Where do your big (say 5'8" size 8/10) 14 year olds buy clothes?

[Mintyy]

Dd needs to get some new summer holiday gear.

I sent her off to the shops with a couple of stylish mates and £50 the other day and she came home with 2 tops, one of which is completely see-through and needs to be worn over another top. Came to something like £16.00.

She has inherited her mum's lack of interest in clothes!

But she NEEDS new stuff. Where should she go?

I don't want to do her shopping for her

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Is that big? I'd love to be size 8-10 and 5.8!

I haven't got a girl but my friends' girls go to a combination of Primark, Zara and Sports Direct.

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

I still have to shop with my 14 year old ds, I hate to think what he'd come home with if I sent him off on his own!

[Georgethesecond]

Oh God, 14 yos can't shop!
You'll have to steer her for a while yet.
I think the answer is H and M or Top Shop, though.

[bloodyteenagers]

Camden market.
Probably won't help sorry. Mine weren't Into clothes because the 'fashion' seemed really old.
Friends of mine with 14 year olds shop peacock, h&m, new look, primark, top shop, supermarkets and independent stores.

[Mintyy]

I mean big in 14 y/o terms .

I remember the first huge row me and dmum had (when I was about 13/14) was over some clothes she'd bought me that I absolutely bloody hated. Since then have always resolved not to interfere in my dc clothes choices unless a complete emergency.

However, my lovely lovely dd appears to be a bit clueless. She has never once pestered me to buy a particular item or a particular brand.

She loves to go trawling round the local charity shops, and I'm all for that, but she needs some new clothes urgently for the middle of next week!

[BL00CowWonders]

H&M and Primark. She needs cheap n cheerful - that's where my adult -sized 14 y.o. shops

[LongHardStare]

Take her to H&M and help her find stuff

[Mintyy]

Gone right off H&M. I bought a top in there, washed twice at 40 deg (as per care label) now totally shrunk and full of holes. Gone in the fabric recycling bag. They've lost my custom.

[teacherwith2kids]

If you have a New Look, there, Primark and H&M are where my adult-sized 12 year old shops (the adult parts, not the child parts, though the 913 range in New Look is good because it's in 'adult' sizes but 'teen' styles and is a restricted range which reduces panic).

We also have a useful 'all in 1' shop that sells Top shop, Dorothy Perkins and a range of other brands under one roof, and a mooch round there often comes up trumps.

Our approach is that DD goes to browse, then i join in for the trying-on-selecting-and-paying bit. Works well so far. I hate clothes, and have no interest in them, but DD enjoys shopping.

[GetMeOut]

Primark - adult size 6 fits my DD of similar proportion. When she/me can't be bothered ( it can get a bit manic in our local one - it is best to eg early Saturday morning I find ) then ASOS on line is a favorite with DD if you have time for delivery. Returns are easy with them as well so you can order a couple is sizes knowing that you can easily send things back. ( you also get the final say as well ! )

[BL00CowWonders]

But Mintyy, she's 14. She needs clothes to last only a few weeks before she either grows or changes her style. She still finding her way so as chesp as possibje is what you need right now.

[BackforGood]

I don't think 8-10 is big either.
My 16 yr old wants me to shop with her when she needs something new - my almost 14 yr old certainly wouldn't be trusted with £50 of my money .
As to where to go, it depends, are you looking for something for a wedding or something to 'hang around in' for the holidays?

My dd like charity shop shopping, I have to say, so all sorts of names/makes in there, but other than that, it will vary, depending on what it's for - I wouldn't spend loads if they are still growing though.

[specialsubject]

she's not big.

charity shops far more ethical than Primark. And she doesn't need that many clothes really, because no-one does.

[bestguess23]

In what world is 8-10 big for a 14 year old? Primark, Topshop, New Look good for staples for holiday. Dn is same age but 2" taller and shops frequently in those.

[Eastpoint]

American Eagle, H&M, TopShop (tall if she has long legs), Hollister, New Look, Primark, Uniqlo, Gap, Urban Outfitters, Berschka, Jack Wills.

Some of these stores are more birthday present shops than everyday as they are so much more expensive but there is quite a range for a normal size teen (as in average size & height).

[Mintyy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We will head to the shopping centre together tomorrow.

Can I just re-iterate, when I said "big" I meant taller/generally bigger than most 14 year olds. So infact I need a shop which has long trouser and skirt lengths but not ludicrously large sizing. And clothes that a teenager wouldn't be embarrassed to wear.

DD was weighed and measured at a hospital appointment recently and she was 95th centile height, 75th centile weight. I'm not sure what other words I could use to describe her?

[marialuisa]

DD is 14 and 5'6" , size 6-8 and finds that she often needs the tall version in Topshop to avoid showing the world her underwear. Brandy Melville might be another place to look.

[stealthsquiggle]

Could you get her to browse online to get together some ideas of what a holiday essentials selection might look like? It might help focus the shopping trip a bit...

[Polgara2]

Dd2 is 15, size 6 and about 5'8" - she favours Topshop (especially for jeans in the length) River Island, maybe Hollister for tops or as mentioned Outfit has several shops in it and also includes Miss Selfridge. It is a bit of a pain because tall and slim doesn't seem to match what's in the shops bizarrely!

[Fairylea]

Definitely adult size 8 or 10 in new look, next and primark. My dd is similarly sized (aged 12!) and that's where she always finds things for her.

[harryhausen]

My dd is 11 but already 5ft 2 and still growing. A real woman's little boobs and hips too. She into womens size 8.

She loves Fatface, H&M and charity shops - anything non glitzy and a bit different to her friends.

[SweetCharityBeginsAtHome]

Surely a size 10 teen would be swamped by Next's version of a size 10?

[SanityClause]

What is the event she needs clothes for, next week? Could you buy based what she will need for that?

I have a 14 yo and a 16yo DD, and would not even consider telling them what to buy, so I do know where you're coming from, but I also know that feeling of utter frustration when they need clothes, but won't buy them.

Look at the Shopstyle website, which lets you look at specific items like, say tshirts from a wide range of retailers. You can filter cost, colour, size, etc.

[cashewnutty]

My DD is around that height and size and has been for a while. She is now 17. She adores Zara. She also like H&M and Topshop.

[tabulahrasa]

DD is that size...she'd shops in primark mostly.