Don’t pity the younger child anymore – hand-me-downs have never been more chic

Prince Louis wore his brother George’s jumper for his fourth birthday portrait

Prince Louis
Prince Louis wore a five-year-old Olivier London jumper in his fourth birthday portrait, which is thought to have belonged to his older brother, Prince George Credit: The Duchess of Cambridge

Traditionally we’ve always pitied the younger child, always wearing older siblings’ hand-me-downs, never treated to something new of their very own.

Just look at Prince Louis, who, in a portrait released in honour of his fourth birthday on Saturday, wore a grey cashmere star motif knit from Olivier London’s 2017 collection. Given that Louis wasn’t born until 2018, it’s safe to assume that it previously belonged to his older brother George, eight. He looked adorable of course, and probably couldn’t care less about his outfit, particularly when there’s a cricket ball in his hand, but that’s not the case with every child.

It can affect your attitude to clothes as an adult as well. There are those who have inherited a skill for thrifting, spending weekends at car boot sales and hours trawling eBay/Depop/the local charity shop for vintage one-offs and second-hand treasures. Then there are others who have an insatiable appetite for new stuff because they never had it when they were young.

But so much has changed since I was a child. When people compliment me on how well my 20 month old twins are dressed, I feel proud to reply that they are wearing their cousins’ hand me downs, or that I stumbled upon their Bonpoint cords in my local Fara Kids charity shop. It’s a shameless humblebrag, but in 2022, with sustainability at the forefront of the fashion agenda, this is how the middle class parent aspires to shop.

It feels good to have rescued a garment from the bin - in the UK, £140 million worth of clothing is sent to landfill each year - but it’s more affordable too: my son and daughter largely share their wardrobe, but I do need a certain volume of vests and onesies in order to not be constantly doing laundry. And even the cost of high street childrenswear mounts up pretty quickly.

I don’t for an instant judge anyone who enjoys buying new clothes for their children. Buying tiny clothes is one of the joys of having tiny people in your life - particularly in the early years, before they’re old enough to have an opinion on what they do and don’t want to wear. I’m aware that it’s inevitable, so I’m enjoying this phase while it lasts.

So, for the uninitiated, where does one begin when building a child’s hand-me-down wardrobe? Can you do it for your first child? And if you’re unlikely to have any more, will it be a waste of time and money? These are the new rules of hand-me-down dressing:

Mine friends and family

If you have friends or family with children, find out if they have any hand-me-downs to pass on. Clearing out kids’ wardrobes of clothes they can no longer wear is a chore, and for the most part, parents are just grateful when someone is prepared to take them off their hands. One friend divided her daughter’s old clothes into boxes and dispatched them to any of her Instagram followers who wanted to receive one.

Trawl eBay

Set up alerts for your children’s sizes and your favourite brands. I love Bonpoint, Pepa & Co and La Coqueta for timeless, traditional clothes. Searches like “hand smocked dress age 2” also unearth good finds.

Invest in quality clothes

If I’ve learnt anything over the past 20 months, it’s that it’s a false economy to buy children’s clothes that are too cheap, because it’s so frustrating when fastenings fail or they don’t wash well. Yes, children grow out of clothes rapidly, but this slows a bit after the first year. Swedish brand Polarn O Pyret promises that each garment can be handed down to at least three children, plus the extra long cuffs on its onesies make them wearable for longer than most childrenswear.

Buy limited-edition pieces

To make it cost-effective, seek out brands which have good resale value, so you can sell them when your child grows out of them. Swedish label Mini Rodini produces its collections in limited quantities, so when they sell out, they can command relatively high prices on eBay, delivering a good return on your investment. A bomber jacket from its ET collection is currently available to buy on eBay for over £100, and its new collaboration with British tastemaker Alex Eagle looks set to be another hit.

Tap into the sharing economy

You’ve heard of clothing rental for adults, but did you know that you could rent childrenswear too? It’s ideal for special occasions, but you can rent cotton basics too. The Little Loop and Bundlee are the leaders in this category, and with prices from £18 a month, it’s affordable as well.


Did you hand down your children's clothes? Let us know in the comments section below