No clothes with large brands or logos (a logo size that was ok was one that could be covered by the width of two fingers).
No clothing (or lunch boxes, backpacks, etc.) with commercial characters on them (e.g. cartoon characters, movie characters, etc.)
No clothes with words or slogans
Older kids had the same guidelines, but starting in I think 7th or 8th grade everyone needed to be covered from armpits to mid thigh, and tops needed to have straps (i.e. tank tops where the neck didn’t go below the top of the armpit were fine for everyone, tube tops were not).
I was a big fan of the dress code - it allowed for a lot of self expression and style, while also rooting it in the kid’s imaginations and self expression (rather than a marketing department), plus I appreciated the gender neutral aspect of the dress code for the older kids.
It threaded the needle well between the binary of a uniform or none in a way that was beneficial.
I love school uniforms. Probably because I wore one my whole childhood I wish I could still wear them.
My high school had uniform everything, shoes, backpacks, coats, hairbands etc. I think a lot of US schools ruin the point by not having everything the same. My kids’ catholic primary school had uniforms but there were so many non-uniform pieces to it that the kids still managed to “have” to have a particular sneaker or something. Also, the dress code wasn’t enforced well so everyone looked kind of slobby.
I’m not sure uniforms are more expensive, my high school had a used closet in our school store where most of the kids bought their skirts, blazers, and pants, and we only had one or two of each. But in the US, maybe parents wouldn’t find that acceptable.
My kids attended a private HS which had a dress code but no uniform. Boys had to wear collared shirts or hoodies. No words or slogans or large logos. I can’t remember the rest of it but it’s wary much of a problem for us, other than all kids had to have footwear. S lived in hoodies and wore whatever he wanted under it. Sometimes D would get in the car barefoot and was in luck if I had athletic shoes in that I could loan her. They were too big but she could manage for the day.
I had one kid in a uniform school and one kid in a school with a dress code. I didn’t find one easier than the other. I did (and still do) wonder why the children in the uniform school had to dress like miniature golfers. Seems silly and unkind to the kids who don’t feel comfortable dressed like that. It’s not a neutral look on every body.
Neither of my girls were clothes conscious in elementary school. They wore clothes rom Target and didn’t care a bit. But middle school was a different story. By first semester of high school, I gave up trying to dress either of my daughters and just gave them a modest amount for clothing twice a year. I didn’t even buy their underwear. D1 had expensive tastes but became a pro at thrifting. She wore thrift store finds and all the way thru med school. She still thrifts on occasion, but she has less time now with a time intensive career and 3 little kids. But when her husband suddenly needed a suit on short notice for a job interview last fall. She headed out for to thrift stores in the exclusive LA neighborhoods to find a suit for him. (She found two expensive designer suits in his size, in excellent condition, all very much in style, that needed only minor alterations to fit.)
My other daughter truly doesn’t care where she gets her clothing. She was never the clothing diva her sister was. . She absolutely hates shopping and is relieved that her job puts her in scrubs all day everyday.
While my SIL is Ok with the idea of school uniforms, he never has had to wear one and really doesn’t understand the downs sides. And I don’t think he understands that with 3 kids all basically the same age/size that he will be constantly doing laundry and/or buying replacements for uniform pieces.
The twins will be starting preschool in the fall at pricey private DC area school. There’s no school uniforms. (thank goodness!) I don’t think they could force either twin to wear anything they don’t like. (And for Twin A–if it’s not red, she ain’t wearing it…)
I wore a school uniform from grade 1 thru 12. Hated them with a passion of thousand burning suns . Wool gabardine jumpers with button up shirts underneath. And since it was a Catholic school, your jumper had to pass the "kneel test’–i.e. the hem had to touch the ground all the way around when you kneeled.
The wool jumper was so miserably uncomfortable to wear in the summer. and no pants in the winter–Brrr.
In high school, junior year, we finally got a summer uniform – zip front cotton/poly seersucker dress. (Think diner waitress or hotel maid ) It was a wonderful relief from itchy wool & long sleeves in 90 degree temperatures. But ugly as could be.
Target clothes are actually pretty cool today in lots of circles!!
While there is the argument that uniforms make everyone “on the same page” - no expensive logos and stuff - couldn’t it be said that in many towns the uniform itself is a status symbol of sorts? That you can afford to go to that pricey private school - or even against other private schools it could be a status that you go to the priciest? Or hardest to get into?
IME kids mostly socialize with ( and compare themselves to) their schoolmates who are, or are not, wearing the same uniforms; activities outside of school like rec soccer had their own uniforms. Some neighborhood friends after school when kids had already changed into play clothing but that was mostly early elementary only.
As a kid that hit puberty early and was always self-conscious of her body, I would have rather died than wear a polo and chinos that I had little control over. Maybe literally. My mild eating disorder would probably have gone to life threatening in a matter of weeks of being shown what I had to wear.
I work in a public school in a very high income town. The kids are not clothes-conscious. There seems to be an anti-fast fashion, don’t be flashy, kids are just going to get dirty dress code. Most elementary kids only want to be wearing sweats, leggings and hoodies. I’ve commented to my colleagues more than once that the only “names” I see are parents’ alma maters.
My kids liked their elementary school uniforms but the items could be purchased anywhere and there was a donation closet where you could take what you needed. Gym uniform was purchased but the items -shirt/shorts were $8/each- again, plenty to choose from in the donation closet. Girls could choose from jumper/skirt or pants.
While my daughter would never again wear a polo my sons wear them all the time- the fabrics are much better though.
D went to parochial high school & S went to middle school at the same school. Both had to wear uniforms - which had to be purchased at one particular store (owned by a parent whose kid went to the school). The cost wasn’t actually horrible, and they held up well.
They had to wear polo shirts with school logo, white or blue or green. Boys could wear any brand of pleated dress khaki (Dockers were pretty much what they all wore), and girls could choose to wear them, as well. If they wanted to wear pleated skirts, they could choose between green & blue plaid or solid green or gray. The skirts wore like iron, and they were wraps so easy to hem. Both boys & girls could wear long sleeve blue logo sweaters or vests over plain white button down shirts. Mass was only held once a month at most, and they had to wear white shirt, sweater or vest & tie for boys on mass day.
My S detested uniforms (he went back to public for high school). He had a tie that was pre-tied & zipped in the back, just to be as “subversive” as possible. My D didn’t care for the uniform itself but actually appreciated not having to think about what to wear.
The hardest part was dealing with the boys’ hair & shoes rules. Hair had to be short, and S’s hair grew out rather than long (white boy ‘fro). He would grow it out until they made him cut it. The boys could wear black shoes with black soles, and a lot of kids wore nice style tennis shoes. My S & his buddy wore skateboarding shoes that were technically within code … but someone complained that they were skateboarding shoes, so they were told not to wear them. I talked to the principal, because I didn’t understand the issue. No luck. The other kid’s mom had a meeting with the principal & wasn’t as polite as I was. She didn’t get anywhere, either. She pointed out the the son of the board chair also wore skateboarding shoes - she asked whether he would have to stop wearing them (we knew that hadn’t been told not to). Well … he never stopped wearing them. This was in 8th grade, and my S was not having it. He went back to public school & grew his hair into a giant head-puff. Which he cut on the last day of high school. So there, I guess!
Pro uniform (although my lifer Catholic school kids would beg to differ ) For me, it made things so much easier! No decisions to make or arguments regarding what to wear each day!
Minor complaints over the many years of having to wear them included the boxy shapelessness of the pants for the high school girls, which were clearly made from male models, resulting in necessary alterations. And the middle school girls HATED the kilt skirts (I thought they looked sharp). Elementary school girls in their plaid jumpers and boys in their oxford shirts and plaid ties, were precious!
Drama over the years included when black yoga-type pants were allowed (and later banned as they were deemed to be too form-fitting). Skirts at the high school were also banned because administration grew tired of having to argue with students and parents about the lengths. They also tried to mandate “predominately white sneakers” but that never stuck.
The schools had a large used uniform sale every year that everyone took advantage of, where things re-sold for pennies on the dollar. All schools also had massive lost and founds that they’d let kids take unclaimed things from at the end of each year. We were also very good at handing things down to friends and families that we knew who had younger kids coming up.
Still, uniforms allow for less opportunities to show it and less distractions. Yes, someone can still wear Tiffany earrings and Air Jordans or Golden Goose - but they’re aren’t dripping from head to toe (and in most schools everyone knows who the affluent kids are or aren’t outside of how they’re dressed).
I admit to having to look up the Goyard bag. North Face backpacks were as bougie as book bags got at my kids’ school.
Another point that was brought up (beside “kids want to show off that they attend a posh/selective public school” v. “kids want to hide that they live in the high rise area or attend a poor school”) was… that when your kids are walking or on the bus/lightrail wearing their school uniform, they advertise to everyone where they go to school, and this was a big concern in towns with neighborhood feuds or turf wars because they walk with a target on their back.
That’s true. But…. uniforms do have potential to ease the clothing purchase angst over the main clothing items in lower income families. My MIL was a single working mom with 3 boys at private catholic schools with uniforms (military in high school). She was pro uniform from a budget standpoint, but she admitted that sometimes it did cause stress with mid week laundy needs.
Teachers are often blissfully unaware of the clothing dynamics among girls, even very young girls.
I remember reading that as long ago as the 1950s, girls who dropped out of high school listed an inability to keep up appearances as a factor in their decision to quit. The degree of clothing competition variesx among schools, but I am pretty sure the students view it far differently than the adults.
Different schools have different dynamics. I am in a position where I talk to kids constantly. Clothes are the very least of their concern. Not to say it doesn’t exist. Not to say there isn’t more of it other places. Not to say it doesn’t get worse after elementary school, but I’ve always been amazed at how little it exists in a place where houses start at 2 million +. I bring it up because it is quite different then when I was in school and why it is something that I’ve commented on to my co-workers. Maybe listening to someone that is currently spending time in a school is valuable.
Now… if you want to regulate something because of status, take a look at water bottles.
I wish I could still wear them.
) For me, it made things so much easier! No decisions to make or arguments regarding what to wear each day!