Discover a children’s wear shop that suits all your needs
Preparing to pay a visit to my relatives in my hometown always means surfing around Kyiv in search of small presents for them. A “must” is a present for my 11 year-old sister Sasha. Remembering my preferences as a kid, I bought her books for some time, but I soon realized that our tastes differ entirely, despite the fact that we were brought up in the same family. While a bulky volume can plunge Sasha into a state of eternal depression, a blouse or fashion accessories can pin her to the mirror for hours. Thus, my visits to various stores selling children’s clothes are now a regular activity.
When shopping for children’s clothes, the most important characteristics are quality – a good soft fabric that is pleasant to touch – and also the store has to have a decent selection of garments, a comfortable shopping atmosphere, and reasonable prices. I mention stores from the very start because shopping at the market in damp weather among the crowds of customers is not an option. Ordering something from the Internet doesn’t guarantee quality and the right size. Moreover, the assortment at Internet sites like www.jungle.biz.ua, www.tinylove.com.ua and www.igrosvit.com.ua as a rule narrows to cribs, kangaroo rucksacks, swaddle tables, stools and doesn’t include clothes, at least for those over three years old.
So, while the price range is practically the same in most city stores, the quality and assortment of clothes is something that I found disturbing. Practically all the stores offer lots of clothing for infants and children under 7. However, when I start asking for something that can fit my sister I’m usually offered only several items of rather poor quality.
Thus, Martin at the Olimpiysky shopping center and Orchestra at Globus had a good selection of jackets, trousers, blouses, and underwear, but smaller sizes only. The clothes’ quality at both of these stores is good, and Orchestra even has a small playground with toys, which makes shopping with the little ones much easier for the parents.
The comparatively large Chicco has a very pleasant atmosphere. The staff is very friendly and all the items are arranged to make them easily accessible – there are separate stands for various ages and size ranges, and the stores sells shoes, hygiene products and accessories for infants. Unfortunately, Chicco only has a three [years old] plus age range, meaning you won’t find anything there for a 10 year-old kid. Although I couldn’t find anything for my sister at the store, I noticed a stand with a good selection of belts ranging from Hr 60 to 112 that could be a nice choice for a present.
While in the abovementioned stores I was upset at the small assortment, at Klondike I found the clothes were of low-quality, with rough fabrics and a limited range of colors, though the price range remained the same as at Martin or Chicco.
The next shop I visited was called Club 16 and fittingly, it sells clothes more suited for kids in their mid-teens, still leaving me in a bind for clothes for my 10 year-old sister. With a sigh I humbly admitted that Sasha should wait some three or four years before wearing dresses and skirts by La Perla, Miss Sixty, Energie or GF Ferre.
The best combination of choice and quality I came across was at Lapin House, Daniel and Baby Marlen stores. The clothes were nice, and the shopping experience was enjoyable. However, the prices are correspondingly high – Hr 600 to 1000 on average. It is possible to find something cheaper during sales (Hr 300 to 400 for a t-shirt or a blouse), but the number of cut-priced items is small and it can be difficult to find the right color or size. It may be nice to have pretty Versace jeans in your child’s wardrobe, but when the kid outgrows them in half a year, you have to start thinking about searching for other options as well.
I found more acceptable prices, combined with a good assortment of clothes, at the Umo 7-14 store at the Metrohrad shopping mall. Though it was a good option for clothes for 10 to 14 year-olds, it was impossible to find anything for infants.
One of the largest chains of stores selling goods for kids is MotherCare. What I liked about MotherCare is their large store, carefully assorted items, big playground for kids, attentive but unobtrusive personnel, and options for kids of all ages. Though their wide selection still doesn’t offer anything for those over 11 or 12, the quality of clothing and price range is a pleasant surprise. Brightly colored light dresses will cost you Hr 317, while a t-shirt will be around Hr 120. So, if your kid hasn’t reached the age of 11 yet, MotherCare will surely have something for your child, or as a gift for those younger relatives that would rather get clothes than a good book.
MotherCare (1 Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Globus, 585-1158)
