Teen clothing help!

[QuiltyMom]

We need to get my daughter a dressy pant outfit for Christmas. And shoes, too.

Here are the problems we encounter when trying to clothes shop for her:
1. If it's not skating clothes, she doesn't want to shop.
2. If it doesn't fit like skating clothes, she doesn't want to wear them.
3. We have no idea where to purchase good quality clothing that's fashionable, won't go out of style in 6 months, and will last longer than one season.

Is there some place (that won't break the bank) where we could go and have someone help us put together something that she'll actually wear once we leave the store? We've already wandered through places like H&M, but there's so much stuff and we're overwhelmed.

I'm thinking Nordstrom, but that's pushing the $$ limit. Anyone else have any ideas? We're in the DC area, if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

Jan

 

[Danyale]

Personally, my favorite was Charlotte Russo. Their clothes are always nice and not "skanky" styles I see in some of the younger clothing stores. We have them in our malls, so maybe they are there too?

 

[tkradtke]

I'm no help for the Christmas outfit, but I have to tell you what has saved us here in our house with my daughter.... ThredUp (that is her affiliate link). I posted this summer about the same type of issue with my now 15 year old.... just substitute dance for skating in your post above.

She shops at ThredUp all of the time and has found which expensive brands she likes and watches for pieces at good prices (she loves Free People and Madewell right now). Returns are super easy and free (no postage) if you take store credit. She also cleans out her closet and fills up one of their closet clean out bags (again, free shipping both ways) for store credit (EDITED: Looks like there is a $9.99 fee deducted from your earnings now... have to figure this out). Our general timeline goes like this... we order a bunch of stuff at once and qualify for free shipping (a certain amount spent gets you free shipping for like 60 days regardless of the size of the order). We return what we don't want for credit. And she shops with the credits, ordering and returning during the free shipping period. All of the trying on is done at home and we can see what, of the stuff she already owns, it matches.

She's able to get trendy stuff for under $10 a lot of the time so we're not investing much in it and is regularly able to get Free People $120 sweaters for around $20. She's wearing a gorgeous cream colored one in our Christmas card photo. It's also great for those times where you need a lot of dresses at one time. Last spring, between 8th grade graduation and confirmation, she needed a bunch of dresses. I gave her a limit and she picked out a bunch of dresses for around the price that one would have been full retail. She got to have a different dress for each occasion and I got to let it go if she never wore them a second time.

 

[rdjrneace]

Try Kohls - I think they have some cute Jr items that is not "racy".

 

[jesskab]

My son had a dance recital last night & I was noticing the teens' styles. Red peplum tops were very popular. What about a slim pant like the Pixie from Old Navy & a pretty top? You could always pair it with a basic blazer or cardigan. Maybe ballet flats for shoes. A top in a stretch velvet would fit like skating clothes, or even a tunic & pleather or jersey legging.

http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1018059&vid=1&pid=120007182
http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?br=F21&category=outerwear_blazers&productid=2000226726
http://www.forever21.com/Product/Product.aspx?br=F21&category=top_blouses&productid=2000196569

 

[tkradtke]

What about a slim pant like the Pixie from Old Navy & a pretty top?

I agree with the slim pant... I see that a lot at church. Plus the slim pant may have more of the skating clothes feel.

H&M does have a lot of cute options, but agree that it's overwhelming. Since we've started thinking in "capsule wardrobe" terms it really helps. Maybe with a general wardrobe plan (like slim pants and a top, plus some color preferences), it will narrow that store down for you to a reasonable level.

For shoes, my daughter loves these...

http://www.zappos.com/toms-desert-wedge-black-suede

They're not cheap, but not as high as other options. She wears them with everything though... from jeans, to slim dress pants, to dresses.

A store my daughter likes but wasn't on my radar is Francesca's. Also, check out Bloomingdale's. I was pleasantly surprised by some of their offerings. I was able to buy my daughter's homecoming dress there for around $60. The brand was called Aqua. I'm not sure if they have other reasonably priced options. Here in Chicago, they even offered same day delivery for $5!!

 

[Lindzee]

I didn't see where you mentioned what exactly a Christmas outfit should deliver. Only what your daughter does not like. There are a lot of great ideas already in this thread. If a leggings type of outfit with a dressy top is what seems right - then Old Navy for the basics and maybe one piece- top or accessory to dress things up from Nordstrom or even Khols for cheaper would work nicely.
Shoes for me are always Sketchers. Lots of ballet flats and you can find on sale often.

 

[IntenseMagic]

Lots of great ideas here!
Kohl's was always my go-to for DD when she was a teen. They always had dressier, nice things that she liked, but not expensive. I wish you much luck. Clothes shopping with my DD was never something I looked forward to...she was sooo picky lol

 

[QuiltyMom]

Thank you, everyone, for your incredibly helpful comments! I'll be sure to keep this thread marked for future reference. Sorry I haven't responded sooner, but our Decembers are always insane. This year seems even more so. Time just flies by so fast these days.

We went to the mall today and had success! She ended up with a pair of tall leather boots. Not what we were hoping she'd get, but they're nice and she can wear them with either pants or dresses.

The clothes were much harder to find. Since she has a skater's figure, most everything she tried on was too tight in the upper leg/hips and too huge in the waist. And no one, even Nordstrom, had plain white blouses.

Until we walked into a new store called Uniqlo. It's a Japanese clothing store. Nice designs and quality and great prices. We found trouser pants with a back elastic band that fit her perfectly. And they had plain blouses, too! So, if you ever see this store, go in! They carry men's, women's and children's clothing.

A store my daughter likes but wasn't on my radar is Francesca's.

We just discovered Francesca's the other month! I love them. We were able to find a nice dress there suitable for a funeral that she said she'll actually wear again. And for a great price, too.

 

[cinna]

Happy you found some Jan! Shopping with a teen can be so difficult. I´m so happy my children are not living at home anymore and do their own shopping!