Back to School with The Children’s Place: Mom Knows Best

Ready or not, here it comes!  As summer starts to wind down, the back to school frenzy begins…just like that.  All summer however, I’ve been checking out the latest and greatest in back to school trends.  I’ve seen a lot of looks ranging from retro, classic and edgy.  But of everything that’s new for the season, the best look we’ve found, ultimately, is the one that lets kids be kids.

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A brand that gets it right by offering a myriad of styles while remaining age-appropriate and affordable is The Children’s Place.  And so, when TCP, one of my favorite retailers, asked me to take part in a back to school promo that involved styling Biggie, it was a no-brainer.

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As I studied their back to school lookbook, I couldn’t help but get nostalgic about The Children’s Place.  I remember my mom perusing the racks when shopping for our back to school outfits.  And so, being tasked to style my soon-to-be school age son for a promo for TCP, I must admit, it was supremely surreal, considering I wore their clothes as a kid and a vast majority of my childrens’ basics are from this same brand.

Back to school looks for everyone

The back to school looks, as I mentioned, seem to assuage all tastes, shapes and kid sizes.  The girls’ pieces, though strikingly pink, retro and sparkly, also offer classic and more subdued styles as well.  As a mama of boys, I usually have tunnel vision for the more rugged and edgy styles. The Children’s Place tasked me with styling my boy for some back to school looks.  They gave me about a $150 price range to work with, which was more than enough to pick and create many looks.

I had a fun time picking out styles that I thought suited Biggie.  He’s an outspoken four-year old, and one who just happens to have a penchant for clothes.  It doesn’t matter what it is, this kid loves clothes.  He’s obsessed with cool pjs, wearing sporty clothes for playing outside and even, getting “fancy” when we go out.  This could be my doing, but hey, you can’t fault a boy who appreciates being well-dressed.

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The pieces I chose were a mix of preppy and classic, with navy blue as the dominant hue.  I try to buy timeless and durable clothes that would potentially be in style and in great shape four years later for baby bro.  I like to layer because the weather in northern Jersey is very unpredictable in the fall and because he’s a boy. Hello, ketchup on the top shirt.  Thank goodness for that undershirt! As for accessories, I went with items that Biggie loves: a skateboard bookbag since he loves skateboarding; a striped tie because they make him feel “fancy”; and classic navy sneakers.  The sneakers, by the way? They look like they’re regular laces, but they’re not! They’re actually elastic, which makes them easy to slip-on–perfect for kids who can’t tie their shoes yet!

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I love the way his looks came together!  Biggie was such a great sport, considering it was 80 degrees on the day I took these pictures, and according to Biggie, he had “too many clothes on,” yet he still managed to cheese it for every photo!  We shot these pictures at this tiny red school house in Florham Park, NJ, as suggested from a friend.
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Getting him all dressed for this mini photo shoot got me all excited and anxious for the first day of school!  Do you guys like this time of year as much as I do?  What sort of clothes do you buy?

Check it

As part of their Mom Knows Best back to school campaign, Biggie will be featured on TCP’s FB page!  If you feel so inclined be sure to vote for us and the styles I chose!  I’ll be sure to link when it goes up.