# where do you shop for your preteen girls?



## sesa70 (May 12, 2006)

This has suddenly become a huge headache around here.

My dd is going to be 11 this summer. She used to always be fine with me picking out her clothing, and suddenly when it was time to get her spring /summer clothes this year she disliked everything I picked out for her.

I don't know if it's that its me picking them out or if its that she doesnt like them. I have gone out shopping several times and picked stuff I *though* was age appropriate and she hated it everytime.

The complication is that my dd has special needs and is pretty physically limited. She is also non verbal... but she does DEFINATELY have opinions! Who knew a kid who couldn't talk would have attitude! LOL! She says yes and no with eye blinks and is very expressive when she likes or dislikes something. So the issue there is, of course, she can't just tell me where to go, I have to ask and wait for a yes or no. And she can't just go pick out her own stuff, I have to show it to her and wait for her response.

I personally love Hanna andersson (when its on sale), and have been buying her the plainer stuff with no cute-sy butterflies and stuff on it. She was against that this year. I also used to shop at lands end for her. she did tell me she wanted jeans, so we ordered a few from gap.

Anyway, I am sorry this got rambly. She gets a lot of attention because of her special needs, and it is important to both of us that she look age appropriate and well groomed







I just seem to have somehow become a clueless mom! Any tips on what to get or what to stay away from would be great too. Thanks!


----------



## Drummer's Wife (Jun 5, 2005)

Does she like anything at Children's place? My DD does now. She just turned 9 and was okay with Gymboree until like a month ago. :-( Anyhow, she picked out stuff she likes online - which was mainly from The Children's Place and Justice, and a few pieces from Gap.


----------



## MusicianDad (Jun 24, 2008)

That's a hard one. Maybe take her shopping, not to try on anything which I suspect would be very difficult if not impossible, but to get an idea of what she would like you to buy.

Most of DD's clothes come from consignment or she makes them herself (often times a combination of the two since fabric is cheaper when it's all ready made into something).


----------



## 34me (Oct 2, 2006)

Wow MusicianDad I want a kiddo like yours! How creative of her. Have you tried Old Navy or Target? I could mostly find age appropriate thingsng that both her da and I approoved of.


----------



## karne (Jul 6, 2005)

I hope that these questions aren't impossible to answer, or insensitive, so please forgive me if so! I also found that 11 proved to be the time my dd had strong opinions about clothing, so I feel for you. Is your dd in school where she's seeing particular styles that she wants to make her own? Is there a popular "look" that you think she's after? Or, alternatively, are there styles or looks she simply doesn't want as part of her wardrobe right now? Are accessories, ie scarves, headbands, jewelry becoming important?

I wonder if the two of you could look at some of the websites for different clothing companies and see what exactly appeals to your dd? It might give you more of a jumping off point when you do go out shopping. Gap and Old Navy have good pics of their clothing. I have looked at the more teen-ish clothing websites, ie American Eagle, etc., but most of the clothing that is modeled there won't cut the mustard for school. However, a few pieces seem to give my dd enough of a sense of being part of a cool look, while still being age appropriate. A cute jeans skirt that is too short on it's own is great w/a pair of capri leggings, for example.

My dd has a very funky, mix and match style, and is also as tall as I am right now. She definitely goes for the funky consignment store, boho style, but school has influenced some of her tastes, so I see that influence as well.

Does your dd have sn that affect the type or style of clothing that works for her?


----------



## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

I have a 12.5 year old and she likes Justice (I don't), HTG81, I also plan to buy her some items from johnnieb (the new Boden line for teens). She also gets the odd item from Saks 5th Ave outlets, they had some nice jeans and t's recently. She sometimes finds items from Macy's she likes too. But she is pretty easy when it comes to clothes.


----------



## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

That's about the age my dd wanted to start picking out her own stuff, too. She wanted the more teen-oriented stuff. I won't do A&F or Hollister because I don't like the companies. American Eagle is a little pricey and much of it is a little too mature, but occasionally there's a t-shirt or hoodie that I'll buy.

This year, we ended up getting most of her clothes at Aeropostale. I really like the store. My dd is very slender, and they carry 00 jeans which fit her. The prices are great and they have killer sales and clearance stuff. We also get a few things from the clearance rack at Delia's.

Could you sit down and look at clothes on the web with her?


----------



## mata (Apr 20, 2006)

Justice and Tilly's. Wouldn't be my choice for her, but her clothes are her own decision.


----------



## sesa70 (May 12, 2006)

not insensitive or difficult at all!

Yes, she goes to school everyday. She is also in yoga, speech therapy, and physical therapy weekly at a center for special needs children. In her classroom, there is only 1 boy (poor kid!) and the rest are girls. She is technically going into 6th grade next year but will remain in her current 3rd-5th grade class because of available space and classroom sizes in the Jr high. its no problem since she is really at the young end of 6th grade with an Aug. bday.

Her favorite accessory it seems latey is shoes. She loves shoes!

As for her look, its hard to tell exactly. She says no to anything with hearts. She says she still likes butterflies. Silver not gold. Still likes pink (in fact she is sporting hot pink highlights right now). She used to be very girly; skirts, dresses, flowy hippy on the beach type stuff. Now I am not so sure. She seems to get really excited about denim, which is odd because for years she hated it. It would seem uncomfortable to me to sit in jeans all day, but its what she likes. She has her ears pierced, so I can definately start exploring more jewelery with her. She does like bracelets.

We took the website advise and she seemed to like some of the bermuda shorts from gap so I ordered a few to see how they fit. She also liked the short shorts (*gasp!* Who knew?







) but I am concered that since she is sitting all the time they will be even shorter.

I am not a fan of the adult stores like aeropostal because they are made to accentuate the figure, and she is SOOO not there yet (maybe *I* am just not there)

As for her SN affecting her clothes, not really. Just something that will work with her sitting. Straight dresses tend to look frumpy because they bunch, I buy her jeans in plus even though they are huge in the waist so that she isn't being squished while she sits. I am the one who is dressing her, so really I am happy to take the few extra minutes or do a bit more work as long as it makes her happy.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *karne* 
I hope that these questions aren't impossible to answer, or insensitive, so please forgive me if so! I also found that 11 proved to be the time my dd had strong opinions about clothing, so I feel for you. Is your dd in school where she's seeing particular styles that she wants to make her own? Is there a popular "look" that you think she's after? Or, alternatively, are there styles or looks she simply doesn't want as part of her wardrobe right now? Are accessories, ie scarves, headbands, jewelry becoming important?

I wonder if the two of you could look at some of the websites for different clothing companies and see what exactly appeals to your dd? It might give you more of a jumping off point when you do go out shopping. Gap and Old Navy have good pics of their clothing. I have looked at the more teen-ish clothing websites, ie American Eagle, etc., but most of the clothing that is modeled there won't cut the mustard for school. However, a few pieces seem to give my dd enough of a sense of being part of a cool look, while still being age appropriate. A cute jeans skirt that is too short on it's own is great w/a pair of capri leggings, for example.

My dd has a very funky, mix and match style, and is also as tall as I am right now. She definitely goes for the funky consignment store, boho style, but school has influenced some of her tastes, so I see that influence as well.

Does your dd have sn that affect the type or style of clothing that works for her?


----------



## karne (Jul 6, 2005)

sesa70 said:


> Still likes pink (in fact she is sporting hot pink highlights right now).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## CarrieMF (Mar 7, 2004)

Quote:

I buy her jeans in plus even though they are huge in the waist so that she isn't being squished while she sits
If she wears the right size of jeans they won't squish. Most jeans have some stretch in them now too. I wear jeans all the time.


----------



## Dr.Worm (Nov 20, 2001)

My DD is 10 and starting to get into fashion and accessories. We went to Kmart the other day and she went nuts. She also LOVES pink, just like your DD and they had a lot of pink clothes there including a pink purse and a pink baseball cap. My DD really loves dressy clothes but also jeans and leggings...I really recommend Kmart!







Also, Burlington has some really cool stylish clothes that are brand name but without the price...and TJmaxx too!


----------



## Christalynnbebe (Apr 20, 2010)

Anchor Blue [if you have one] always has really cute clothes, most that are modest as well. Tillys, and Hot Topic always has really cute tops and even jeans for ridiculously cheap in clearance [check out the website]


----------



## doulatara (Jun 20, 2006)

I have a very fashion-forward 10.5 year old who is pretty specific about her style. We are on a tight budget, but you would be surprised at the amazing clothes we can find at thrift stores. Preteen girls grow so much at this time, so almost everything we find looks barely worn and we find alot of popular brands, we have found seven jeans, hannah anderson dresses, american eagle, etc. She also avoids the majorly short-shorts that have been popular this year and last, so at thrift stores we seem to have better luck with finding slightly longer pieces anyhow.

DD and I are also really into sewing, so we reconstruct alot of thrift store finds and my old clothes to fit her. My partner used to wear alot of threadless t-shirts (http://www.threadless.com/) so we do alot of tshirt surgery to turn his old tees into skirts, tank tops, dresses, etc. (if you are into sewing you can get lots of tutorials by searching t-shirt surgery.)

She does like justice jeans, occassionally we will find stuff at Target, Old Navy, Gap sale racks, if your dd is tall you can check out women's clothes size 0 or 2...dd finds lots of great stuff in women's now....sometimes stuff is slightly too wide for her, but very easy to alter and the length fits.

Oh, and she has been pretty fascinated by the delia's and modcloth websites lately, but since they are online I have been hesitant to order not knowing the fits...but she uses those sites for inspiration definitely.


----------



## amnesiac (Dec 28, 2001)

My dd is 11 but she's really tall so she doesn't fit into kids clothes anymore. She actually really likes the juniors section, shoes & accessories at Target & Old Navy. She also likes to recycle clothes she's grown out of into other things.


----------



## SweetPea94 (Apr 29, 2010)

Around 11 is when clothes became a big deal in our house too. It's a combination of wanting to pick out her own clothes, and also having a particular style in mind.I'm still able to pick out some clothes that she really likes but usually she prefers to be with me when I shop. We buy some stuff at Justice - when we get the 40% coupon and from their clearance racks. She asks for Justice gift cards for birthdays and Christmas too. Outside of that we find things at Belks and Kohls, and honestly our staple items - jeans, shorts etc usually come from Target and she's still ok with that. She's tiny for her age - she's the same size as her 9 year old sister and they share clothes. She told me the other day that a lot of her friends shop at Aeropostale and I tried not to groan out loud. Luckily she's not big enough to wear any of their sizes yet. She told me though that she would like to have a lot of variety instead of just a few really expensive things - so I hope that sticks.


----------



## magpie mamma (Feb 22, 2006)

We (DD 11) like the clearance racks at Bloomingdales, she knows that we will not buy regular priced items, so we just shop the sales. It is the only place we have found the occasional dress she will wear. She is a jean and tee shirt girl. The dresses are cute and don't make her look like she is older than she is, modest but young and fun.


----------



## afresh (Jun 11, 2011)

im 12 years old and the best clothing store for teens is justice to look up more about justice got to shopjustice.com and ask your preteen if she love this place. im sure ur preteen is going to love justice oldnavy gymboree,gap are ugly clothing for preteens. so choose justice or aeropostale,abercrombie,or hollister.


----------



## chfriend (Aug 29, 2002)

I have 10.75 year old who is 5'3". She wore Hanna forever because they are soft. Now her clothes are consignment, Land's End or JC Penney. She can still get kids' clothes that there.


----------



## onlyzombiecat (Aug 15, 2004)

My 11 year old has also gotten opinionated and is changing her style. She suddenly does not want plain clothes. She wants clothes that sparkle. She wants to wear dresses and skirts where she used to really prefer pants. She doesn't want to wear leggings or skinny pants. She is starting to wear some junior size clothes.

We typically get clothes for her from Old Navy, Walmart, or JCPenney.

I would look at Kohls or Target as well.


----------



## Irishmommy (Nov 19, 2001)

Where do you get a kid that gets opinionated about clothes AFTER they turn 10?







My almost 11 year old has been opinionated about them since she started walking.


----------



## whatsnextmom (Apr 2, 2010)

You might try Forever 21 and H&M. I hate the way the stores are laid out but the girls don't seem to care. The latest styles are actually much less figure forming and more blousy in our area. I know both these shops have lots of these sorts of tops and they are all the rage with the high school set. It's sort of nice because you can find much less revealing stuff than you could when my DD was in middle school (and everything was skin tight.)

Kohls is another good place to go. When DD was in middle school and "labels" were important (and they were only important for like 2 years) we'd grab up a few of the big names on sale and supplement with Kohls items. They were good for DD's size too as she was pretty small until end of 8th grade and their teen section seemed to offer better sizing option.


----------



## onlyzombiecat (Aug 15, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Irishmommy*
> 
> Where do you get a kid that gets opinionated about clothes AFTER they turn 10?
> 
> ...


For me it isn't that dd didn't have any opinion at all until recently about what she wore daily. She has always had preferences. It is more that she just accepted what I bought for her- either our tastes matched up more or she just didn't care enough to get loud about it. So opinionated means to me that she has said to me that she absolutely will not wear x type of clothing and wants y type clothing.

She has always been homeschooled so maybe she has had less peer influence on her clothing choices.


----------



## Ragana (Oct 15, 2002)

My DD is 11 and is changing her style as well. I definitely can't pick out her clothes anymore! She mostly gets her stuff at a thrift shop, Threadless (or similar t-shirts in the thrift shop or Target), Target women's section for some things like tank tops, socks and now sometimes shoes, and Target boys' section for pants, t-shirts, shirts, etc. She is not too girly, so I about fell over today when she wanted to try on some heels for fun (not wearing those yet!)

So, I second the idea of looking up various websites and maybe running outfits past your daughter at home before you hit the stores. You could save them on Delicious & print them out to take with you when you go shopping - the styles may be available at various stores.

PS Cool about the highlights. My DD also wants pink hair.


----------



## shantimama (Mar 11, 2002)

We order jeans from Lands End because they have some great sales and discounts. My girls like to do most of their shopping at thrift stores. They get a clothing allowance and they quickly learned that their money goes much farther there than at the mall! They can usually find lots of things from trendy stores there and they like that the clothes are already broken in and soft.

I loved buying their clothes when they were little but choosing their own 'look' is an important part of growing up. Sometimes they chose things I knew they wouldn't be happy with but it was important for them to find that out for themselves instead of not being 'allowed' to buy something by me. When I told my daughter that I always bought her soft cotton clothes because her eczema didn't flare up with those she started choosing those for herself. She made a few purchases that made her itch even though they looked great but it was good for her to arrive at that on her own.


----------



## ChristaN (Feb 14, 2003)

My girls will be 13 and 11 in Sept. My oldest found in middle school that the "acceptable" clothing that wouldn't get you teased was pretty limited. Justice was one of those stores that was okay but not super popular. I'd say that Target, JC Penney, and Old Navy fell into that category as well. Dd12 has some t-shirts from Target and a pair or two of their jeans (from the teen section). The Target kids (7-14) section was too young looking for middle school and would wind up getting you teased. Lands End, while higher quality, was apparently very uncool. The one girl who wore their polo shirts and other clothes was called some pretty unpleasant things by the other kids and bullied pretty badly.

Her's was my first middle school experience from the end of being the mom not the kid, so I don't know how it will look next year for dd10 who will be starting 6th grade which is middle school here. She's going to a different school than her sister did. Dd12 does wear a lot of Aeropostale and American Eagle clothing, but I understand not wanting that for your dd. Dd10 is tiny and still fits into size 8 slims so we've had a harder time with her. We have found that Gap Kids jeans look a lot like the "cool" jeans from the teen stores as long as no one knows where they came from. I've also ordered dd10 some clothing online from 77 kids and P.S. (the kid stores run by the same companies as Aeropostale and American Eagle). They, too, have things that are stylish and don't cause her to look like she's wearing Gymboree but they're a bit younger than Aero and AE. I did find her a pair of jeans shorts (the short kind as well







) at Kohl's. They're not obscenely short, though.


----------

