Brightly coloured clothes

[ailbhe]

I have searched H&M, Mothercare, Mamas & Papas, Pumpkin Patch, Toys/Babies'R'Us, Marks and Spencer, Primark, Next, Kiddicare, and even Not Just Pink And Blue. The latter are out of stock of almost everything in the 0-3 months size, and all the others can offer me is these three from Next. All I want is vests (onesies to Americans) and babygros (sleepsuits) in bright, vivid colours - especially vests, since that's what this August baby is most likely to be wearing. I don't want patterns or logos and - gods forbid - cartoon characters. Just plain, vivid colours. Not biscuit or lemon or pink or baby blue. Not even that watery green.

I refuse to try home dying again after the disastrous experiences I've had with it before. I seem jinxed for home dying. It's a surefire way to end up washing my face in water that something has bled colour into via my facecloth, and wearing underwear with weird trim and elastic.

So - do I order 'em all from the Happy Baby Slings lady, who is kind and understanding and really, really not cheap? Or has anyone a suggestion I haven't tried yet?

http://www.dribblefactory.com/ - nothing remotely suitable

http://www.sunshinetots.co.uk/ - Apparently have long-sleeved vests; "This 100% cotton long sleeved vest is generously cut, poppers under the crotch and has a Bright Bots character embroidered on the front. Colour: pink, red, blue, purple"

http://www.basics4baby.co.uk/ - have no unisex section at all.

Nordic Kids have a possible, though it's striped.

Jako-O have yellow, red and blue vests, though their pictures make the red look pretty pink. They also have a fairly bright orange sleepsuit.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Twenty years ago, I did some holiday-season work for a company that sold them. (It sold cotton clothing for children and adults in pastels and bright colors, as well as earth tones and more subdued colors for adults.) They either bought or made cotton knit blanks and did their own dying. I know that at one step, they divided into separate children's and adults' stores (the co-owners fought, that was the "divorce" agreement) and I think the kids' store is still around. Want me to look for you? I'm pretty sure they're not web-enabled.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Argh, never mind.
They're around, their offerings have changed dramatically:
http://www.cottonandcompanykids.com/about.html
They've got cute designer things now, and aren't dying their own.

[sashajwolf.livejournal.com]

If you've got the patience, there seem to be a few items on eBay that match your description. Most of it is white or patterned, but there are a few things in plain red etc.

[ai731.livejournal.com]

I shall look and see what is available here. If I find anyting I think is suitable, I will photograph it (I carry my digital camera almost all the time these days, because I need it for college) and if you like it I can buy several and post them. With the exchange rate, even added postage shouldn't come out too expensive.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

If you're searching eBay or similar, look for Tesco stuff. When I bought smallclanger's stuff for July 2003 they were clearing out their online baby stuff, and I bought some really nice bright stuff from them. I'd offer it to you but a) it's all packed away until the end of this month and b) SIL has first dibs. But if she decides she doesn't want it I can see what there is that might suit you. (It's pretty much all vests, though, not sleepsuits.)

[Using this icon because it has one of the nice bright yellow ones in it, not because it's a 'doh' comment.]

[k425.livejournal.com]

If you wade through laredoute.co.uk they have non-standard colours. It was easier finding them in the paper catalogue so if I remember I'll find proper references for you tonight.

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

Stripes okay? Hanna Andersson has bright colors in stripes (only pastels in solid colors right now, for some odd reason). Or do zippers not count as onesies?

Whoa! Sam & Seb now has an online store. http://www.samandseb.com/ Does "no logos" also mean "no decoration"? Or just "no logos"?

Pearl River also seems to be online, but I don't see any onesies in their online catalog. Cute stuff, though: http://www.pearlriver.com/

I can't find my NYC shopping guide, darn it! If I come across it, I'll have more. Not that they'll be cheap, probably. Alas.

[pogodragon.livejournal.com]

I Googled for 'colourful baby clothes', I see what you mean about lack of those kinds of options (I did find a baby t-shirt with 'Asbo' on the front, great start to life that I thought).

This bunch:
http://www.nordickids.co.uk/

Have some stuff in stripey, nothing obvious that's in plain colours though - they look expensive to me as well, but I don't really have an idea of how much these things should cost.

[ailbhe]

Cute designer things are very easy to find. Everyone is wearing them!

[rjw76]

If you can be convinced to home-dye again, I recommend doing it in a large glass bowl if you have one with Dylon Cold. Glass is about the only thing that won't pick up dye and pass it on to other things.

Either that, or there's the horribly unecological machine dyes, which are really good but I can't bring myself to use unless I'm dyeing a full load of fabric.

[scarletts-web.livejournal.com]

I had some success with the Boots Mini Mode range when I wanted plain bright colours. This was two years ago and in the winter - everywhere seems to do pastels and no brights in the summer, but if you look on eBay you might find some stuff from a while ago. Their current range is more of the mimsy pastels, but they do sometimes do more vivid colours, try the bigger stores.

[scarletts-web.livejournal.com]

PS Ethel Austin and Peacocks also sometimes have vivid colours.

[thereyougothen.livejournal.com]

have you got a babies'r'us near you? I bought really nice bright vests in the store, and I don't remeber having seen them online, but this was for TT and that was a while ago now.
i gave all my baby clothes to a local clothes bank about two months ago...

i had loads of brights - if only i'd put it off a little longer!

[tafagirl.livejournal.com]

Jako-o in Germany have logofree, plain colour clothes:

Bodysuits

Shirts

... and more

[ailbhe]

Yup, we slogged out to them at the weekend, specifically because so many people said they'd got bright stuff there in years gone by. Not currently being stocked.

Australian alternative

[(Anonymous)]

Hi Ailbhe,
I know what you are looking for, and you can get them in Oz -- not sure about international distribution but try this http://www.brightbots.com.au/
Best of luck with the birth - I hope it is much better for you this time.
Emma

[thealmondtree.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Verbaudet (http://www.vertbaudet.co.uk)?

I've just had a quick look at the website and it's not as good as the paper catalogue. The catalogue does have a lot that's very pink or blue but they do also have some nice funky coloured stuff, including some plain coloured vests.

I can however tell you that Matalan pretty well only had pink and blue when I was in there last week trying to spend a gift voucher.

[k425.livejournal.com]

Bum. Nothing that fits your description.

[junipertree.livejournal.com]

these are t-shirts instead of vests, but I thought they were cute:
http://www.lilypadlanding.com/product.php?VP=1262#1262

[thealmondtree.livejournal.com]

And of course I've just realised that they are into their autumn/winter collection now! Like we want to buy baby clothes that far in advance?

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

hm. i am quite proficient with the dyeing, and with much better, colour-fast dye than the powders one gets in regular stores. is there something at dharma trading that looks good to you? or some other noram source of blanks? might be worth a try if other sources are expensive or just plain unavailable. i'd love to do something for you.

[nicolechan.livejournal.com]

Like some have mentioned, I'd just dye some plain white ones. Seems to be the best way to get the colors you want. Good luck in finding what you want.

[ailbhe]

Oooh, the potential! I want one of EVERYTHING!

http://dharmatrading.com/html/eng/2834745-AA.shtml
http://dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1723-AA.shtml
http://dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1559-AA.shtml

These three are the basic garment I am looking for, here called "vests" and often called "onesies" in the US for reasons best known to someone else. However, the size I'm looking for here in the UK is called "0-3 months" and for babies up to 14 or 15lb. I have NO IDEA how that translates in terms of inches, or non-preshrunk-cotton, or anything.

Linnea had several T-suits in various tie-dyes - this shape thing: http://dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1561-AA.shtml - which meant she was a boy to everyone who saw her. I should call my friend on *this* side of the Atlantic and see what it would cost to have her dye some plain white vests.

I really, really mean it about not being able to do home-dyeing. At this stage, the only kinds I'd trust not to run involve chemicals I won't use while pregnant. I could probably make plain white cotton run if I tied string around it and sat it in a bowl of clear water.

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

ok, here's my proposal -- let's do a trial run. i order a sample set of these (it will not break the bank for me), and dye them. i'll then boil them on the stove top together with some of my dish drying towels and laundry detergent to make sure the dye job can withstand european washing machine temperatures. my towels don't care about what colours they become (they're plain white diapers). if the colours bleed, oh well; i'll donate the thingies with an appropriate label to goodwill. if it works well, you can have those, and i'll take orders for more if you like (and as the babe grows), for which we'll work out the price (i would think that materials and shipping should still come out more cheaply than buying commercial).

any particular colours you like? i have the CMY primaries and can mix pretty much any secondary, though i can't guarantee a particular shade.

i love dyeing. i've done a lot with natural dyes too; i grow plants especially for dyeing, and get a lot of fun out of experimenting. these dyes i bought for dyeing cotton gauze for airy-fairy clothes (that i have yet to make). they're procyon dyes, actual professional dyes used in garment manufacturing. and they did not bleed all over me afterwards, though i didn't boil the cotton. we shall see.

[ailbhe]

Oooh, thank you! Actually, things are washed at 40C or 60C in this house, but my dye jobs still bleed. Everywhere. It's hopeless. And, come to think of it, I might wash things hotter if we got thrush.

I like bright colours! but not lime green or electric yellow. I have a bit of a Thing about orange; Linnea and I wear a lot of it. And purple! But I can't be having with pink at all until the child is old enough to be well-established as Not That Pink.

I'm not that picky - no, honestly, don't laugh, I'm not! - I just wanted plain bright solid colours. And they are incredibly hard to come by, even internationally.

Which of the three versions would you think will dye best? *Ideally* I'd like to go for the cheapest, have it come out perfect, and get six or nine or something, since they're in packs of three. But I'm aware that that may be unrealistic :)

25 days to baby, apparently. Yikes.