Since my daughter started school almost two years ago, uniform is something I have had to start to think about and purchase.  We’ve tried pieces from various high street shops and supermarkets with varying results in quality and durability so I was intrigued to see how the new Matalan uniform fared.

We were sent a selection of pieces to try out and first impressions were very good.  I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the designs were, nothing was plain, they all had pretty features such as flower shaped buttons, some flower stitching and other nice finishing touches.

The Matalan red checked summer dress was an instant hit with Miss M, with the warm weather we are having now it’s perfect to keep her cool in the hot school classrooms.  The collar was a nice round shape with pretty flower buttons down the front to put the dress on and off.  These undo easily which is essential for P.E. days.  I know some shaped buttons can often be tricky to undo.  There is a belt that fastens at the front and is fixed around the back so can’t be lost.  There is also a pocket which Miss M likes incase she needs a tissue or lip balm with her.  She enjoys wearing this dress, found it comfortable and is happy to wear it each day.

Her favourite feature of the dress was the matching hair scrunchie!  With her unruly curls she hates having her hair done but has insisted in wearing this in her hair to school each day.  I like this extra touch and think it’s great to have a hair accessory to match the outfit.

Miss M was also very impressed with the pack of three socks and the shoes. I thought the socks were excellent, quite a thick quality cotton and three different pretty designs that match her uniform.  She has loved them so much and worn them all, and eagerly awaits for them to go through the wash each time.  I already have these on my list to buy her another pack as they are some of the better socks I have seen around.

She also adored the shoes and couldn’t wait to put them on.  They are a half size too big but as they only come in whole sizes we tried these.  Miss M is really pleased with them, although I’m always dubious when it comes to shoes.  These are coated leather so it’ll be interesting to see how well they wear, although hopefully any scuffs can be covered with shoe polish.  For me it’s the soles that I find wear out in shoes, usually the heel area, which is something I won’t be able to judge until we’ve had a couple of months worth of wear. On the other hand these shoes cost a bargain price of £12 so if they were to last a term then great value.  We have had much higher priced leather shoes that only last one term due to the heel wearing through.  In fact we usually go through 3 pairs of school shoes a year!!

We were also very pleased with the skirt and blouses.  The grey skirt is a lovely design with a nice pleated detail at the side and some flower stitching on the bottom right of the skirt.  The material felt good and it was easy to put on with an adjustable waist.  Miss M isn’t too keen on long sleeves so we received a pack of two short sleeve blouses.  These were a lovely design with a small rounded collar, cropped sleeves and a pretty pintuck detail on each side of the buttons.  Again with these the buttons were all a pretty flower shape.  I am really impressed with the designs, just the sort of thing I look for when buying uniform.  Miss M also loved wearing both of these, in fact these are the only two blouses she’s worn from her wardrobe since receiving them!

Essential school staples such as vests and tights were gratefully received.  The vests come in a three pack and are a lovely soft stretchy 95% cotton with 5% elastane.  They have thin silky straps and a small bow detail.  Miss M loved the comfort of these and has happily worn them day and night.  The tights feel nice and soft and fit well.  Miss M did try these on but hasn’t worn these for a whole day due to the weather.  She seemed happy with the fit though and will gladly wear these once the colder weather comes in later in the year.  We have had Matalan tights before so I’m sure these will be worth buying and I would again.

The grey pinafore we received is really lovely, I like the design and the quality I wouldn’t have put as Matalan.  It feels a good weight and looks modern.  It’s very easy to undo with large round buttons and has two pockets which are always a bonus!  Miss M was happy to wear this (excuse her face below – it was exceptionally sunny!).  It seems very comfortable and is perfect for days at school.

The polo shirts were yet again another pretty design, flower buttons and some flower stitching on the right side.  These feel well made and definitely ones I’d consider purchasing.

Overall I have to say I have been impressed with the Matalan range of school uniform.  The designs have surpassed my expectations for what I imagined to them to be.  Thought has gone into the designs, they are pretty and something that young girls will enjoy wearing.  But the great thing is that although they look pretty, the quality hasn’t been comprised.  I am really happy with how the items feel, the thickness of some of the materials and the comfort.  An important aspect of school uniform is not just what I think as a parent but whether the child likes it and how comfortable it is.  Miss M has can be very fussy in her clothes and won’t wear anything too tight or that doesn’t feel right – she loved all of this uniform and gave it a big thumbs up.

I would definitely consider Matalan a place to check out school uniform, I’m sure it’s improved since I first looked there two years ago when Miss M first started school and the items I’ve received have definitely shown me that they are as good, if not better than some of the other main supermarket and high street chains that sell uniform.

Why not check them out – Matalan?

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and the uniform was sent to us in order to write the review.