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Retailers
view the buying frenzy attending Back to School
time as second in importance only to the Christmas
season. They'll be watching you herding
your children into dressing rooms, scooping
up armloads of notebooks and paper and pencils
and pens, hoping for a better season than they
had last year. Most parents will spend
between $200 and $400 per child!
With so much of your
budget on the line for this critical time, how
do you know what to buy? How do you balance
teen pressure with good sense? This week
we've put together some tips, and can give you
a heads-up on what's in and essential to the
young person's wardrobe these days.
See you soon!
Ed and Mary Longanecker
Iris City Cleaners and Laundering Company |
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Back-to-College
Coupon!
We're having a bedding
special in honor of the students heading off
to college this fall -- but you don't have to
be a student to take advantage of it.
Send your student off to campus with freshly
cleaned blankets, quilts and other bedding.
Take 25% off
the cost of cleaning for any bedding items.
(Include first page of this newsletter and coupon
with your order. Offer expires September
14th 04. Cannot be combined with other
offers.) |
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What's
HOT
for looking
COOL
at School?
Back to School is here,
and parents are shopping like mad. The
kids have been on the phone to each other, making
sure they're getting the hottest stuff for starting
school -- but do you know what's in
and what's just a whim?
Here's
what's HOT this fall:
- Ponchos
are back! They're
crocheted, fringed, decorated and colorful
-- but they're still ponchos like you wore
a few decades ago (we won't say how many,
as that would only make your teenagers roll
their eyes.) This
is a great piece that will make your teen
feel "in" while still being able to wear
some of the garments from last year, as
well.
- Hats,
hats, hats. The
hottest hat is the corduroy newsboy
cap -- in fun colors that
no newsboy every wore. Also back in
are cloche
hats that were popular in the '20s and '30s,
but in softer materials and not so snug
as to make a girl look silly wearing it.
Boys will also
be wearing caps for the
first time in longer than you can remember
(other than baseball caps!)
- Denim
-- if it's denim, it's in.
These days, though, shopping for a simple
pair of jeans can be a nightmare.
There are different "washes" that change
the colors of the jeans, different shapes
(from pencil-thin to wide-legged, from waist-riding
to low-riding) and different labels to fit
any taste. Always
rugged, denim is a good buy.
- Preppy.
Remember the '80s? OK, so they probably
won't go for big shoulders, but the buttoned-down
preppy look of the early '80s is making
a come back. That
means layers, more tailored looks, and great
pieces that can become the backbone of any
wardrobe -- tweed jackets,
corduroy, cotton. The twist is that
many layered looks will include a long-sleeved
shirt under a short-sleeved one, instead
of the other way around. Quilted vests
for boys are also possible fashion choices.
- Pleated
skirts -- they may be
minis, but the put-together look of pleated
skirts is back on the shopping list, particularly
in plaids.
- Patterns
-- plaid, striped, argyle.
They're all hot this year, from shirts and
skirts to jackets and other items.
For boys, a
plaid shirt is a must, and striped polos
are a favorite.
- "Conversation
T-shirts". As
if teenagers ever had trouble starting to
talk! These shirts have an interesting,
provocative or funny saying
plastered across them, and will be worn
layered with other pieces, rather than alone.
- Accessories.
You probably didn't worry about what color
your purse was when you went to school,
but it MATTERS (said with strong
teen accent, of course!) today. Bubble
gum pink bags, fun pins, belts with grommets
all the way around, fishnet tights.
Accessories
are a good way to update standard wardrobe
pieces without the expense of a whole new
outfit. Good
news! FLAT HEELS are back for girls.
(That should cut down on foot doctor visits!)
- Slinky
-- unfortunately, this is back, too, and
often there will be garments your teen craves
that are simply not suitable for school.
Do your best
to steer the kids away from the overtly
sexy and toward the comfortable, stylish
and fun.
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How
to ace the course
in School Clothes buying!
She will DIE if she
doesn't have this. He won't go to school
if he can't wear that. Back
to school time is full of drama, and nowhere
as much as in dressing rooms across America.
As a parent, you may be sentimental about your
own school days (now that you're far enough
from them to forget them) and wanting to make
everything perfect for your kids before they
head back to the classroom. So, take a
deep breath and remember the class rules:
Back
to School Buying Tips
- Check
the school dress code before you get in the
car and head to the mall.
And don't take your kids' word for what the
policy is. This will save a lot of grief
later on.
- Evaluate
last year's clothes for garments that still
fit and are serviceable.
Make a list, including style and color, to
help when you're out shopping. ("This
would go GREAT with your blue short-sleeved
cotton top, don't you think?")
- Make
a budget. Many parents
try to make up for their own childhoods, or
try to repeat them, when it comes to buying
school clothes. But things are expensive
these days, and you're liable to find yourself
in credit card detention class if you don't
keep an eye on the budget.
- Buy
trendy things sparingly, and as cheaply as
possible. After all,
you know kids -- it could be "out" two months
from now and never worn again!
- Base
your child's wardrobe on classic pieces
(like you do for your own wardrobe) and add
trendy accents to make your teen feel good.
A good pair of jeans can be a foundation piece
that is accented by a conversation tee and
a poncho. The latest hats will doll
up any outfit. Skirts in the latest
hemline and cut can be paired with good, long-wearing
sweaters and cotton blouses.
- Make
"in" colors bright bits, not full outfits.
If the hot color is bright pink, buy slacks
and a shirt in more neutral tones, and accent
them with the pink belt, hat and bag.
This way, when pink goes out and yellow comes
in, it's easy (and less expensive) to upgrade
to the new color instead of tossing the whole
pink outfit.
- During
growth spurts, stick to less
expensive items. As
your child reaches full size,
invest in better pieces.
Enjoy the whirl of
activity surrounding Back to School. Take
a good sniff of pencils and notebooks and stroll
down memory lane. Remember there were
things you HAD to have or you'd rather hide
in your room, and be flexible. Most
of all, treasure the days of hands-on parenting,
knowing that before you realize it your children
will have flown the nest and you'll be longing
to do it all again. Best
wishes from all of us for a successful school
year for you and your children! |
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We
are enormously appreciative of the opportunity
to share our weekly newsletters with you.
We feel that much of the content is valuable
for anyone who purchases fine clothing and is
interested in their preservations and cleaning.
Click on the symbol to the right if your would
like to send this and future newsletters to
a friend.
Thanks a million, Ed and Mary
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The Iris
City Cleaners Connection
is a
weekly news letter dedicated to the interest
of fine garment care, restoration,
and conservation. It is published
in Mt Pleasant, Iowa by Iris City Cleaners and
is an extension of our services described in
www.iriscitycleaners.com
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