Testing, testing... Vertbaudet childrenswear

Happy Price Pack of Four
Long-sleeved Tees, £14

Michela wears one of the tees
under her school uniform

Showing off the cardi's heart
motif and a fave bag

Happy Price Short Cardigan, £12

Just the ticket for chilly summer days

Styling her party outfit

Sailor Longsleeve top, £12

Allons, les enfants: matching face paint at
the French tea party in Cambridgeshire

French fancy: pretty and practical for climbing

A nice PR person from Vertbaudet offered me the chance to pick a few items from their online catalogue and publish an honest review of the items, which was a nice thing to say, unlike PRs who think they can buy  a blogger's opinion by throwing a few freebies. So I will be at my sternest. I love freebies and I really miss my magazine freelancing gigs where I could dive in cupboards full of stuff, or buy items at charity sales organised by the ed team (although sometimes the charitable motive was a bit thin, such as financing the staff's Xmas party, which considering the size of those companies - we are talking multinationals - was a rather mean managerial move). Better change the subject or I will tell you all about the Xmas party that was postponed to February by a multinational magazine publisher to save money (and yes, it was before the recession).

But enough of my sour grapes and back to children's clothing. I originally wanted a boy but I got a tomboy, which is just great as I get the best of both worlds. However, my little tomboy is starting to love pretty pink things, which is a bit of a challenge as all her clothes are worked hard on climbing frames, soiled by snacking (I need my energy, Mimi) and sometimes ripped by stray nails, screws or hooks (you'd think the health and safety brigade would be more vigilant).

When I got the email from Vertbaudet I was quite excited as I love anything French and waited with excitement for the postman to deliver. We didn't have to wait long, but of course the weather was foul so we had to be patient until we got a dry, sunny day. As it happens, it was the day we were going to a French tea party at a local community centre, so a good chance to test partywear.

True to my thrifty nature, I picked value-for-money items that my daughter will wear and wear. The materials are good and mostly cotton (save for some elastane), the sailor top is of very good quality cotton while the long-sleeve tees are of thinner cotton, perhaps because they are actually underwear. The cardi is very good too, it reminds me of one I had as a child when quality was a priority rather than price.

My daughter loved the items, the pink shades are tasteful (some pink stuff is so garish it hurts your eyes) and they felt nice on her skin (so she says). My only concern with ordering online is sizing, my daughter is tall but has short arms, so it's tricky to figure how what fits unless she tries it on. These clothes fitted nicely, although we had to roll up the sleeve, but this happens with all clothes (the alternative is to buy a size under but then they might be bit tight and short in the chest area).

Overall, I think the Happy Price range has a very good balance price:quality and those white long-sleeve tees will work well under Michela's uniforms on colder days when she doesn't want to wear the school's blue cardi.

So I'm pretty pleased. The ultimate test will be how they fare after a machine wash - I will update you about that. I always respect labels and sometimes I wash at a lower temperatures than suggested so I am disappointed if colour fading and excessive shrinkage occur.

In the meantime, feel free to leave your opinions on  Vertbaudet  products, below...

STOP PRESS!
About Vertbaudet and their SUMMER SALE
A French favourite, Vertbaudet launched in the UK in 1997. They not only sell children's clothes, but also retail maternity and nursery products. And yes, they do sell schoolwear, too. Vertbaudet cater for both sexes and has a very long age range, from birth up to 14 years. They are having a summer sale, right now, with up to 60% off selected items and 30% off full price items.