Tips on How to Pass Unisex Clothing Between Brothers and Sisters

Most of us can recall wearing an older sibling's clothing throughout our childhood. For some of us, that meant wearing our older brothers' sweatshirts with our skirts or our older sisters' tennis shoes while hoping the other boys wouldn't notice they were made for girls. Oh, the joys of a tight clothing budget. Fortunately, today kids can wear pieces made for older siblings of the opposite sex without risking a fight at school. Take a look at the following tips on how to pass unisex clothing between brothers and sisters for a few pointers.

Tip #1: Purchase tennis shoes in gender-neutral colors. Tennis shoes in all-black or with pink stripes running throughout may be a loss when it comes to passing them down, but many kids today purchase shoes that are not gender sensitive. On top of that, gender association with colors in general, especially when it comes to casual shoes, is diminishing. Consider purchasing silver, gold/yellow, dark blue, or all white.

Tip #2: Invest in buttondowns. For girls, the crisp buttondown is worn with a belt cinched across the waist, open with a cute cami beneath, or cuffed high at the sleeves with plenty of accessories. Boys wear them traditionally, untucked, or cuffed as well. Any color goes here.

Tip #3: Choose generic-label belts. The difference between everyday belts designed for girls and everyday belts designed for boys? A designer or store label. Keep belts in neutral colors with small to medium sized buckles, minus labels associated with a specific gender.

Tip #4: Purchase longer coats. Trench coats and mid-thigh length coats are an easier pass between genders than bomber jackets or any other style that hits above the hip. Again, choose timeless brands that are not associated with a specific gender's tastes (think old faithfuls like London Fog). Avoid prints and embellishments whenever possible, and invest in neutral, dark shades.

Tip #5: Turn denim skirts into long shorts. Who says you can't create your own unisex clothing for brothers and sisters to share? Take you older daughter's skirts and have a seamstress make shorts out of them, or do it yourself at home. If necessary, remove labels and tags that might make your son feel they were made for a girl, and add a more masculine button at the top if need be.

Tip #6: Turn boy tanks into girl shells. A boy's undershirt, especially if it does not have ribbing, can easily double as a cute shell for girls to wear underneath those crisp buttondowns mentioned in Tip #2. They can also be worn alone in the summer with skirts or shorts and flip-flips or flats. Adding layers of long necklaces increases the feminine-factor.

Tip #7: "Blaze" a trail. Blazers are quickly becoming a hot fashion trend with teens and tweens, regardless of sex. The key is to buy short, tailored pieces in varying colors. Think white, silver, green, and royal blue in more casual and loose fabrics than traditional blazers. Pins, brooches, belts, and zippers can be added and removed as the pieces are passed between opposite-sex siblings.

Tip #8: Buy wide, straight leg jeans. When we say "straight leg" here, of course, we're not referring to the once rampant tapered jeans of the nineties (nor are we talking about skinny jeans). Straight leg jeans today are wider all the way through, but don't come in at the thighs like boot cut styles. They are appropriate, and popular, for both girls and guys.

Fortunately, passing along hand-me-downs between brothers and sisters today is not only smart parenting, it's also an emerging trend amongst kids in families of all income levels. Be sure to invest in pieces you intend to hand down, and spend less on more gender-specific pieces that won't be shared.