one degree or another.)
Conclusion: Trutex clothes are worth the extra for uniform that will last and particularly if you’re hoping to have hand-me-downs. They fit a variety of shapes and really don’t need ironing. Better still, if you buy them online you avoid that painful end-of-hols shopping trip.
To purchase Trutex uniform visit your local uniform shop or buy online at www.trutexdirect.com/mumsnet.
To find your local stockist or learn more about Trutex visit www.trutex.com
I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.
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