teen boys clothing sizes

[zoemurr]

My 13 year old has just outgrown most of his "kid" sized clothing. For jeans and sport pants he is a size 16/XL. He needs a pair of dress pants for next weekend. I picked up a 16 and they are just a smidge (as in they would probably work in a pinch) too small.

Now what? I have no idea of an equivalent size in mens. Is there something I can try at Kohl's or Target? He is 5'6" and skinny.

Thanks!

 

[stsomewhere]

Try Macy's. I got my son asuit jacket and pants in the boys section a few years. They carry sizes 18 and 20.

He is 6'1 and 140 lbs. He wore them over the weekend . The pants wer getting a little short.

He wears size 30 x 34. It is very difficult to find him pants. Slims were still to baggy.

He likes American Eagle and Hollister jeans. The slim fit.

 

[Christine]

My 13 year old has just outgrown most of his "kid" sized clothing. For jeans and sport pants he is a size 16/XL. He needs a pair of dress pants for next weekend. I picked up a 16 and they are just a smidge (as in they would probably work in a pinch) too small.

Now what? I have no idea of an equivalent size in mens. Is there something I can try at Kohl's or Target? He is 5'6" and skinny.

Thanks!

I have found that the smallest waist size I can find at either Kohl's or Target is about 32 (sometimes I can find a 30 or 31 but that's rare). My son wears a 32 waist in dress pants and they are a little loose on him so I'm thinking that won't be the place to go. But you never know as each store can carry different stuff.

I had luck with my son at H&M. They cater to younger men, so they carry smaller sizes. They also have "european" fits that are slimmer and more tailored than what you will find at Kohl's. This often works best for young men and teens because they are usually so much thinner.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Be prepared for it evolving quickly! When this happened to DS, I bought him some Men's Small clothing and he didn't even have much of a chance to wear it because he grew so fast. I basically bypassed Men's M and went straight to Men's L; now some XL. Pretty amazing how fast they grow and change during the teen years.

 

[ReneeA]

My son turned 13 on Saturday, and has been in men's sizes for a year. He's just under 5'8" and weighs 118 pounds, with long, gangly arms and legs. He wears a men's size 28x32 pants/jeans, and they're hard to find. I find 29x32 much more often, so I buy those, and he wears a belt. I've had luck at Target, Kohls, Penney's, and American Eagle. The key is to take him with you and make him try on (which for us is misery)! I will say, once we made the switch from boys to men's clothes, he looks much more put together. He still wears jeans & tees with the occasional polo or button down, but boys clothes were always so boxy and baggy on him. Men's small sizes are long and skinny, whereas big boys sizes are short & wide.

 

[tajz90]

We buy pants at American Eagle and Old Navy. We have to usually order the small waists with longer length, but those two brands fit the best.

 

[Christine]

We buy pants at American Eagle and Old Navy. We have to usually order the small waists with longer length, but those two brands fit the best.

Have you been able to find dress pants there? OP was looking for dress pants and I agree that AE is great for jeans because they have all sorts of sizes. My AE is small so not sure if some carry dress clothes.

 

[zoemurr]

Thanks. I know they will only fit for a month or so. He needs them for a Bar Mitzvah on Saturday and I imagine that is the only time he will wear them so I don't want to spend a lot of $ or time. Maybe a 16 in another brand will work? I like the idea of looking for an 18. I hated this transition time with DD too. Why do they make it so hard to find clothes for kids this age?

 

[tajz90]

Have you been able to find dress pants there? OP was looking for dress pants and I agree that AE is great for jeans because they have all sorts of sizes. My AE is small so not sure if some carry dress clothes.

Khakis. I guess I consider khakis dress pants.

 

[Christine]

Khakis. I guess I consider khakis dress pants.

Ah, okay, gotcha! I agree they do have khakis there, although the ones I bought my son at AE look kind of rumpled all the time. I think Old Navy does have some better/smoother ones. I had to get him some at Banana Republic Outlet one time because they actually did look dressy and came in a 29x34.

For a few occasions I actually had to get DRESS pants as the requirement said no khakis. That's where it got difficult to find the right sizing. Everything seemed to be too big. If I could find a 29/30 waist, I couldn't get the length.

 

[zoemurr]

Ah, okay, gotcha! I agree they do have khakis there, although the ones I bought my son at AE look kind of rumpled all the time. I think Old Navy does have some better/smoother ones. I had to get him some at Banana Republic Outlet one time because they actually did look dressy and came in a 29x34.

For a few occasions I actually had to get DRESS pants as the requirement said no khakis. That's where it got difficult to find the right sizing. Everything seemed to be too big. If I could find a 29/30 waist, I couldn't get the length.

I know all brands are different, but was there a huge jump from a 16 kids waist to a 29" mens? Probably should have ordered from Land's End. I wonder if they have uniform pants at the store? They have tons of in-between sizes.

 

[Christine]

I know all brands are different, but was there a huge jump from a 16 kids waist to a 29" mens? Probably should have ordered from Land's End. I wonder if they have uniform pants at the store? They have tons of in-between sizes.

I didn't think so. I just remember my son being in a 16 and they basically got too short or they didn't offer dress pants and we went nicely into the 29 waist. The difficulty was finding the store that offered long lengths on a 29 waist.

 

[Styx Fan]

I had some luck finding DS dress pants in a boys 18 at Kohls and at JC Penney. Dang tall, skinny kids!

 

[ReneeA]

Boys size 16 regular is a 29x29. The problem becomes when they keep growing taller and don't put weight on at the same speed. It's really tough to find those smaller waists with longer lengths. Mine needs a belt with the 29's, but the 32 length just hits the top of his foot. I'm going to have to see if I can find some 34's if he doesn't put on some weight. Wish I had that problem.

 

[zoemurr]

Boys size 16 regular is a 29x29. The problem becomes when they keep growing taller and don't put weight on at the same speed. It's really tough to find those smaller waists with longer lengths. Mine needs a belt with the 29's, but the 32 length just hits the top of his foot. I'm going to have to see if I can find some 34's if he doesn't put on some weight. Wish I had that problem.

Ok, thanks. It looks like Kohl's has a 29x30. That might be a good place to start then. He might even fit into another brand of 16s. Guess we'll have to just head back to the store. I was really hoping to avoid that.

He is a bit on the skinny side but overall pretty average. Boy am I going to miss the adjustable waist.

 

[mjkacmom]

Ds16 has killed me financially over the last 2 years. He went from a 28 x 30 to a 34 x 34, and I had to buy every single size in between. He plays soccer, and they need to dress on game days (button down, slack, tie). Shirt size went from small to large, sleeve length 32 - 34. Shoes 9 - 11 1/2. And he's still growing!

A friend of mine has a boy who behind size-wise, and she gets all of my hand-me-downs, for her ds to wear for 3 months at a time.

Dd18 did most of her growing over a 3 months period - so much cheaper!

So, I'd suggest finding the smallest size in mens (28 waist), and buy ONE pair. The next time he needs to wear them, they will most likely be too small.

 

[ReneeA]

My son's dress clothes often come from the Salvation Army or other thrift store. They have tons of very gently used men's dress clothes in smaller waist sizes. I'm sure they're from other teen boys that have grown just like ours, because some still have the new tags on them. You just need some time (like an hour or more) to go through the racks since they don't have them organized by size but by color instead.

 

[NotUrsula]

Boy's trouser sizing actually goes up to 20. You've still got 2 sizes to go. If in your definition, "dress pants" means that you can get by with flat-front khakis, then try Old Navy's uniforms. They come in slim and have adjustiale waists You can get them in black, navy, grey, and two shades of khaki, and they normally are under $25. Unless he's super-long-legged, they should fit.

 

[mjkacmom]

My son's dress clothes often come from the Salvation Army or other thrift store. They have tons of very gently used men's dress clothes in smaller waist sizes. I'm sure they're from other teen boys that have grown just like ours, because some still have the new tags on them. You just need some time (like an hour or more) to go through the racks since they don't have them organized by size but by color instead.

This is a great idea. Last year, a junior asked my sophomore ds to the junior formal. She wanted him to wear a suit (dance was at the HS). There was no way I was buying my still growing 16 year old a suit, so for $5, I bought him a almost new black blazer to go with his black choir pants. He wore it for 15 for pictures, and then took it off for the night. Goodwill is great for things like this.

 

[SmallWorld71]

We've had our best luck at Kohl's. DS15 is super skinny; he's about 5'7" and 117 lbs. He was able to wear a size 16 with the adjustable straps pulled in as far as they would go. Then he got too tall. He can get away with some 18's if he pulls the straps all the way in.
Men's pants have been tough. We were able to find one brand of dress pants at Kohl's (Dockers) that came in a 28 waist, with a slim fit. Those are working out well. 29's are just way too big on him.