Sep 4, 2009 11:49 pm US/Eastern
Money Saver: Back-To-School Clothing Bargains
CBS 2 HD Sits Down With The Fine Folks At Good Housekeeping To Research The Best Brands At Lowest Prices
Reporting
Cindy Hsu
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
If you're getting ready to hit the Labor Day sales for back-to-school gear, CBS 2 HD has the results of a test that put kids' clothes from popular retailers to the test.
The winners not only held up better in the wash, but the clothes also lasted longer.
No one wants to spend outrageous prices for clothes their kids are only going to outgrow in a year or two.
So the Good Housekeeping Institute went shopping for bargain-priced back-to-school clothing and tested them for shrinking, colorfastness, fading and fabric strength.
The results? Good Housekeeping said a number of items really made the grade, like trendy girlfriend boot-cut girls jeans from Old Navy for $19.50.
"They really didn't change in appearance after all of the washings," said Kathleen Huddy, textiles director for Good Housekeeping.
And the jeans received top marks for a sturdy design. In the boys' category the Institute said the $26 Levi jeans are virtually indestructible. However, a Basic Editions pair from Kmart can not only withstand a lot of abuse but they're a lot easier on the wallet at just $10.
"We would recommend the Levis if you're going to pass them down from sibling to sibling because they're very, very strong and durable," Huddy said.
Experts compared JC Penney's Arizona $20 girls polo to the $55 Lacoste striped polo and found neither brand shrank or transferred color.
"I would recommend the Arizona polo shirt over the Lacoste, because even though it faded a little bit it's still less than half the cost," Huddy said.
As for the boys' shirts, the Arizona T-shirt was the winner among 15 brands. It scored well in everything except the shrinkage tests, so considering buying one size larger.
Almost all of the children's jeans Good Housekeeping tested had no change in appearance after five washings and dries. But you can read the full results of their wear and tear test
here.
With the back-to-school season making up as much as 20 percent of retailers' annual revenue, stores are trying to entice shoppers with big sales this weekend -- up to 50 percent off many fall styles.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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