Milkshake vs Target label girl's clothing ....

[smiles4u]

Hi all,

Well, i was able to clothe my DD in ' nice quality ' OP shop clothing until about size 2 then i noticed not as many garments to be found beyond that size (must wear them out after size 2 age) ... also i would only buy Target clothing for her when on sale and Best & Less when she was a bub & the occasional BigW when she was up to size 2 ...

... then i noticed about a year ago the BigW clothing quality getting worse than ever (clothing fading after 1st wash & all glitter coming off clothing) yet prices going up insanely for the poor quality fabric & make ... & Best and Less clothing prices have gotten ridiculous too for the quality ... and the past 6months i have had to return 3 items to Target due to faulty workmanship, one of which the dye kept running after each wash, another the stitching coming undone (and noticed all of the same items on the rack the same) and the third being having one leg about an inch shorter to the other leg

I remember buying my DD a " Milkshake " label outfit last Summer in Myer on special & noticing the better quality in fabric & make & i loved the more unique looking designs ... so i headed to Myer a month ago and noticed the Milkshake label prices$$ are about the same as the Target brand prices$$ (as Target clothing for the kids truely have risen alot over the past few years and i find the designs are getting boring & some dated looking) ...

So, i decided to buy her clothes for this coming Summer in the Milkshake label (she is now size 4) ... and how pleased was i to see they had a sale on the Milkshake fashion which was buy one get the second item for half price ... then recently i saw that Myer has another sale on this label 25% off ...

I still DO buy from Target on the very rare occasion for DD just not as much as before.

Anyway, thought i'd put that idea out there for my fellow BB members incase no one knew or noticed this *** Milkshake *** label when in Myer being about the same prices of Target clothing yet nicer designs & quality ... and IF you felt the same as i have about the clothing in Target of late

P.S - I know it's NOT just me as the last couple of times i was in Target i overheard not one but three Mum's whinging about the choice of clothing for girl's in Target and that even some sets actually didn't ' match ' & that the quality & designs were poor in comparison to how it use to be to buy from Target !!!

[ss_storm]

i've been buying DD's clothes off ebay. i hate most of the stuff in big w/target etc. it all looks so trashy and as you say the quality is terrible, especially considering how much they are! will have a look at the Milkshake stuff, can't afford to buy at full price but will keep my eye out for sales. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Mak]

Grrrh - I have been a big fan of Target for my 3.5yo but I agree - I have had 3 garments with 'issues'. Jacket with a zip than broke about 2 weeks in, tshirts that shrank/mishapen after 2nd (cold) wash and shorts that came apart at the seams. Very annoying - I will check out Milkshake too. There has definitely been a change in general quality across the stores you have mentioned, I have also noticed in some of other stores too - Country Road/Witchery/Just jeans.

[Pinny-mum]

I have always been a fan off Myer children's clothes and they have great sales if your a myer one card holder,

Sprout is Newborn to 2 years and is just as good quality as milkshake ( I actually like it better) and then milkshake is 3-7yrs? i think...

Happy Shopping

[*charmalea*]

i love shopping at myers when its on sale , not much boys choice after sz 2 if found .

Im happy with the target quality at the moment for boys stuff , but girls is a bit OTT ... (der .... WHITE tops and dresses in sze 0 & 1 .... BABIES GET GRUBBY ... WAKE UP TARGET!)

i did buy up in the 20% off sale they just had ( tops and boardies for DS $8 ea and girls tops shorts and dress all under $12 ea ... so its justifiable , they would be that price at kmart but crapper )

I NEVER buy from k mart , best and less or big w .... its just a waste of money for poor quality & kmart charges a fortune for naff whinne the pooh stuff !

so i only ever buy pumpkin patch or target or myer on sale . im a clothes snob and prefer quaility rather than cheap for cheaps sake ....

although i am finding a lack of good quality tank tops (boys and girls ) in basic colours atm

[Tinks]

I buy most of my girls clothes from Target and Myer. The Milkshake brand always washes and wears well and are comparable in price to Target (if not cheaper).

I've just started buying from Pumpkin Patch online. S4U, you've gotta look there in the e-Sale section!! They have the BEST bargains and the cutest clothes. My last order for T-shirts and skirts (8 items in total) was $65!! But I did get $10 off the entire order. This year I got almost all their winter wardrobe there and I'm starting on Summer now.

[Astrid]

JK kids is pretty good stuff. Often they have sales, or buy 2 deals.

[smiles4u]

Pinny_Mum ... yeh, Milkshake i think is only from size 3 onwards (sorry everyone i should have mentioned that before)

Tink ... yeh, i became a member of the Pumpkin Patch online about a month ago ... though i do pop into the factory outlet of PP when in Melb but find not many sizes avail in the shop whereas the online have most sizes from what i have seen (thanks Tink for reminding me & letting others know too)

Mak ... thanks a million for making me aware of the ' others ' stores too !!

Charm ... yeh, i will be looking in Myers from now on when there are big sales on the kids clothes as i just can't justify the prices of Target garments anymore !!! (A bigger choice at Melb Myer than in Ballarat Myer i have noticed, clearly cause being a bigger store & also more sizes avail i have also noticed at the Melb Myer)

Storm ... so funny as the word trashy came to mind when i was writing this thread but didn't want to insult any Target lovers, not meaning ALL there garments BUT there certainly are quite a few to be questioned about the design, fabric & workmanship in making.

Astrid ... my MIL gave DD a jacket from there recently, it was the 1st i have heard of the JK shop ... so will look there too (none in Ballarat, will head to Melb).

I forgot to mention i too purchased heaps of items for DD off eBay when a bub. These days i buy from OZtion (cause the Sellers sell a lot of items cheaper cause their overhead there are not as high as eBay) and on the rare occasion i buy off eBay if it's something particular i'm after. Also i purchase from Kmart when they have the buy one get the 2nd item 60% off but i have found the same items i bought DD there last year are now heaps dearer$ just cause it's now the next range of size up for NOT much more fabric

[Salsa]

JK kids is pretty good stuff. Often they have sales, or buy 2 deals.

I agree, JK kids is comparable to pumpkin patch but a bit cheaper in price. Quality has always been brilliant - lasts and lasts. And I think there designs are a bit more less run of the mill. One of my favourites for kiddies.

[Curly]

I've really gone off Target in the last year or so. When DS was a baby in 2006 I found all kinds of lovely stuff for him there but this year I found myself wrinkling my nose at a lot of it. Of the stuff I did buy, I found several items shrank in the wash and had crooked seams. And the girl's stuff was worse! A few items I have just thrown out because they aren't worth keeping for hand me downs, which I think is a terrible waste.

Compared to the Pumpkin Patch stuff my SIL bought for them, after a few washes I could really see the difference between PP and Target and even DH noticed the quality difference.

I also keep an eye out for Myer sales on Milkshake and Sprout.

You can pick up great bargains online - a couple of websites I like are Treasures for Little People and Kidz Brandz (Australian sites) where you can buy American kids clothes. I always shop for the clearance items at the end of season and just in the last week I've picked up some great Baby Gap, Osh Kosh and Old Navy summer dresses for DD and T-shirts for DS for about $15 each. They have Carters items too, for the Carters fans in this thread!

I very rarely pay full price for any kids clothes, but I do like them to be dressed nicely, so I keep my eyes open.