Parents Leotard Companies

[beachgirl]

My daughter ONLY wears Rebecca's Mom leos and only the spaghetti strap style. I don't even bother with GK, Plum, etc because I know they all have something that bothers her. Most of the upper optionals on her team, as well as the other teams in our area all wear the same.

 

[Carly]

Regarding GK.

It’s pretty much the standard here in the northeast US. And we have never had problems with the leos we have randomly purchased. Quality OK, sizing as expected... if you can deal with the price, no problem.

However, there has been many issues with our competition orders. Especially regarding sizing. They tend to cut them small. I actually refused my kids last leo. It took a lot of time to get that resolved. This last leo we ordered a size up, fits like a glove. And a size larger then every other GK she wears. Not cool.

We had the same problem with the gk competition leos as well. My dd wears an adult xs and can even fit into a few child large gk leos. We ordered her a gk adult small competition leo and the gym ordered her a gk adult small team tank leo at the same time. The competition leo is much smaller than the tank leo. We also ordered warm up jackets and capris from gk. We needed to size up one size for both compared to the size charts. We did have samples from gk to try on for size and the items we received fit similarly to the samples.

My dd has a bunch of gk leos but has now decided that she prefers the plum ones better. She prefers the fabric of the plum. She did need to size up one size from her gk leos in the plum ones.

 

[Learning Parent GB]

We do not love GK and find them overpriced for their quality. Also, as one of the bigger brands (in Australia) if you buy one you are likely to see it on other girls too. Some girls love that, my daughter does not.

Sylvia P leotards are our locally made standard. We tend to see more traditional practice leos here from them than the weird strappy stuff they were selling to MG Elite over there. At any given day in the gym probably about a third of the practice leos would be SP, and at a competition probably half the team leos. They are super well made, lined etc.

I cannot say enough nice things about Destira leotards. They are not lined or anything so their design is quite basic, but they are soft and comfortable and their product range goes from little girl to quite sophisticated. And best of all, their customer service is really great. Because postage is so expensive to Australia (the postage is often more expensive than the leotard), I do not want to have to return anything, so each purchase I have made has involved a bit of back and forward emailing and they have been very patient with me.

We have used leotards from The Zone in the UK for years now. They are lovely and soft too and customer service is excellent. The only thing I have noticed is that the embellishments start to fall off during the life of the leotard. Not until its second year of wear, but certainly while it still fits and otherwise looks good. The leos get used hard though (worn once or twice a week and machine washed) so that is not a complaint.

My daughter is currently eyeing off some Milano leotards. I think that is a UK brand? So if anyone has opinions on those I would like to hear them.

Milano leotards are not cheap but last well. They seem to have lacked imagination on the design front in the last few years, but if you find one you like it will wash and wear well. Gusset as standard (it wasn't until we bought GK that we realised this isn't a thing in the US!). Generally a comfy fit, but harder for an older gymnast who starts to get some shape as they get more snug around the arm holes.

Quattro are the new suppliers to British gymnasts. Lost of nice leos, but can be quite high cut. I've never lost a diamante with years of washing, but eventually the shine dulls a little.

Zone are very comfy, and used to be much cheaper. Lately their prices have gone up but their leotards do not look as sparkly and exciting compared to Milano and Quattro.

Pink Leisurewear also had a surge of popularity a couple of years ago. Their sizing is odd though, so read the charts carefully. Their fabric is quite thin and so not one I would personally recommend.

SJ Pro are a new brand that we have found very well made and very comfy for the price point. Only a few styles, but if you love them I'd recommend them.

And if you are going custom made in the UK, then a little independent maker that I absolutely love is Rose Gymwear. Just one lady making, but her leotards are the comfiest ever.

 

[SMH]

Destria is my daughters favorite. She loves the material and they have a nice variety of designs. She also has some Foxys leotards which are the same ‘soft’ material as Destria. I’ve also always had fast shipping and good customer service from both.

 

[MuggleMom]

We love GymGear now that we found those thats just about all DD will wear. Plus she is kind of inbetween sizes so the GymGear ones are fitting the best right now.

We got a salute leo it feels great but sizing is bigger than some other brands so its a little big right now but she should be able to wear it soon. I think that one will be great when she grows into the fit a bit.

GK practice Leos are alright I am not a fan of their comp leos we had a lot of issues with those this year. I thought the quality was subpar for the price.

 

[Flicfliclay]

My daughters favorite leotards are Plum, Salute, and Gymgear. She does have GK, but their sizing is just way off, you can't depend on ordering the same size ever! I do have discount codes for Plum and Salute if anyone wants to try them out! Just send me a DM and i would be happy to share them with you.

 

[MuggleMom]

My daughter has a number of GK Child Larges she now says are too small is the AXS a big leap up in size? She is wearing a 10 in Gym Gear her street clothes are an 8 in pants and a 10 in shirts. Any advice is appreciated my MIL makes her leos and has some shes making but they have been hit or miss for fit lately I almost think she makes them fit too perfect so if DD grows at all they are too tight.

 

[FlippinPrincess]

I had never heard of Gym Gear until reading this thread. Their leotards are so cute and my daughter fell in love. Hopefully she gets to return to the gym (yep, still closed, going on week 19 ) so I can buy her a new leo. So glad this thread was started.

 

[raenndrops]

My daughter has a number of GK Child Larges she now says are too small is the AXS a big leap up in size? She is wearing a 10 in Gym Gear her street clothes are an 8 in pants and a 10 in shirts. Any advice is appreciated my MIL makes her leos and has some shes making but they have been hit or miss for fit lately I almost think she makes them fit too perfect so if DD grows at all they are too tight.

In our experience, AXS is not a big leap from Child Large in GK. Lol, the waist is actually the SAME SIZE in both CL and AXS.

 

[Carly]

In our experience, AXS is not a big leap from Child Large in GK. Lol, the waist is actually the SAME SIZE in both CL and AXS.

I agree that AXS is bigger but not by a huge amount.

 

[Faith]

Favourite here is cristian moreau. Not cheap, but the quality is far above any others. They are also longer in the body so if your gymnast is long torso but narrow they fit better than other brands. Because they wear very well i buy second hand, and ours have lasted a further 3 gymnasts with no obvious deterioration.

little stars is a lesser known brand but I find them a close second for quality and price. Some lovely designs.

milano third, bit mainstream, but a good fit for most gymnasts.

zone a bit more budget but great for washing and wearing.

Personally Quatro for us don’t last so well, so I don’t find them good value for the price.

 

[OptionalMom12]

My daughters favorites are GK and Plum. Not all GK she loves as we have noticed over the years they use different fabrics. Some are soft, some are not. She does love the soft GK leos. Plum is super soft but usually tight around the armpit area. Both can be pricey. We are waiting to try a new leo company we found called Layout Leos they are on Instagram. Looks promising and affordable.
She does not care for Foxy, Kbee, or Salute. Foxy has a high uncomfortable neck line and are cut oddly. She won a giveaway for a KBee leo. The one she has is soft and feels like a swimsuit, but very see-through. She won't wear it. Salute we bought quite a few, when they first came out. After many, many washes, and only 6 months, they have lost their elasticity which has made them much bigger than when they were new, they faded, and elastic has twisted and rolled. I have friends who have recently bought and many have ripped up the sides. Quality has gone down. They are made of cotton and just don't hold up like typical leo material, and for the price, not worth it.

 

[Learning Parent GB]

Favourite here is cristian moreau. Not cheap, but the quality is far above any others. They are also longer in the body so if your gymnast is long torso but narrow they fit better than other brands. Because they wear very well i buy second hand, and ours have lasted a further 3 gymnasts with no obvious deterioration.

little stars is a lesser known brand but I find them a close second for quality and price. Some lovely designs.

milano third, bit mainstream, but a good fit for most gymnasts.

zone a bit more budget but great for washing and wearing.

Personally Quatro for us don’t last so well, so I don’t find them good value for the price.

I forgot Little Stars!

What are you doing to your Quattro though?! My daughter has worn the same one for 4 or 5 years - because she wears it so often it has stretched from her as a 'nearly 32' to 'I'm a 36 but I can still wear it'. Although she does go for classic sporty styles and we do notice that the 2017 era ones seem better quality than newer ones. And their sizing did go a bit random a couple of years ago!

 

[Carly]

My dd is thinking about a Rebecca's mom leo. How does the fit compare to gk or plum? She wears AS in gk and AM in plum. Thanks!