Shopping for a hard to fit teen girl

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
#1

<p>My 14 yo daughter is 5 foot 10 with a thin, athletic build and mature figure. I have the HARDEST time finding clothes for her. She likes junior styles but they rarely fit (and I hate most of them any way). She has broad shoulders so preppy things like polos and oxfords tend to make her look mannish.</p>

<p>Can anyone suggest woman's stores/ brands with a young vibe that are reasonably priced? She likes Anthro but I just can't bring myself to spend $70+ on a school shirt for a 14yo. H & M might fit the bill but we don't have one nearby and they don't have any online shopping.</p>

<p>We live in a very small place so most of my shopping is done online. Thanks.</p>

#2

<p>LOFT or Gap. (Gap has long length pants - modest selection in stores, more online; LOFT has longs online, I rarely see them in stores). For cheap trendy styles, try Old Navy.</p>

#3

<p>Oh good luck! We ended up just having to wait it out. My daughter was 5'10'' tall by the sixth grade and also had that "mature" figure. Her friends were wearing the itty bitty junior styles, and they just did not work. </p>

<p>Since we never did figure it out, I'll just say that this, too, will pass. In a couple of years she will be thrilled to discover that she looks good in the young adult styles that are just made for tall, slender but not stick-figure, young women.</p>

<p>EDIT: The previous poster suggested Old Navy. We did find some things there, but it varied year to year. It seemed to us that our local store was going heavily into clothing for larger girls, and daughter wasn't large, she was just tall. But, as I said, it varied year to year, so it would be worth a look.</p>

#4

<p>Is there a Gap Outlet anywhere near you? Often great for the basics in lots of sizes/lengths etc. at pretty darn good prices.</p>

#5

<p>Nordstrom Rack is a great source of quality denim for young ladies, and since she is 5' 10", she will not have to hem her Sevens, AGs, True Religions, etc. because they are all made to fit a standard 5' 10" tall model.</p>

<p>If there is an outlet mall nearby, it might be worth making a trip there.</p>

<p>For sizing, you can always try ordering from Zappos and Nordstrom - they both offer free round trip shipping. Surprisingly, Nordstrom's Jr clothes are very reasonably priced.</p>

#6

<p>We also had a fit problem...different...but it is so important (whether we like it or not) for kids to fit in at this age. I would call Nordstroms and Bloomingdales if you aren't near a major shopping area, to see what their personal shoppers would recommend as to brands. Prior to ordering (Bloomingdales almost always has a sale, so wait for that) ask your daughter was wash she wants, and preferred pant leg style. Big sweaters are in this year so she should be able to find some cute, not as expensive things, at H & M. And do not discount boyfriend jeans...no pun intended.</p>

#7

<p>Gap online has many more size options. Yes, regular prices are high, but they can have good sales, and their credit card is helpful for further discounts.</p>

#8

<p>For tall & long, we ended up liking Delia's because their jeans came in 5 different lengths. So my size 00 girl could still have jeans that covered her ankles ;) If there isn't one close to you, they sell all sizes online: <a href="http://store.delias.com/frontpage.do%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://store.delias.com/frontpage.do&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

#9

<p>Try American Eagle or Levi's for jeans...online is easier, they have a wider selection of long styles. And sign up for email alerts of sales. Abercrombie can help, too--but wait for a sale. </p>

<p>Try Forever 21 for tops--just be VERY picky. The stuff is cheap, won't last long, but is very trendy, which is what counts for teens. The website is extensive, so give it a try.</p>

#10

<p>She likes Anthro but I just can't bring myself to spend $70+ on a school shirt for a 14yo.</p>

<p>You have to go into Anthro often and check their sales racks. I can almost always find one good deal (or more) every time I go. My son's GF loves their clothes, so I stock up during the year for her B'days, Christmas...and just cuz I love her. ;)</p>

#11

<p>For jeans the best thing is to go shopping and have her try on tons of different styles and brands in multiple sizes till she finds one that works. Remember the brand and size and look online for sales. My D can go into the dressing room at Nordstrom Rack with 30 pairs of jeans and end up finding only 2 or 3 that look and fit well on her. We have also done the same thing at Old Navy. I have to agree with BunsenBurner that premium denim has some of the best selection of long legged pants. not any help in my family since both my D's have short legs and can easily try on a part of jeans and have 20 inches flapping at their feet.
My D is large chested plus wide shouldered and muscular and she has a difficult time finding tops that fit her well. She finds many of the tops at Forever 21 what have sleeves to be to tight in the arms. We scour the racks at Ross and Nordstrom Rack looking for high end T shirts and sleeveless tank style tops. Also if you buy tops at Forever 21 and the other inexpensive shops that cater to teens make sure you buy them with room to allow for extra shrinkage. My older D finds a tank under a top makes it more appropriate. My younger D hasn't learned this yet.</p>

#12

<p>I second Delia's. They sell inexpensive, trendy clothes in larger sizes. They have nice catalogs too with plus size models. I'm not sure how they are for thin, tall figures though. My daughter buys "long" pants, but she has a hard time finding long sleeve shirts and jackets that fit through the body, but have sleeves long enough.</p>

#13

<p>We had the same issue. Some American Eagle jeans work. No sevens or super trendy brands they are all made for someone with " no thigh or hipbone" as my GF likes to say. Delia's online worked well for us too. On the plus side you can skip Abercrombie and all those stores with obnoxiously loud music but that's another rant.
My DDs favorite jeans came from the gap but only certain styles worked, sorry I can't remember which. I think she had one called the boyfriend jean. cut larger in leg, thigh and across the waist.</p>

#14

<p>Thanks to everyone for the advice. We live in an isolated area - 90 minutes from any major shopping center so our store choices are very limited and we can't haunt the clearance racks for good bargains. I have to do most of my shopping online. (I really can't complain because we live on a subtropical island.)</p>

<p>We've gone to the typical teen stores and have had success finding basics. Lately I've been looking for dressier tops and have been really stumped. She's just too broad shouldered and has too much cleavage for typical tanks and skimpy tee styles. She's only 14 - we need to cover up! </p>

<p>The LOFT suggestion was great and they were having a super sale. Hopefully the purchases won't get the dreaded "It looks Grandma" review. I also ordered a few tunic tops to go over skinny jeans from 6pm. Wish me luck.</p>

#15

<p>Longelegantlegs.com</p>

<p>I think you will find suitable jeans and probably some tops there. If you are in New Jersey twice a year they do have a warehouse sale. (Just plan to visit Princeton in July ...)</p>

#16

<p>I have noticed that some younger women and girls have adopted the fashion of wearing dresses or a skirt and sweater with leggings or tights in the winter. Since this is a style that has not caught on with the older generation(s), even if some of the components of an outfit look like something Grandma might own (e.g., a turtleneck sweater), the outfit as a whole looks young because it's trendy among the younger generation. (Grandma, on the other hand, wears pants.)</p>

<p>Your daughter might like to experiment with this sort of look if other people at her school wear it. It also has the advantage that length is not as crucial for skirts as it is for jeans.</p>

#17
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