have a "husky" daughter? I need your help please!

[mudnuri]

Dneice turned 13 Thursday. Long story short- I'm taking her to the mall for her birthday. Her parents are in the middle of a divorce- her self esteem is down, her mother has never taken her to the mall "cant stand shopping"...I talked it over DBIL first to make sure it was okay with him....and it is....Dneice's friends all talk about going to the mall...so i decided- I'd take her. Heck, I love shopping, and any excuse to go is wonderful with me!...

In her card, I gave her a coupon for a day of shopping....she knows how I am with shopping, and my shoe fettish, so she's pretty excited. She told her dad "I'm going with aunt Brandy, that means I'm gonna come home with more than 1 pair of shoes you know!"...LOL...well- I've been found out LOL but it's okay!..

So...here's the problem. She's "husky"..she's not fat by anymeans, but is very athletic- and not a slim girl. She's got short legs to boot.

I would say- she probably would wear a 14/16?? I know she's borrowed wind pants of mine before that are a womans large, and they fit her though they were long...

I want to make sure we go to some stores that she will feel GREAT trying clothes on, (and buying them) but I'm at a total loss as to what stores carry "large" girls sizes, that are still COOL clothes. I know JC Penney's has "plus" size girl clothes, but she sort of thinks of jc penney's as a "old lady" store...even though they have MUDD, LEI etc..

Does Old Navy carry larger girls sizes??? Any stores you can recommend? I can decide which mall we're going to later, as there are 2 within the same distance of here and they have some different stores. I've never looked at girls sizes other than up to 8 slims for my own DD...do juniors come in larger sizes?

Any other idea's on how to make this day special to her is welcomed..I'm thinking we might just have to get our hair done while we're there...just a wash and style..I'm sure she'd LOVE that!

Thanks guys!

Brandy

 

[Beth76]

Yes, Old Navy goes up to a size 20 I believe. And they are not in the "plus-sized" section. They are with all the other clothes.

 

[minnie56]

Old Navy has larger sizes...XL-XXL etc and is right in her age group...She will feel happy shopping there..also the Gap often has XL and size 14 items but can be a bit more hit and miss.

What a sweet Aunt you are! Have fun!

 

[dmslush]

My dd went through a husky stage, and still has thick legs. American Eagle jeans are the absolute best fit on her, hands down. She also wears American Eagle shirts, gap shirts and jackets, old navy shirts and jackets.

 

[winniedapooh]

Sears, JC Penny. Old Navy, heck even Walmart carries some plus size girls clothes. I think once she starts the trying on phase she will forget it is a store she is not crazy about and have a blast! Have fun, this will mean the world to her.

 

[sunkissed212]

Old Navy does have larger size clothes.

Getting your hair done is a great idea...maybe a manicure and/or pedicure too? Or a facial at the spa? I dont know how old she is but pampering is always nice. I think as long as you stay away from the "trendy" shops that run sizes way smaller than they should be (like AF, AE, etc) then you'll be fine finding stuff to fit her. I know that when I (rarely) go into AE or Aeropostale at the mall, I end up buying something that's like 3 sizes larger than I normally wear...why do they do that? A size 8 should be a size 8 not a size 4!!!

 

[janette]

My girls don't mind shopping at JCP so that works out. My 10yo is slightly bigger than average and JCP has some very nice things for her. I do buy the +jeans because she likes them loose. Most of the styles are belted so that works to make them fit.

The cooler stores for that age range cater to the junior sizes. Sounds like she'll have a harder time fitting those sizes. My 13yo DD who is very picky about what she wears has no problem with the JCP junior dept. Maybe try there for tops etc.

Maybe also try Limited too, they carry bigger sizes and that might work.

You can try Gap, my girls won't shop there at all anymore but it may depend on area what is cool or not.

Good news is that there are some really good sales going on so you should be able to find lots of stuff!

 

[antbritt]

Aeropostale Has sizes in Pants that are sized by size and then Length. They have Short, Regular and Tall. This was always helpful fo rmy neice who was also husky. Also Delia' shas the different lengths . Both stores are also popular with the teens.
I personally suggest you stay aways from Abercrombie and Hollister as they tend to run very small in sizes and it might not really be a good experience for your niece.
Good Luck
Your are a Great Aunt!

 

[janette]

Aeropostale Has sizes in Pants that are sized by size and then Length. They have Short, Regular and Tall. This was always helpful fo rmy neice who was also husky. Also Delia' shas the different lengths . Both stores are also popular with the teens.

I didn't realize that about Aeropostale jeans, my DD can still wear regular length but will need talls soon.

It is one of the hot stores right now. My 13yo DD was so excited that I bought her some undewear from there for xmas. It would be a very good choice.

 

[mudnuri]

I really want her to have some clothes that are "name brand" I know this might sound stupid to some, but it seems that she's having a hard time "fitting" in...this year, she moved up to middle school, from her grade school...being a tomboy to begin with, wearing clothes that are not "name brand" makes it harder for her...thats my reason for not going to wal-mart etc..again, this may sound shallow, but to a 13 year old girl with enough emotional wreckage during this divorce, well its a BIG thing that can be fixed quite easily I think...

I think we'll stay away from the little boutique type shops, with the size 0 clothes LOL...

It seems most of her clothes are "tom boyish" if that make sense, I want to find her some clothes that she feels great in, that are the right fit, and make her smile...she said the reason she wears tom boyish clothes is becaue they're "what mom buys her"...well....I'm not mom LOL....we're hittin the mall runnin...we aren't going till February 12th, as thats the next Saturday I have without a basketball game to coach...so I've got some time to research the clothing sizes in the different store...

DH was just on the phone with DBIL, and he said that DNeice is still talking about it...she's never been in DSW and doenst have a clue what she's in for going to a shoe store with THIS aunt LOL....DBIL did have DH remind me that she shares a closet with her sister- so she cant have "that many" pair of shoes...ahhhh you can NEVER have too many!

Brandy

 

[Traveliz]

There is a trendy plus size teen store in the malls in the Chicago area - I don't know if you are in a larger city but I will find out the name of it. It is definitely geared toward teens though.

Liz

 

[antbritt]

I really want her to have some clothes that are "name brand" I know this might sound stupid to some, but it seems that she's having a hard time "fitting" in...this year, she moved up to middle school, from her grade school...being a tomboy to begin with, wearing clothes that are not "name brand" makes it harder for her...thats my reason for not going to wal-mart etc..again, this may sound shallow, but to a 13 year old girl with enough emotional wreckage during this divorce, well its a BIG thing that can be fixed quite easily I think...

IBrandy

Brandy
It doesn't sound stupid.. it is hard enough for Teens to fit in and then to compound it with family issues, and weight concerns and fashion concerns. Fashion and Peers play a big roll for teens. As I stated before Aeropostale and Delia's are 2 stores that sell Poplular clothes and have also accomadate sizes a little better then say The High end Trend Stores. I think that a poster above mention something about going to a salon, I think that is a great idea! Teen Girl Love to get their nails done, Also she could probably use a little pampering!
Oh yeah and maybe some accessories, Icing and Claires are 2 popular accessory stores. Oh and definitely a Purse! My DD and her friends are into the Brand Name Purses..... There are some that don't cost toooo much money, Brand names like XOXOX ( can be found really cheap at TJ maxx and Marshalls)

Enjoy your Day!! I bet she will never forget!

 

[eeyore45]

Dont forget to talk to her about what's "in" at her school...

in our area my friends jr high dd told her mom she had to have a navy blue "North Face" polar tech jacket, "everyone has one" mom says "yeah, right" so mom dropped dd off at school, and was shocked that yes indeed every girl she saw was wearing that jacket, so mom did go to SportMart and buy one for her dd (her dd is also 'husky' and doesnt ask for stylish clothes either) the North Face brand is expensive, but I can still hear her dd yell of delight when she got her jacket!!

(I also like the idea of a hairstly, DSW, Claires for accessories... and of course the all important stop - LUNCH!! While at lunch you might find out if there is a name brand something... but like the above poster stay away from Hollisters, Banana Republic, Abercrombie&Fitch)

Good for you, to combine 2 loves!! Just being there for you dniece has sent her spirits soaring!!

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I personally suggest you stay aways from Abercrombie and Hollister as they tend to run very small in sizes and it might not really be a good experience for your niece.
Good Luck
Your are a Great Aunt!

As much as I like these stores my 13 DD wears a large and they just fit her.
They run extremely small. If you notice most of the girls are small and thin.
Aeropostle and Old Navy are excellent choices.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I'm pretty stocky, and have short legs to boot so I can totally sympathize. At 13, I was more fat than stocky. Anyway. You could try the juniors section of JC Penny. Aeropostale is good. Both places would have "short" sized pants. And the nice thing about the different size lengths is that short in one size is actually wider in the hips and butt than a tall in that same size. It's as though they KNOW shorter people are gonna be stockier. I have also had great luck with jeans in the gap; they're actually the only jeans that really fit me. Don't know if you have a Kohl's near you, but they have a wide variety of sizes. At 13, you can probably shop in the juniors section with her, which will actually help. And definitely avoid Abercrombie.

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

My 15 DD wears largers sizes too. She likes Old Navy and Kohls a lot. Also Foley's is good.

Have fun!

 

[HappyMommy2]

No advice from me but I wanted to say you sound like an absolutely wonderful aunt! Clearly you want to help your niece to be happy and comfortable inside and out.

Will you let us know how the shopping excursion went? Sounds like fun!

 

[mudnuri]

i certainly will post how we make out!....I can't wait...my DD's are shoppers, so a day at the mall is nothing new to them...but this trip, it's just me and the neice...so it's super special....I think she's been to a mall maybe 2 times, and it wasn't for shopping for her.....

Brandy

 

[dancergirl]

one of the cool things to do here, is at the mall get either a smoothie or coffee drink in the afternoon. Nothing better than an extra special treat! Another one of my friends favorite things to do is eat at "deli" type places. I guess it depends on what she likes and what she is used to eating every day, but we dont eat sandwiches a lot, and we love to go get the cutesy little sandwich and pasta salad and that kind of thing. More grown up than a hamburger!
It sounds like yall are going to have a WONDERFUL time!! I agree stay away from Abercromie and Hollister like the plague! Old Navy would be great, and maybe Gap too. Shoes can sometimes be difficult for me. I get very annoyed when trying them on, and when there is the cute guy asking for your size! My sister (22) wears a cute little size 6. Everyone loves to talk about how cute her little feet are. I, on the other hand, wear about a 10. Not so cutesy!! (It appears I have a thing for the word "cute" today haha)
But good luck anyway! She is very lucky to have an aunt like you!!

 

[PatsMom]

My 13 year old DD is also a husky. If you can get past the "old lady" syndrome, we've had great luck at JC Penney (we just bought a couple of great pairs of jeans there today). Sears also has plus sizes but usually not the brands my DD wants (Mudd and LEI jeans are real popular at her school). Like others have said, stay out of the real trendy stores - the clothes are made for midgets. Even the juniors sections tend to have really tiny shirts - the XL's are too small. We've had luck finding stores with a good ladies petite's department - she can get clothes big enough that aren't too long. Kohl's is also pretty good with plus sizes for girls. We also do a lunch date when we shop - she gets to pick the restaurant and her favorite thing is to order fancy drinks like virgin strawberry daquiri's. You sound like a great aunt - I wish I'd had one like you when I was 13!