Friday Fashion: The Swede Life in Hanna Andersson

Anybody who knows me in IRL knows that I am pretty frugal.  The classic "mom with no decent winter coat."  And if there is one area in which it makes sense to be frugal, it's the kids' clothes, because they're going to rip/stain/outgrow them before said clothes would ever reach the end of their natural lifespan, right?  Exactly.

But now that I live in the land of REALLY expensive fashion for kids of all ages, I find myself really missing Hanna Andersson.  Which looks expensive on the surface, but really it's not.  I love the classic "it's a daydress, it's a playdress" for little girls:

It's a Playdress It's a Daydress, sale $30

However, it's little boys' clothes where Hanna really has given me my money's worth.  Because in my experience, their clothes are so sturdy, and so timelessly designed, that the economics of a typical Hanna purchase go something like this:

[[(Retail price) - (Outlet discount)]  /  (Number of kids in your family)] - consignment profit

... assuming you are fortunate enough to live near an outlet (say, in Portland, Oregon), which I once was.  And the outlet prices are pretty darned good, especially if you shop a few years ahead of when your kids will be wearing the clothes, and you're not too picky on colors.  Even without outlet or online-clearance prices, Hannas have always been a good deal for our family.  As long as I'm buying for my oldest boy, each item will be worn by at least three kids (five, if the color/style is unisex enough), and everything I've bought has remained in good enough condition to resell at consignment for 25% or so of the original price.  In other words, these originally $48 sweater and $40 jeans:

Open Spaces Sweater Hoodie, sale $38

Five pocket slim jeans, $40

end up costing only about $30/kid even if only the boys wear them, and even if I don't sell them at the end.  The math is even better if the girls wear them too.  I love it when I can be cheap, and the kids can look their cutest, all at the same time.

Now if only Hanna sold decent winter coats, I'd be stylin'. 

Un-disclosure:  This post is not an ad, I am just a big fan.  In real life, Hanna Andersson gets MY money, not the other way around.  All images are from Hanna Andersson.

Linked to Gettingaheadblog.com's "Frugal Tuesday Tips."