School Uniforms from Next

I can't believe it's August already and suddenly, the summer holidays seem to be whizzing by. I bought my son's new uniform back in July as he's for grammar school this September and most of it has to be bought from a local supplier (with 20% off in July only) As I'm still reeling from the cost of his, I'd deliberately postponed buying the girls' their uniform until this month...which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as I was asked just a few weeks ago if I would like to review the Next school uniform range.

I'll be honest and say that when it came to school uniform, Next hadn't really been on my radar so I was surprised to see the wide range offered and what a bonus to have it delivered next day! Perfect for any last minute uniform moments too :)

I'll do a further post about how we find the quality after the girls start wearing the items but for now, I wanted to share what I chose from the range and what the first impressions are. Regarding sizings, my girls are 7 in November but are taller than average so I ordered age 8 in everything.

Knitwear:
I seem to be forever looking for decent green cardigans. A couple of years ago, I got synthetic ones from BHS that were great but I was never able to find the same ones again. Last year, we had cotton mix ones from Sainsburys that lost their colour and looked a bit shabby after a few months.
These ones from next are lightweight - which I have some concerns about but I think they will wash well and not lose their colour or shape. Fit was spot on.

Shirt/Blouse:
I'm road testing both the blouse and the 2 pack of long sleeved shirts. Quality is good with both. The blouse is perfect for September and perhaps October - depending on how the Indian summer goes! Then we will switch to the shirts.

Skirt/Pinafore:
I have one twin who wears skirts and one who wears pinafores...go figure! With regard to the skirt, I ordered a tall age 8 and the length is perfect for her..without being too wide on the waist. The pinafore is a regular age 8. Overall, the skirt/pinafore material is good quality, a nice weight with well pressed pleats.

Shoes:
I'll be honest, I've never considered getting school shoes in Next - so I was impressed to see that the ones I chose are leather lined! This is becoming a rare thing to find with kids' shoes. Some of the Next lines also come in a wide fit, which is essential for my 2 as they have wider than average feet. The girls both got the same shoe with the patent toe cap. They fit well and are a huge hit with the girls. Size-wise, I'd had the girls measured not so long ago and the fit was spot on here.

Socks/Tights:
I'd not expect anything but lovely quality in this department and wasn't disappointed. Both the socks and tights feel well made and are nice and soft. It will be a while until I need to test the tights but it's great to have them...I've had previous years where I've waited till the weather worsened and ended up not being able to find greens tights in the right size. All prepared now!

All told, I'm impressed with the range. The only item that didn't wow is the cardigan - but time will tell on that. Now it's all packed away until the end of the month, when the labelling will commence! I'll report back in September with the traditional first day at school photo and how we've been getting on after a few weeks of washing & wearing.

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Disclaimer - the uniform was provide to me free of charge. I selected all items myself according to what my children needed. I'm not being paid for this feature. Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog.