Adorable European style clothes for kids!
Written: Oct 08 '02 (Updated Apr 27 '04)
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Hanna Andersson sells apparel for the whole family, however the focus is mainly on children's clothes. I have been buying Hannas for several years now and have had mostly good results.
MERCHANDISE
All of the clothing is private label, meaning they sell clothing they manufacture, rather than clothes you can buy elsewhere. The women's shoes are the exception and can often be found elsewhere.
Most of the clothing is very soft cotton and better than average quality. The sweaters are usually wool although they do sneak in synthetics from time to time. There is also a lot of fleece.
They carry clothes for babies, kids and women. There is also some unisex clothing including sweats, long johns, t-shirts and turtlenecks that men can wear.
They also sell shoes for kids and women, bathing suits, mittens and scarves, accessories including bags, socks and underwear.
The clothes have a European look. The kids clothes are generally brightly colored with lots of patterns and some solids. The clothes are sold in groupings so that you can buy several items to mix and match. The clothes are also sold in a wide range of sizes so you can buy sibling sets of matching clothes. There are also some mother/daughter outfits. One of my favorite items are the adorable patterned tights to match the dresses. Another is a dress/leggings set where the matching leggings can be worn under a dress so girls can be dressy but still keep warm in the winter.
SIZING
The clothes are sized by height in centimeters. In order to figure out your kids size, you will need to know their height in inches or centimeters and use the chart in the catalog or web site. Adult sizes are extra small to extra large. There are no petite sizes.
Kids shoes go by european sizing and womens shoes use US sizing.
PRICING
The prices are high. A long sleeve striped t-shirt from Hanna Andersson is $26. A similar long sleeve striped t-shirt from Gymboree or Land's End is $18. Even on sale, the long sleeve t-shirts are around $20. Hanna Andersson has slightly better quality than other manufacturers, but my kids are tough on clothes and most don't really last through a season anyway, so I can't justify the price difference for that reason. However, Hanna Andersson does have some very cute clothes in bright colors that I love. So, I will sometimes pay the extra to get a certain style.
The one thing I always buy through Hanna is my kids' winter coats. The coats for girls are very bright with distinctive floral or paisley patterns. They last two years for my kids because they are designed to accommodate a growth spurt. They are also warm and very high quality as my kids have not been able to destroy them, although they put in a really good effort. Although the coats are expensive, the good design, quality and style make it worthwhile for me.
WEB SITE
Clothing is grouped by category: babies, boys, girls, women and unisex. They sell some mens clothes, primarily unisex t-shirts and sweats, sometimes a sweater. However, there is no separate category for mens clothes. The web site loads quickly and you can see pictures of the items being sold. One great feature is that once you pick an item, you can click to see pictures of matching items so you can put together a grouping.
The company also has catalogs, which you can request through the site for free. I always find it easier to shop through catalogs rather than the internet because the pictures are clearer and the colors are truer than on my computer screen. Plus, the catalog shows the clothes on people. The web site just shows the item. I have a better idea of how a piece of clothing will fit if I see people wearing it.
SHIPPING
The clothes are shipped in plastic bags in regular boxes. I have always gotten my items when promised.
DEALS AND STEALS
It is hard to get Hannas on sale. They typically mark down some clothing every few months, however sizes and matching items sell out fast. The sales are usually kicked off by a sale catalog. The sale items are also featured on the web site. Many times, I have called minutes after receiving my catalog to find all of the items I selected sold out. Hanna Andersson also has outlet stores but, sadly, none are
near me.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
I have ordered once through the web site and everything was smooth. I usually order through the toll-free phone line. The customer service reps. are extremely friendly and helpful.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Hanna Andersson clothes are really adorable and comfortable. The fashions are unique and the bright colors will appeal to kids. The clothes cost more than many other retailers especially considering that most of them are simply t-shirts, leggings and sweats, however the quality is better. If you kids are good with clothes, they might last as hand-me-downs. I recommend this store for anyone with kids.
DO YOU LIKE TO SHOP ON THE INTERNET? HERE ARE SOME MORE REVIEWS OF WEB STORES:
Clothing and Accessories: Talbots; The Gap; CWD Kids; J. Jill; Tote Le Monde ; Blu Pyxie ; Miniboden; One Hanes Place; Nordstrom; Gymboree.
Clothing and Home Goods: Land’s End; Bluefly; Soft Surroundings; Garnet Hill; Sundance; L.L. Bean.
Home and Garden: Smith & Noble; Restoration Hardware; Gardener’s Supply Company; Unicahome; Homeclick; FaucetDirect; Gardens Alive; West Elm.
Books and Magazines: Amazon.com; ValueMags; Magazine Values; Dover Publications.
Office Supplies, Furniture and Services: Staples; Officemax; Topdeq; Efax.
Electronics: HP Shopping; Buy.com.
Travel: Amtrak; Hotwire; Orbitz; Hotels.com.
Discount: Overstock.com.
Miscellaneous: Babystyle; Shutterfly; 1-800 contacts.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? clothing
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