Summer is around the corner, and supermarket clothing brands from Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Asda are selling their own versions of the school gingham dress. We asked one young pupil for her honest verdict
Worn in colours including blue, red, yellow and green, the traditional gingham school dress is a summer staple for youngsters around the UK. But with four of the UK’s leading supermarkets offering them at similar competitive prices, it can be hard for parents to choose between them.
Mums and dads around the country are looking for school clothing that feels nice on the skin, washes well and is true to size but most of all, it has to be appealing to their children. We bought two packs of blue gingham dresses from Tu by Sainsbury’s, George at Asda, Tesco’s F&F and Morrisons Nutmeg clothing ranges to test them out.
All of the dress duos cost £10 in smaller sizes and they came in a sporty, relaxed style with zips. But according to our hard-to-please six-year-old reviewer Etha, there were two clear winners…
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Morrisons
Nutmeg’s Sporty Gingham Dresses are the only ones we reviewed that came with a bonus item – two matching scrunchies. According to the supermarket’s website, the dresses are available in blue and red and cost £10 for a two pack. Size tested: 6-7 years for £10.
Six-year-old’s review: “I like the scrunchies and the heart zip but this dress is a bit tight to get on, I don’t like that. It has big pockets but I prefer one at the top. I’d give it four stars out of five.”
Mum’s verdict: “The fit on this dress is on the tight side and it rides up quite easily, so it might be worth sizing up. I love the pretty heart detail on the collar that matches the zip and I think the big pockets by the waist are really handy.”
Sainsbury’s
Tu’s Sporty Pleated Gingham Dress two pack costs £10 up to size 6 years, rising to £12 for sizes between 7 and 10 years and £14 for 11-14 years. They are available in blue, pink, red, green and lilac. Size tested: 6 years for £10.
Six-year-old’s review: “My favourite thing about this dress is the star zip. I think the dress is comfy without being ‘comfy comfy’. I’d give it four out of five stars.”
Mum’s verdict: “I love the fit of this dress and the star zip and gathered pocket are nice touches.”
Asda
Available in light blue, navy, lilac, pink, green, red and yellow, George’s Gingham Sporty School Dress 2 Pack costs £10 up to 5-6 years, £12 for sizes ranging between 6-7 years and 9-10 years and £14 for bigger sizes up to 13-14 years. We tested size 6-7 years for £12.
Six-year-old’s review: “I don’t like the zip on this dress, it’s a bit big and boring. Three stars out of five.”
Mum’s verdict: “I like the look of these Asda dresses, in particular the white trim above the pleats which fall really nicely. At £12, Etha’s size comes up pricier than it’s competitors.”
Tesco
F&F offer their 2-Pack Gingham Pleated Dresses in green, yellow, red, pink, navy and lilac. They cost £10 for up to 6-7 years, £12 for 6-7 to 10-11 years and £14 for 11-12 to 13-14 years. Size tested: 6-7 years for £10.
Six-year-old’s review: “The sleeves are too tight on this dress, it doesn’t feel comfy. I like the top pocket though. I’d give it three out of five stars.”
Mum’s verdict: “This dress is pretty – I like the star zip and top pocket. It is slimmer fitting that most of the others we tested and Etha really didn’t like putting her arms through the sleeves.”
The winners
Our young reviewer couldn’t choose between Tu’s star zip and Nutmeg’s scrunchie bonus, meaning Sainsbury’s and Morrisons’ dresses came out on top with an impressive four out of five stars each.