Matalan School Uniform Review - and Autumn/Winter preview.

I haven't ever bought school uniform from Matalan before, but over the years we've spent a fortune there, so when I was invite to visit the headqarters in Skelmersdale to look at their school uniform and have a sneak preview of their Autumn/Winter ranges I was really quite excited.

The Autumn/Winter clothes look great. The little girls and boys wear (which goes up to age 5) especially. I'm glad my 5 year old is small, because I'll certainly be going back in store to buy some of these. Blue and grey suit my ginger haired boys, and I think they're great Winter colours. The emphasis is on softness, and I really like it.

And it's a real shame I don't have a little girl, because their range is all about warm pastels and has lots of muted red. It's incredibly pretty. 

The older boys range I wasn't quite so keen on, but there are still some really nice items, and I think it's such a broad range that there's definitely something for everyone...
The older girl's clothes weren't available to be seen yet..

Just look at the shoes though! They're excellent. I love the desert boots.

While we were at the Matalan HQ we were treated to a talk about how the shoes are put together, and there is a heck of a lot of work goes into them. There is also a really substantial range of school shoes, which I like because they are solidly built to withstand Winter and hours of walking to and from school.

 

I was given £30 in vouchers to buy my children some Matalan school uniform for review, so we visited our local branch and we got quite a haul!

The amount of school uniform available at Matalan is massive - I couldn't believe it!

Ignore the child. He's rehearsing for his first album cover.
Mean and moody in the pump aisle.

I was particularly impressed with the range of trousers available. Both of my little boys are slim but they wear their trousers differently, with the 5 year old liking them on his hips rather than waist. With a range like this you can find something to fit everyone - and in every shade!

My youngest is 4 1/2, but is in size 2-3 in trousers. Previously I've never been able to find any school trousers to fit him in shops and have had to order online, but Matalan had several different size 2-3 trousers right there on the display.

We chose the flat front pull-on, adjustable waisted trousers in Black. At only £4.50 for a Teflon reinforced trouser I'm very happy with them. They're still a bit big but he'll grow into them!

 He refused to put shoes or socks on....or a school t-shirt....
he's 4...it's the holidays

The fashion for ridiculously short school skirts is frowned on at our 14 year old girl's school - and by us frankly. We needed something that would wear well, look good and not be indecent if she sneezes or a breeze blows.

This Jersey Tulip Skirt in Black fits the bill nicely, it reaches the knee and was only £8 in the larger sizes. The tights are also from Matalan - at £5 for 5 pairs.

We also bought t-shirts for P.E. and polo shirts, plus school socks. With it being the holidays even bribery wasn't getting my children to try these on for you!

The t-shirts are really soft, and an excellent weight. They'll hold their shape very well and look good for the whole year - maybe with the odd grass stain. 

The polo shirts are fairly standard really, a good long length and with very white buttons (slightly yellow buttons annoy me).

The socks feel absolutely lovely and soft, and at only £2.50 for 5 pairs are excellent value.

Overall I'm very impressed with the Matalan school uniform. The clothes seem good quality and a good weight for Winter wear. The sizings are maybe a little generous all round, but standardised, so you know where you are and what you should go for.

For me personally the finishing on these garments has really impressed. There aren't loose threads, big lumps at the toes of socks, or any raggedy seams or fraying cut ends of cloth. It all seems designed to be really comfortable and long-lasting. Off the shelf school uniform is cheaper now than it was 15 years ago, but at Matalan at least, the quality has not dropped.