Are there any clothes that are considered "uncool" for middle-school boys?

[Cindy B]

Boys here aren't into AE. And South Pole isn't allowed at their middle school because of some of the graphics (skulls, etc.)



Funny - boys here wear Abercrombie but not Hollister. Pac Sun and Aeropstale are the hands down favorites. Older boys are at Buckle, too.

Too funny. Aeropostale is considered really wrong for boys unless it a belt or something like that. Maybe it is the stores near us, but the boys/mens department at Aero is SMALL (like 10 percent or less of store). Pac Sun is ok but Zumiez, skate stores and Plato's is a great bet.

South Pole is what the urban kids wear. It used to be JNCO and Tommy Hilfiger but that is gone.

Depending on where you live and if there is gang activity (don't laugh) certain colors may be a no no. I work in a suburban middle school and am starting to see some gang activity with colors/clothes. This suburban middle school is near a very urban area so I am noticing it more and more.
The color red may be banned at our school for a little while.

 

[ckay87]

Well not this time of year, but by October...

hoodies, hoodies, hoodies

We buy 'em by the case!

Oh and do you know you can wear them year round? Yea, you don't need a winter coat. Just a hooded sweatshirt! 10 below zero? Snowing? Raining? No problem, a hoodie will do the trick!

 

[java]

I am on the brands of clothing- Around here AE is still the brand they all prefer. Aeropastale- for girls, and Abercrombie- same boat- won't wear it.
Hollister actually is middle ground- they don't love it but it doesn't get the same dislike that Abercrombie does.

Thankfully my son still doesn't seem to care and will wear a shirt from whereever as long as it's clean. (he's in high school now) but in middle school really no worries on clothing. It was all about the shoes.

 

[golfgal]

Many middle school boys around here detest... with a capital D American Eagle.
AE is considered girly like hollister and abercrombie.

Funny, AE is THE brand for the middle school boys--although the kids here aren't overly brand conscious, they just like that one the most. Most boys get plaid shorts from wherever, Kohl's, JC Penney, etc. and either a t-shirt or polo style shirt. Most of the boys are too skinny for the shorts from AE, Aero, etc. (8th graders).

I think kids still give other kids a hard time for not wearing the right things. When DS was in 6th grade, he's starts 8th in the fall, he wore a WalMart brand shirt to school. One of the other boys at school commented on his WalMart shirt. He never wore it again and bacame much more conscious of what he wears.

Around here most of the boys wear American Eagle, Aeropostale, Hollister, Ambercrombie and Fitch. He also wears the long cargo type shorts to his knees, he absolutely will not wear anything above the kneel and I never see any of the other boys at school wearing shorts above their knees.

I will never for the life of me understand this fad of wearing shorts down past your knees. I aggravate DS all the time about it. I ask him if he's going to wear shorts down past his knees, why not just wear jeans?

I made the mistake of suggesting DS14 wear some shorts from last summer that LOOKED to me that they fit just fine but they were oh so slightly above the knee .

Well not this time of year, but by October...

hoodies, hoodies, hoodies

We buy 'em by the case!

Oh and do you know you can wear them year round? Yea, you don't need a winter coat. Just a hooded sweatshirt! 10 below zero? Snowing? Raining? No problem, a hoodie will do the trick!

Same here--I will miss Steve and Barry's (went out of business in March or so). I don't think our oldest has worn a winter coat to school more then a handful of times in the past 3 years.

 

[Poohlovr]

OMG, I can't believe I left hoodies off of the list! All of my boys hoodies came from Pac Sun (I like these more than others because some of theirs are heavier, so I feel better when it's cold) as if I had a choice where they came from. No winter coats.

Really, the only places we shop anymore are Pac Sun (pants), Hot Topic (tees) and skate stores (tees and shoes). We sometimes find acceptable tees at Marshall's. Socks and underwear can come from Wal-Mart or Target, thank goodness.

And, I totally agree with the no show socks. At most, they will wear the quarter length socks.

However, I love reading about what others' kids are wearing.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My son is entering 8th grade. Although there isn't any mean teasing at his school, everyone pretty much dresses the same. Long shorts and tees with basketball shoes are the #1 outfit and surf style shorts/plaid with long tees come in close second. The boys wear shorts until it's so cold their mothers are screaming, lol! Some wear them all year round. Longish hair is in although some of the baseball players have their buzz cut already. A few wear jeans and tees but no one wears shirts with collars. I insist my son have one or two for dressier occasions.

So yesterday when we were out and about I did notice some boys with plaid shorts. (It reminded me of the HSM/Zac Efron look, and my DD commented that's probably how it started. ) Anyway, most of the boys wearing plaid shorts had long or longish hair and a skateboard under their arms, LOL. (We do have a big skate park.) I asked DS if he would wear plaid shorts and his reply was "No Way"! He is a baseball player and navy buff so he likes a crew cut.

When DS was in 6th grade, he's starts 8th in the fall, he wore a WalMart brand shirt to school. One of the other boys at school commented on his WalMart shirt. He never wore it again and bacame much more conscious of what he wears.

My standard reply to my kids has always been - "Which do you prefer, expensive clothes [or toys, whatever], or a Disney trip? Because we can't do both, so you pick". Disney always wins - and they have yet to complain about any of their clothes. (I like to get nice things for them but enjoy the challenge of getting them very inexpensively.)

 

[eh24fan]

My almost 9yr old 3rd grader and his friends run the gamut. Yeah, I know...3rd grade isn't middle school, but believe me, the trends filter down. For the most part DS and his friends are wearing khaki cargo shorts, plaid shorts, (below the knee of course), skate t-shirts, polos, plain t-shirts, etc. Oh, and jeans are still baggy at that age, no skinny jeans...THANK GOODNESS! Sneakers are important though...my DS loves his VANS, so do his friends. That or Etnies for my DS.

 

[mamamary]

My son is just finishing up his first year of middle school. Plaid shorts are def. in around here. I notice plenty of Amer. Eagle t-shirts, some Hollister and some Aero. My son is athletic so he wears alot of t-shirts and sports shorts. Plus he always seems to be hot. He does like the plaid shorts - if you asked me last summer I would have said he'd never wear that. Boys are also wearing their hair longer. I don't think sneakers are that much of a big deal esp. because some kids (if they aren't in band or chorus) have Phys Ed every day. My son prefers a running type sneaker because he likes running and they do that alot in Gym.

 

[MelanieC]

My DS11 is starting 6th (Middle School) this fall too. He just told me the other day he wants more Abercrombie shirts, lol.

Some of the big name stores will have sales on the t-shirts and they aren't too badly priced. Maybe try to spread around and get a few "cool" shirts and then some that aren't named brand. I find sometimes they are similiar in price, especially boy clothes.

My son is big into Undour Amrour hoodies.

Jeans are his favorite and right now he is wearing basketball shorts to school with T's.

 

[tar heel]

Having survived middle school with three boys, I will tell you that it CAN matter a lot what a kid wears. I think it's more important to avoid wearing the wrong thing than it is to wear the right thing, however. I think you'll be fine with shorts from Kohls, etc. -- just make sure that they are long enough. The one of my sons who was most into style in middle schools saved his money for Abercrombie shirts and got his shorts as cheaply as possible. Around here, most boys wear T-shirts with polos left for when you have to dress up only. The local professional sports teams and college teams would be the safest choices possible. Beyond that, it can be really hard. Most current bands would be okay. Very classic bands like the Beatles are fine. My kids tell me that you do not wear skate clothes if you don't skate --that makes you a "poser." I wouldn't buy cartoon characters for a middle school boy, but they're fine in high school -- both of my boys in their '20s wear cartoon shirts. Someone mentioned WDW shirts -- I would avoid those for a middle school boy for sure.

I agree with the poster who said to save some of your back-to-school shopping for after school starts. Your son may surprise you by having strong feelings about what he wants to wear and not wear.

The good news is that it's a lot easier in high school.

 

[tar heel]

My almost 9yr old 3rd grader and his friends run the gamut. Yeah, I know...3rd grade isn't middle school, but believe me, the trends filter down. For the most part DS and his friends are wearing khaki cargo shorts, plaid shorts, (below the knee of course), skate t-shirts, polos, plain t-shirts, etc. Oh, and jeans are still baggy at that age, no skinny jeans...THANK GOODNESS! Sneakers are important though...my DS loves his VANS, so do his friends. That or Etnies for my DS.

You can wear skate Ts and shoes in elementary school even if you don't skate, but not when you get to middle school -- words of wisdom from my 15-year-old.

 

[KiminChicago]

I wouldn't buy cartoon characters for a middle school boy, but they're fine in high school -- both of my boys in their '20s wear cartoon shirts. Someone mentioned WDW shirts -- I would avoid those for a middle school boy for sure.

And here my son has been wearing his Mickey Mouse t-shirt from the Disney Store all year. It really does appear to be very regional -- a lot of the families here vacation as often as possible at WDW so maybe they're more tolerant of the Disney characters? I let DS pick out his own clothes in the morning so it's not me making him wear Mickey. I just warn him to wear jeans if it's going to be really cold, anything above 60 degrees is shorts weather as far as he's concerned!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Someone mentioned WDW shirts -- I would avoid those for a middle school boy for sure.

BLASPHEMY!

 

[Val]

My DS13 will be an 8th grader next year- his third, and last, year in middle school. Basically, any clothing which I attempt to purchase with him, near him, or even in the same county as he might also be residing is 'uncool'!

Actually, he is a runner- Xcountry, winter track, spring track, summer track.....he wears running shirts, college running tshirts or college tshirts, and longer athletic shorts most of the time. His teammates seem to wear the same. He does like those plaid shorts (the kind our Dads really liked and we hid in horror every time they wore them!). When forced to put on long pants that are not considered running pants, he will tolerate khakis, jeans from American Eagle (or using his OWN money, Ambercrombie) and polos. He sometimes wears plaid button down shirts over his running tees. He may own a button down "real" shirt, but I don't think it fits at this point!

My oldest DD21 tried to take our DS13 shopping for appropriate attire for an upcoming wedding we must attend (dh and I were out of town and she was staying with her younger sibs). she texted me 'I hate teen boys and I am never having kids", so she had no more success dressing our DS than we do....and I found out that clothes shopping with teen boys appears to be a fine means of birth control for oldest sisters!

Good luck....remember, no matter what you do will it will be 'wrong', but that's okay. Give the boy the curse- may the good Lord give him a son just like him, and may you be around to laugh at him when he complains!

 

[suejai]

Having survived middle school with three boys, I will tell you that it CAN matter a lot what a kid wears. I think it's more important to avoid wearing the wrong thing than it is to wear the right thing, however. I think you'll be fine with shorts from Kohls, etc. -- just make sure that they are long enough. The one of my sons who was most into style in middle schools saved his money for Abercrombie shirts and got his shorts as cheaply as possible. Around here, most boys wear T-shirts with polos left for when you have to dress up only. The local professional sports teams and college teams would be the safest choices possible. Beyond that, it can be really hard. Most current bands would be okay. Very classic bands like the Beatles are fine. My kids tell me that you do not wear skate clothes if you don't skate --that makes you a "poser." I wouldn't buy cartoon characters for a middle school boy, but they're fine in high school -- both of my boys in their '20s wear cartoon shirts. Someone mentioned WDW shirts -- I would avoid those for a middle school boy for sure.

I agree, I asked my son, who is in grade 8, and he said pretty much the same thing, especially the part about the cartoon shirts. He said he would have liked to wear them but was ridiculed so he stopped. I think in some areas the American Eagle, Hollister look is shunned unless you want to look like like a "prep" (I personally like it, I think it looks neat and clean). Thankfully though, for my wallet, my DS isn't into that look - in Canada Hollister is outrageously expensive.

 

[Disneygirl26]

I agree with others who said it was best if you waited until school started so your son can see what others are actually wearing then get what he feels comfortable in. I will say once kids get in middle school they won't like anything you pick out for them so steer clear of going shopping without your son.

I love reading what kids wear in other cities, I think it interesting how trends differ depending on where your from. Where I from the boys wear mostly Polos and tees, khaki shorts and I have notice that plaid shorts were popular last summer and this summer too. The Ralph Lauren Polo has made a huge comeback this year also most teenage boys around here shop at American Eagle, Hollister and Ambercrobie but not areopostale go figure I think there all the same, and the jeans have to be straight leg not the baggie jeans from years pass. My son would die if I brought home South Pole that brand never really caught on around here and sneakers like others have said are really the most important things, around here its the all stars low or high tops or nikes.