Parents who are planning their back-to-school shopping trip want the best deal on jeans for their children. Is it worth it to splurge on jeans or will bargain jeans hold up just as well? Good Housekeeping has tested brand-name jeans and bargain denim to see which brands offer the best deals on jeans for kids.
Good Housekeeping Tests Kids' Denim Jeans
Good Housekeeping (GH) has long been a leader in consumer testing through its Good Housekeeping Research Institute. In the August 2009 article, “Smartest Back-to-School Savings,” GH reports on testing results for denim jeans, T-shirts and more.
“We put basic jeans and tees through the wringer, testing shrinkage, colorfastness, fading, and fabric strength,” GH reports. “We also looked at garment construction and checked that items ran true to size.” The testing results can help parents determine which jeans to buy for back-to-school to save the most money and get the best value for denim jeans.
Where to Buy Boys’ Jeans
According to GH, the best jeans for boys are the Levi’s 550 relaxed fit jeans for boys. These jeans cost about $26 and earned the title of “nearly indestructible.” Levi’s 550 jeans are made of very strong denim that performed well for the Good Housekeeping Research Institute’s tests. Parents who want to buy these jeans may find them on sale for a lower price.
The second-best jeans for boys cost less than half the price of the top-rated jeans. Kmart’s Basic Editions Boys’ Jeans sell for around $10. These jeans were second only to the Levi’s 550 and give a lot more bang for the buck as parents can get twice as many pairs of jeans for the same amount of money.
GH tested 10 pairs of jeans for boys and others that did well include Wal-Mart’s Faded Glory boy’s Relaxed jeans, Target’s Cherokee boys’ jeans and Sears’ Canyon River Blues Boys’ Straight Leg jeans. Each pair of jeans costs less than $17. The Cherokee jeans were found to only shrink a little, although the material is not strong enough for a boy who is rough on pants. The Canyon River Blues jeans were found to shrink slightly.
Where to Buy Girls’ Jeans
Many of the jeans for girls that GH tested did not hold up well under the testing conditions or were not outstanding for the price. The best jeans for girls are Kmart’s Basic Editions Flare Jeans. These jeans cost about $13. GH found that the Basic Editions jeans are tough and don’t fade, although they will shrink slightly.
The second-best jeans are Old Navy’s Girlfriend Bootcut girls’ jeans. Unlike other jeans, Old Navy’s girls’ jeans didn’t fade or unravel after being washed many times. These jeans cost about $19.50.
Other girls jeans that earned mention in the GH report are Wal-Mart’s Slim Stretch girls’ Flare jeans and the Levi’s Stretch Flare jeans. The Wal-Mart jeans cost about $10, while the Levi’s run about $25. While both jeans performed well, Wal-Mart’s jeans held up slightly better and cost half the price. Sears’ Canyon River Blues Stretch Flare jeans, about $20, fit well and don’t shrink.
Which Denim Jeans aren't Worth the Money
The denim tests found a few brands of jeans did not hold up well or were not worth the money. For boys, GH found that Sears’ Toughskins Classic Fit jeans for smaller children did not perform well due to weaker fabric that allowed knees to become damaged. While Old Navy’s girls’ jeans tested well, their boys’ faded bootcut jeans were deemed not worth the price.
While few of the girls’ jeans received rave reviews, there were also few pairs of denim jeans that GH recommends skipping entirely. The lone standout in terms of jeans to skip for girls was Target’s Mossimo Supply Girls’ Distressed jeans. These jeans did not hold up to repeated washings and looked “ratty” by the end of the test. Mossimo’s jeans cost roughly $15.
Parents shopping for jeans have many choices for boys and girls. Many bargain brand jeans hold up well over time and cost much less than their brand-name counterparts. Parents looking to save more money on back-to-school shopping may want to purchase bargain jeans.
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Genna Cockerham - Genna Cockerham has been writing online since November 2008. She served as Marriage Feature Writer from December 2008 to February ...
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