Tween school clothes shopping?

[Anne34]

As for the underwear/bra issue, I buy dd11 bikinis or hiphuggers, jersey material, and some colored bras, because they wear them with tank tops (layered usually), and they show. Kids bras these days crack me up - they are SO padded! You are buying the ****ies along with a bra!

We have gotten DD14 a few things from Pink at victoria's secret (very overrated!!), but most of her undies are the Mudd brand from Kohls -- they are cute and teen appropriate. They also have decent prices.

Clothes wise for DD14/DD11 we usually go to AE first and Hollister second. My DS13 isn't into clothes that much -- he loves the Nike shorts/shirts the best. They are super comfortable. He does have tops from Aero, Hollister and AE, but he usually wears them with the soft/shiny gym shorts.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

I'm glad someone pointed out the underwear thing. Definitely boys love boxes. My youngest son has been wearing them exclusively since he was 6 he got the idea from my oldest who was 12 at the time. And yes even socks are important definitely go for the no-show. Of course my DD12 wears flip-flops 99% of the time year round. Have to fight her over it when it snows. LOL

yes, my son will be 7 in November and he just cringes when he sees his "tighty whities". So, I bought him boxers at Old Navy and that is all he likes to wear now. How do they grow up so fast????

 

[Darcy03231]

DS - Shops almost exclusively at Old Navy. He has some hoodies from American Eagle, Hollister and A & F thrown in, but most of his clothes are Old Navy. He's also wears boxers. Shoes are usually Vans.

DD - Hollister, American Eagle, A & F, Victoria Secret. She does occasionally buy something at Aeropostle, Old Navy, Marshalls or TJ Maxx. I think it was about middle school when she started wearing thongs. Flip flops until it snows, UGGS in the winter and then back to flip flops once the snow melts. She also has a couple of pairs of slip on style shoes (I think we bought them at Journeys in the mall).

 

[ceecee]

For those who have shopped at Plato's Closet.
Please tell me a bit about it. I've looked it up and found that there is one 2hrs away. Is it worth a trip there?
My daughter usually frowns on used clothing that I've picked up yard sales she thinks its weird but I've gotten some great Abercrombie clothes for her this way. Does this store have the "feel" of a thrift store??

I've been to several and don't like any of them. They have a funny smell and the clothes are not all designer, most of the ones at the store nearby are Target (which are cheaper at Target clearanced) and they are worn...a lot of the stuff I wouldn't even put out at my garage sale. I took DD in once and she stood at the door ready to leave...when I told her, you really need to look if you want to find anything, she said she couldn't stand the smell!

 

[rynosmom]

We have Uniforms here in our New Jersey public school. They wear green or white polos and any type of kahki pants/shorts/skirts. Filpflops are absolutely not allowed.

 

[Bama mom to 3]

First of all, thanks for not flaming me and understanding what I was saying about this.

Second, WOW, I am totally out of it!! And I am guilty of buying DD a flower bra . Thank-you for the advice. I don't know yet what school DD will be in, DH is still looking for a job (he's getting out of the Army), but it will be in the Southeast so warm weather clothes for a little while. I'm being careful with the summer things I buy, nothing sleeveless, long shorts or capris, that kind of thing. And no flip-flops, she finds them uncomfortable.

Another question, the stores like Hollister, AE and the others mentioned, are they all junior sizes? DD doesn't quite fit those yet, she's a 14/16 in girls for most things. She can wear junior shirts, but not bottoms. And I can't believe I'm asking this, but what would be "acceptable" panties? Like bikinis? Nothing with bows?



About the boxers, DS has already noticed, he asked for some last year because his friend that sleeps over alot wears them. We do have a Steve & Berry's in an outlet mall near us. Oh, is Gap okay for him, too? Their clothes fit him well and they have an outlet near us, too.

Just thought I'd chime in here. AE and Aero have sizes my dd can wear. She wears 12-14 jeans but can fit in "0 Short" in those brands and they fit her great! Especially for her body type. And she says they are really comfortable and she is all about comfort.

 

[carone0318]

My dd will be 12 in Sept and entering 7th grade. She goes to Catholic School, so she wears a uniform, but when she is out of school it is all about the brands that have been mentioned - AE, Hollister, Aero, etc.

My problem is that dd is tiny. She still wears an 8 slim pant, so I do still shop at Justice and Ltd2 so for basic jeans/shorts, but we go to the other stores for tops. For summer though I have found some really cute same style as Ltd2 shorts at Target. I buy a little of both. I am trying to teach her to go basic on her bottoms and if she feels it is necessary to have clothing from the more expensive places to buy her tops from there. When she gets bigger, I will probably go with bottoms from Aero - you can catch some really great deals there.

Girls undies, well dd has worn string bikinis for a few yrs now. She is a gymnast and that style is the only that won't show under a leo, so that's what she wears. I buy them at either Ltd2 or Justice. She does own the sport bras, doesn't need to, but I buy them at target. She wears them everyday to school, not only on gym days. There was a time when there were some girls going around snapping shoulder straps and if you didn't have a bra on, you were outcasted (lovely, I know - but that is middle school for ya!)

 

[brockscandy]

I will probably be flamed here and I didn't read all the replies so this may have already been brought up - I thought this was budget board. Getting young teenagers underwear from Victoria's Secret - what happened to Wal-Mart and Target? Abercrombie - I don't even want my children walking into that store with it's pictures on the wall! I realize that I may be a little bit protective AND my children have not hit that age yet, still they want to look nice. We also are 2 1/2 hours away from a mall and I am able to dress them stylish and cute without the high price stores mentioned. We manage with Target, JC Penny's and Dillards sales. By the way, my 9 year old takes after her 6'4" daddy and looks like she is 13 so we can't go with the children's stores.

 

[Anne34]

I will probably be flamed here and I didn't read all the replies so this may have already been brought up - I thought this was budget board. Getting young teenagers underwear from Victoria's Secret - what happened to Wal-Mart and Target? Abercrombie - I don't even want my children walking into that store with it's pictures on the wall! I realize that I may be a little bit protective AND my children have not hit that age yet, still they want to look nice. We also are 2 1/2 hours away from a mall and I am able to dress them stylish and cute without the high price stores mentioned. We manage with Target, JC Penny's and Dillards sales. By the way, my 9 year old takes after her 6'4" daddy and looks like she is 13 so we can't go with the children's stores.

Just because we shop at these stores doesn't mean we spent a ton!! I buy lots of tops for under $12/ea at Abercrombie, Hollister, Aero, AE (Esp. on line) and tend to get plain bottoms like the previous poster. I would spend just as much getting tops at Penney's or the like. I have the AE card and we get an additional 10-30% off each quarter and then shop online for the best sizes and colors in the clearance section. Aero we do the friends and family sale for 30% off and usually get jean under $10/15.00!! We don't buy really skimpy things or if it is see through -- wear a cami --- my daughter probably has 20 of them in different styles/colors. Target has some decent things, but I won't buy anything at Walmart -- not cute/stylish or really cheaply made & not worth the money.

 

[kristilew]

I don't know yet what school DD will be in, DH is still looking for a job (he's getting out of the Army), but it will be in the Southeast so warm weather clothes for a little while. I'm being careful with the summer things I buy, nothing sleeveless, long shorts or capris, that kind of thing.

Depending on where you end up in the Southeast, you may be better off with surf brands than with the mall brands. Especially true on the coast. We are at the beach in NC. The nearest Hollister is 200 miles away, and half the kids don't know what it even is. But the girls can spot a Roxy or an ONeill in a heartbeat. More than that, it had better not be LAST YEAR's Roxy pattern! Billabong is also cool.

I happen to like all these for dd because they are stylish without being trashy, but they are expensive. On the other hand, great quality. And they run slim, which is nice for my skinny girl - abercrombie shorts and pants literally fall off her.

As for winter stuff, again in the SE, you may only need to add some long sleeve layering tees and a couple of hoodies. Depends again how coastal you are talking.

Good luck!

 

[mjkacmom]

Just because we shop at these stores doesn't mean we spent a ton!! I buy lots of tops for under $12/ea at Abercrombie, Hollister, Aero, AE (Esp. on line) and tend to get plain bottoms like the previous poster. I would spend just as much getting tops at Penney's or the like. I have the AE card and we get an additional 10-30% off each quarter and then shop online for the best sizes and colors in the clearance section. Aero we do the friends and family sale for 30% off and usually get jean under $10/15.00!! We don't buy really skimpy things or if it is see through -- wear a cami --- my daughter probably has 20 of them in different styles/colors. Target has some decent things, but I won't buy anything at Walmart -- not cute/stylish or really cheaply made & not worth the money.

I agree! That's why many have mentioned sales and clearance racks. I know how important silly labels are to the tween/teen crowd, and don't mind buying clothing for my kids, provided I'm not paying full price! JH is hard enough!

 

[happycampers]

Thank you for posting this topic, I'm learing a lot here. My oldest is going into 8th grade at a K-8 elementary school.

We have school uniforms, so that helps during school, but DD13 is starting to get into the whole fashion thing, too. I had to laugh when someone wrote about freezing in winter rather than wearing a coat. We went in circles last year on that issue. (One day, I did force her to take her coat, and she thanked me after school.)

Is anyone else having trouble with modesty issues? Other than t-shirts (and I don't mean those skin-tight, wafer-thin things stores want you to buy five of so you can get the "layered look"), so many things seem so low cut. Is there a fashion statement for this age that provides more coverage?

 

[IDoDis]

I will probably be flamed here and I didn't read all the replies so this may have already been brought up - I thought this was budget board. Getting young teenagers underwear from Victoria's Secret - what happened to Wal-Mart and Target? Abercrombie - I don't even want my children walking into that store with it's pictures on the wall! I realize that I may be a little bit protective AND my children have not hit that age yet, still they want to look nice. We also are 2 1/2 hours away from a mall and I am able to dress them stylish and cute without the high price stores mentioned. We manage with Target, JC Penny's and Dillards sales. By the way, my 9 year old takes after her 6'4" daddy and looks like she is 13 so we can't go with the children's stores.

No flaming. Just wanted to say that I very rarely pay full price for clothes from the "expensive" stores. I can often find better deals there than just shopping at Target. Have you notice the prices for clothes at Target lately are often more than the mall stores? I'm not talking about the clearance racks, because the selection in Jr. sized clothing at Target is almost next to nothing as it is. Wait and see when your DD is older -- you will be hard-pressed to find her clothes at Target -- and at a good price.

If I can get DD jeans at Aero for $15 a pair, I'll do that before buying pants at Target for $19.99 or higher. I never thought I'd be "told" where to buy DD's clothes (from her) because she used to care less when she was younger, but one day they wake up and those old clothes are now off-limits. Fitting in is sooo important at the middle school age. I can have my DD dress in a fashionable way, but still keep the price down if I shop wisely. The one killer for me is the polo shirts at Hollister are $29.99 this year! Last year they were $24.99 and I was able to find some here and there on the clearance shelves. I bought some used one from a friend, but DD still needs a few more. I end up buying one every other week, so that by the time she has them it didn't kill me all at once. The polos and a hoodie I bought her once have been about the only things I've paid full price for.

 

[marcyinPA]

One thing DS did care about - now that he changes for PE in the locker room, he wants boxers (not briefs). I've heard that the girls are picky about their underwear too for the same reason, so keep that in mind.

This was totally my DS when he started 6th grade!! He said that if you wear "tighty whities", the kids totally get on your case. He's going into 8th this year, and it's been boxers all the way!

 

[brockscandy]

No flaming. Just wanted to say that I very rarely pay full price for clothes from the "expensive" stores. I can often find better deals there than just shopping at Target. Have you notice the prices for clothes at Target lately are often more than the mall stores? I'm not talking about the clearance racks, because the selection in Jr. sized clothing at Target is almost next to nothing as it is. Wait and see when your DD is older -- you will be hard-pressed to find her clothes at Target -- and at a good price.

If I can get DD jeans at Aero for $15 a pair, I'll do that before buying pants at Target for $19.99 or higher. I never thought I'd be "told" where to buy DD's clothes (from her) because she used to care less when she was younger, but one day they wake up and those old clothes are now off-limits. Fitting in is sooo important at the middle school age. I can have my DD dress in a fashionable way, but still keep the price down if I shop wisely. The one killer for me is the polo shirts at Hollister are $29.99 this year! Last year they were $24.99 and I was able to find some here and there on the clearance shelves. I bought some used one from a friend, but DD still needs a few more. I end up buying one every other week, so that by the time she has them it didn't kill me all at once. The polos and a hoodie I bought her once have been about the only things I've paid full price for.

Actually, to be honest with you, I don't even have a Target in my town so I do have a hard time comparing prices. However, a week ago I was talking to my husband's cousin and she was telling me how expensive it is to keep her kids stylish (she also lives in the city with lots of choices.) And I was surprised about buying underwear at Victoria's secret for young teens. I know Jr. high is tough - I taught before I had my own children, but I don't want to reinforce to my children what you wear makes the person. I want them to look beyond the clothing to the heart and character of a person. Please continue with the discussion.

 

[Twins]

Be careful when buying gym shoes. My son is going into the ninth grade this fall and will have gym again. When he was in the seventh grade his gym teacher required gym shoes with white soles because he didn't want the gym floor marked up. One of his friends had just gotten a pair of very expensive shoes and then his mom had to go back out to buy some new shoes that were white on the bottom.

 

[shortbun]

Depending on where you end up in the Southeast, you may be better off with surf brands than with the mall brands. Especially true on the coast. We are at the beach in NC. The nearest Hollister is 200 miles away, and half the kids don't know what it even is. But the girls can spot a Roxy or an ONeill in a heartbeat. More than that, it had better not be LAST YEAR's Roxy pattern! Billabong is also cool.

I happen to like all these for dd because they are stylish without being trashy, but they are expensive. On the other hand, great quality. And they run slim, which is nice for my skinny girl - abercrombie shorts and pants literally fall off her.

As for winter stuff, again in the SE, you may only need to add some long sleeve layering tees and a couple of hoodies. Depends again how coastal you are talking.



Good luck!

We're in landlocked Ohio and my 13yo DS is wearing Bilabong and other surf brands. He stocked up recently while on Hatteras/Ocracoke at the surf shop sale racks. He may be the only surfer dude in school but he does not care. I've noticed most boys wearing plaid, lose and long shorts with solid or muted print t-shirts of late. The girls around here are wearing spaghetti strap with bra strap showing(school won't allow that) and another shirt over it with sleeves to cover the other look when necessary. Short skirts are also in vogue. I think the Bitten line and the other girls line at Steve and Barry's carry at least size 14. Just walk into any mall and watch the children for what they are wearing.

 

[madge]

I admit, I am way out of the loop here. My kids are going into middle school next year, DD in 7th and DS in 6th. I homeschooled them last year so I really don't know what is in style right now and the kids are no help at all. They're going to be starting a new school in a new state so I hate to say I think it will be important for them to have the "right" clothes to fit in (within reason). So what are good stores to shop in and when should I start looking for sales? I figure I can get some basics like camis and basic tees at Old Navy. Also, what brands of shoes should I be looking at? I usually buy them Skechers.

I did buy DD two babydoll tees today and a pair of bermuda shorts because we thought they were cute, but that's all I've bought so far. How can I do this without breaking the bank? I won't buy them a whole new wardrobe, just a few pieces to keep them up-to-date, KWIM?

does the school have a dress code? I'd hate to spend a bunch of $$ on things they can't wear

 

[Justthe8ofus]

Wow some of you people are off the charts Is this thread for real?

Thongs for middle schoolers?!?!?

My 10,11,12 yr old has to have all name brands...etc

Afraid your child won't fit in or be made fun of if they don't have the "it" brand on?!?!

What bad 80's movie do you people live in? Really?

My 12 and 13 yr olds have gotten a good laugh out of this thread so I guess thanks for the entertainment.

 

[Kitzka]

to PP (justthe8ofus)-I think that each poster has a right to dress his or her child how they like. I find your comments rude and uncalled for.