Lauren’s post on How To Hygge over on our sister blog Rock My Style yesterday got me feeling all Autumnal and cosy and wanting to curl up next to the fire with a book. I personally love this season; it’s full of lots of very special occasions for me and the opportunity to layer up with lots of different brand new clothes is always a winner. I’m hoping that in years to come Autumn will be a highlight for Hector too.
What better then to celebrate the advent of the season by sharing a round-up of my favourite snuggly knitwear for toddlers in today’s post. Admittedly the title of this post does state ‘boys’ as I’ve written it with Hector in mind but there’s no reason why the girlies out there can’t wear them too.
Boden
Boden is killing it with its knitwear this season. To be fair the brand is pretty much always on point for me with its jumpers and cardigans and I may have managed to avail myself of a few cheeky £10 vouchers sent my way by friends and family members. Hector is obsessed with dogs and looks fantastic in red so I couldn’t help myself when I spotted this canine inspired number at Boden. Available in sizes up to 12 years and made from 100% cotton (so it can be popped in the washing machine at the end of the day) the brand currently have a 20% discount promotion running and free delivery so get it whilst you can.
Aside from his passion for dogs, Hector adores anything with wheels and his latest addition to his vocabulary is ‘tractor’ which actually is applied to anything with four wheels (I suspect to drive me to distraction…no pun intended). This tractor motifs cardigan is gorgeous and has a smattering of cashmere woven into the blend to make it extra soft.
Zara
I have a confession to make…I’ve slipped a shirt into this post. I know! Totally going off piste but I couldn’t not share it with you. As soon as I saw this grey flannel shirt I was completely sold and promptly bought it for Hector. Yes it’s £15! On a shirt! For a toddler who will probably wear it for all of five minutes before he smears yoghurt down the front or has one of those growth spurts and it’s too small for him. But I’ve persuaded Ste that it’s for Hector’s birthday…I mean what two year old doesn’t want new clothes 😉
Staying on the monochrome theme I also really like this white geometric printed round neck sweater complete with a longer hem at the back from their Capsule wardrobe. Cute. Equally this green spotty number and this orange abstract design are colourful, fun and totally on trend for any Halloween hued activities.
M&S
Prior to writing this post, this cotton textured jumper was available in all sizes but I’ve just checked and sizes are going fast so be quick if you love the knit as much as I do. Perfectly versatile in a beautiful navy blue I love the ribbed trim and slouchy fit – perfect for layering shirts underneath.
COS
I really really like COS clothes. Admittedly they’re on the pricier side of the spectrum and I do wait for the sales before I commit to purchasing anything but you do get what you pay for; the quality is really very high.
One of the main appeals of the brand for me is the way the clothes are designed in that they’re a bit more old fashioned than so many other kids’ labels today. Yes I’m a sucker for a sweet mandarin collar shirt paired with a cardi. If I had a girl then I’d totally be buying her this frock paired with some cherry red kicker boots for added sass. Or this dress with some chunky patent Mary Janes and pom pom ankle socks. But I digress, this classic denim shirt has a soft washed quality to it with long sleeves that can be rolled up and fastened with a tab and button and I love it. I’d pair it with this bottle green cardigan if the budget allowed.
Mothercare
It was Lottie and Charlotte singing the praises of Mothercare that made me take a second look at the brand recently. Admittedly it’s never really been on my radar as I’ve tended to avoid it due to the proliferation of superhero inspired clothing on their rails. I know I’m on borrowed time and that there will come a day when Hector insists on wearing batman/spiderman/superman/all three to the shops but for now at least I’m making the most of being Marvel Comic free.
Perhaps I’m being unfair as I was quite impressed by Mylene’s monochromatic range when I was browsing online especially this super cute bunny jumper. And this navy cable knit jumper is made all the sweeter by the little tan elbow patches on the back. Love. It.
John Lewis
John Lewis has upped their style game this Autumn with three brand new collections: Wheat, Mini La Mode and Serendipity. The latter being my favourite of the trio. Somewhat frustratingly they are all aimed at babies with the largest size catering for 18 month olds. Why oh why wasn’t this around when Hector was smaller.
Anyway I’m head over heels for this baby rabbit jumper in the softest heather grey crafted from super soft llama wool which would look gorgeous on boys and girls alike.
If you’re looking for something bolder then perhaps this blue design will be right up your street. Scandinavian-inspired and again created using luxurious llama wool this piece comes with a geometric print and is detailed with seashell buttons.
Is it too early to be talking about Christmas jumpers? Probably. Oh well I’m just going to shamelessly leave this reindeer jumper here for you then…
The White Company
I couldn’t not finish without referencing a racing car, so take a look at this vintage number from The White Company which is currently on offer at 20% off. The bold post-box red trim on the hem, cuffs and neck is the perfect accompaniment to the bright racing car in the centre. Just the ticket for any motoring-mad kiddo.
I’ll be back over the coming weeks with more Autumn and Winter inspired fashion so stay tuned for more enabling coming your way…don’t say we didn’t warn you.
I must admit to being slightly upset with John Lewis this season. Their new collections are OK (but overpriced) but their standard collection by JL, at a more reasonable price point, is just a recycling of their previous season…..full of appliqué (sheeeesh) or a repetition of prints from previous seasons. What happened to classic, well made pieces?
I liked JL because it was classic, well made and washed well. This AW doesn’t sing it to me.
They’d better pull it out the bag with their Christmas advert.
Rebecca I’d have to agree with you on the toddler front. I’ve not seen anything really that I’m desperate to put Hector in that would actually fit him. I’m gutted that the jumpers above only go up to 18 months! We’ll have to hope that someone from the brand is reading this and their S/S 17 collections more than make up for it.
P.S. Can’t believe that it’s nearly Christmas advert time…
They should ask us to have a focus group before they release their new collections. That also applies to YOU M & S and Next. And whilst I’m at it, H & M.your toddler girl stuff is DIRE.
STOP PUTTING APPLIQUÉ ON EVERYTHING.
Next are nailing their 3+ range but their toddler and 2-3 stuff is blinking AWFUL. It’s either all pink or all appliquéd with squirrels and hedgehogs. I think I have petit bateau and boutique French tastes at an English High Street budget. But so do most of my friends and we end up with a mish mash of Sainsburys, Tesco, John Lewis and Next stuff but it takes FOREVER to find amongst the dross.
Rebecca you’ve had me howling with your comments this morning; I’m guessing you’re really not fond of appliqué… 😉
Seriously though I’d be so up for a toddler clothing focus group – I’m much like you wanting all the good stuff on a much much smaller budget. I don’t really need much fuss, just well made stuff that’s classic and plain. And also Hector is quite tall but skinny and a lot of clothes are great on the length but often look ridiculously baggy on him. I wish they catered for this more when designing kids clothes.
Eeep these are so cute. I’d put a girl in pretty much all of these too! Love the one with a vintage style car.
I haven’t shown Hector that one yet Claire given that he’s started to be fussy about what clothes and socks he wears. I know he’d love it!
Gorgeous stuff Lauren! I absolutely love the Mylene range at Mothercare – unfortuntaly the Mothercare that is a stone’s throw from work (spend a LOT of time and money here during lunch breaks) doesn’t stock the range 🙁
Just to throw a cheaper option into the mix (Noah has the luxury of John Lewis and Boden if it’s a hand me down from his cousin!) Asda have some super jumpers and cardigans at the moment – I got 2 jumpers and 3 pairs of cargo trousers in the on-line sale for a bargain £28!
Thought I would just add that I also agree with Katie, the ‘George’ range from Asda has some really good basics at bargain prices. I buy a lot of my sons clothes for nursery there 🙂 (don’t feel bad then when they all come back stained!)
I confess Nicola I do send Hector to nursery in those clothes that really aren’t my favourite or which are looking a bit tired. Looks like I’m going to have to check out Asda for some bargains then aren’t I!
Oh no! I hate it when that happens; you’ll just have to buy extra from the website instead then. I’ve heard lots of good things about Asda Katie so I may just have to check it out!
Lovely choices Lauren and I didn’t realise Cos did clothes for children so that is a good tip. My little boy is only a couple of months younger than your son which works out well for me because I wait for your recommendations and then I know what to buy him – ha ha! Thank you for another great post (though this is not good for the wallet :))
Sorry Nicola! Apologies for the credit card bashing in advance but on the plus side you can at least blame any spending on me 😉
I’d definitely make the most of any sales at COS as they always have quite a bit and at really cost-effective prices too. All of Hector’s clothes from COS (that he’s now grown out of) still look brand new so I’ve decided to keep them for the next one!
I have been trying to find lots of staples for my daughter that don’t have print or characters on. I usually love Next but have only found one cardigan that I HAD to buy. Usually I could spend a fortune in there. Going to have a browse through all of the suggestions on here. I find buying clothes on Facebook selling groups good as I buy old season stuff that I still love at a fraction of the cost.