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We've done great ordering Lands End so far and their sales have been great. Free returns to a Sears store = big bonus. Great long-sleeved hoodies, shirts, leggings, sweatshirts. (Garnet Hill and Mini Boden are also good quality options.)
Got four pairs of plain jeans at Old Navy and one tone-on-one floral print jean.
Now, if only they could wear these things before November here.
Yesterday we took our two 12 year old daughters shopping for back to school clothes. It was not a happy experience.
First of all we were looking for long sleeve shirts or light weight hoodie type jackets. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to find anything other than summer clothes. I don't like to go in a panic to find cool weather clothes so thought there would be more choice...even here in N.C. The girls will be riding their bikes to school at around 7:30 and it won't be long before we have those cool mornings following by hot afternoons.
We went to Justice, Belk, JC Penney, Macy's , Sears, Forever 2l and a few others---no real cool weather clothes and school starts next week. I thought we were being so smart setting out so early but apparently we were too early.
2nd---I dare you to find any jeans or tops without sparkly crap all over them. My girls don't like sparkly crap or cartoon characters or big words and symbols. They just like attractive clothes without all the embellishments. Next to impossible to find.
3rd- lack of conformity in sizes. In one brand a 12 was too tight and in another brand a 10 was too big.
I usually try to buy everything on sale but after 4 hours I was "I don't care how much it costs...just find something to wear."
I've learned the hard way if they don't like it...no matter how much I do..they won't wear it so I only offer guidance as far as fit, shrinkage based on fiber content and putting outfits together. One daughter was "I like this. Let's buy it" without wanting to try clothes on while the other one was "I don't know if I like it or not".
We finally walked away with two pairs of jeans each, one hoodie jacket with SHINE and sparkle stuff all over it cause she got tired of trying to find a plain jacket, two cheap long sleeve tops without embellishments and one shirt which can be used as a light weight jacket till we find the real thing.
I've been back to school shopping with 5 daughters/ step daughters and I don't remember it being this difficult. How are you doing?
Old navy jeans can be found with embellishment. They run big, but if you buy online because by some bizarre chance you live in the only old navy free area in the world (they are thick on the ground here) they have a really easy and cheap return policy.
Also as an aside, 12 was the age I started letting mine buy their own clothes. They got a budget, made a list of what they "needed" that I approved, and if they bought on the cheap, they could use the extra to buy other stuff, if they wanted high end stuff they had to make do with less number of items. The best part, I didn't have to go to the mall with them anymore or fight about their stuff. At 12 we started with a small budget and a small list. By the time they were 15, I was out of the game completely.
I'm one of the few who doesn't do the whole back to school shopping thing. I buy clothes as needed.
I never really did "back to school" shopping either. As long as each child had an outfit that they wanted to wear for the first day of school we were set. If they needed a few shirts/blouses and it was May we bought them and if they needed something in November we bought it.
Of course, my children really were never into having a lot of different clothes like some children are (that changed a little when my daughter was an older teen but she was still pretty practical about it).
I took my daughter out who wears a size 12 also and we had good luck with old navy jeans. I got her 3 pairs. We also went to gap and I got her some nice colored jeans, 2 long sleeved dresses (they were just above the knee length) and she can also wear leggings with it to keep her warmer when it's cold outside. I also found her 5 long sleeved shirts. Then I took her to crazy 8 and got her a denim jacket. Most of her sweaters and fleece still fit her so that wasn't a big deal to me, but I would like to get her a nice thin jacket. I was over at osh kosh (they go to size 14) and they have some nice thin fleece lined jackets for about $30.
One thing I really liked about the way my parents handled it is that we would only get 1-2 new outfits when going back to school since the weather was still so warm, and then they would take us shopping for fall clothes when the weather began cooling off. It was fun to have more new clothes to wear a couple of months after school started plus my brothers had major growing spurts now and then so it was also a way for my parents to keep up with their growth without having them grow out of a bunch of new clothes purchased right before school started. Then we usually got a few more new outfits during Christmas vacation.
You might try Aeropostale and American Eagle for jeans. They have 00 sizes if your daughters are tiny.
ETA: I just saw that you walked by those stores because you were too tired and I get that. But Aeropostale was the "go-to" store in middle school and AE has been for high school.
May I do my own rant? Why, or why, do the have to play the music so loud in those stores? It drives me batty and gives me a headache. I understand that teens shop there but PARENTS spend the money there. I hunted down a manager at Forever 21 and complained (greatly embarrassing my daughter) and then sent an email. I don't know if it did any good or not, but it was so loud in there that we had to lean in to each other to talk. Just walking in to Forever 21 makes me want to collapse in a heap.
I guess my girls had a growth spurt over the summer cause nothing from last ear was long enough. All summer they wore those super short "nasty" shorts but I don't think they are appropriate for school. I did order some shorts from Lands End sale but one daughter didn't like them while other one did. I'm not gonna buy a bunch of shorts for only a few weeks wear. And god forbid they wear cut off jeans. I mean I always cut off last years too short jeans. Apparently that isn't done so much.
Also they both got their first bras this summer and are wearing deodorant now.I knew these important changes were coming but lawd it feels like it has happened so suddenly. neither one is interested in carrying a purse yet and as long as they have backpacks I don't think they need them. When does that usually hit? around 13 or 14.
Neither one has mentioned shaving legs or makeup and I'm hoping that doesn't happen for a few more years. Heck I can barely get one of them to even comb her hair in the mornings.
I guess my girls had a growth spurt over the summer cause nothing from last ear was long enough. All summer they wore those super short "nasty" shorts but I don't think they are appropriate for school. I did order some shorts from Lands End sale but one daughter didn't like them while other one did. I'm not gonna buy a bunch of shorts for only a few weeks wear. And god forbid they wear cut off jeans. I mean I always cut off last years too short jeans. Apparently that isn't done so much.
Also they both got their first bras this summer and are wearing deodorant now.I knew these important changes were coming but lawd it feels like it has happened so suddenly. neither one is interested in carrying a purse yet and as long as they have backpacks I don't think they need them. When does that usually hit? around 13 or 14.
Neither one has mentioned shaving legs or makeup and I'm hoping that doesn't happen for a few more years. Heck I can barely get one of them to even comb her hair in the mornings.
Why do you habve to but things now? Just wait until the cooler weather hits and but the jackets then?
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