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What clothes does your age 12ish daughter wear/what is in? Please help!

31 replies

GreatPissingEmer · 08/07/2019 20:06

DD is starting her new school in September, and she has had a massive growth spurt and needs new clothes. She's just finished primary school, and has a lot of unicorn tshirts and things which I feel (though I haven't told her of course) will probably be seen as babyish in secondary school.

DD likes to look nice, but her main priority is comfort, as it should be. She doesn't know about brands or styles really. She's going from a small rural primary to a big town secondary. So far I've always kept her beautifully dressed, but like I say, it's all nice obvious things from the children's section and her school has been wonderfully lacking in any brand snobbery amongst the children

I know I'll probably get flamed for not encouraging her creativity or whatever, but I was bullied horrendously at secondary because I wore clothes that made me stick out like a sore thumb, my bag was like something my grandmother would carry, that sort of thing. I'm not planning on dressing DD head to toe in Versace but I want her to look like the normal, healthy, happy young girl she is. No doubt in a few years she'll have firmer ideas on dress, but right now, yes I do want her to be wearing the "right" clothes.

I had an idea that Jack Wills is popular - is this right? It all looks quite nice and normal, tshirts and the like. She needs new shoes as well, but I've no idea where to start. The school bag too.

Please be gentle. If you had experienced the bullying I did, you'd want your daughter to fit in too. Or at least not stand out because she looks like a homeless cult member.

OP posts:
applepieicecream · 08/07/2019 20:10

I think that the brands will differ depending on where you are but I wouldn’t think you could go wrong with black leggings, hoodies and some Stan Smith trainers to get her started. Mine is 13 and these are her staples. She has a few jack wills tshirts next I buy in the sale but they’re not really the brand of choice. She also has skinny jeans in blue, black, grey and white. A load of plain t shirts from top shop and has just moved into cropped tshirts and vest tops which I don’t exactly love but I have to grudgingly admit look good on her. Summer she wears sweatshirt shorts, tshirts and trainers.

Rainatnight · 08/07/2019 20:10

DN is 13 and wears Hollister, Pink and I think Jack Wills. (I don’t love how she looks, mind, as it’s all a bit fake tan and bare midriff Hmm, but it is what it is).

Could you get her some magazines and start some conversations with her about what she might like? Or have a look online?

SixteenFerreroRoches · 08/07/2019 20:10

It varies from school to school. Go and have a surreptitious peek at the girls and what they're wearing.

Zara, New Look, H&M and you can't really go wrong.

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Rainatnight · 08/07/2019 20:11

Yes, leggings and hoodies, that’s it!

applepieicecream · 08/07/2019 20:11

Also total obsession with overpriced knickers from Pink!

Rockbird · 08/07/2019 20:12

My 11yo is off to secondary school in September. As far as I can make out, judging by the girls I see and her older cousins, it's all about plain, dark normal leggings or coloured sports leggings, jeans that have been sprayed on and what we used to call crop tops which I gather are now called belly tops.

DD has refused anything bright coloured and floral/unicorns for a good while now and tends to be fairly monochrome but I've just relented on the belly tops. She gets them mostly in New Look or H&M. Definitely not Next, which is what she was brought up on! Plain-ish white trainers are good, Nike's or Adidas Superstars.

GreatPissingEmer · 08/07/2019 20:15

Thank you, this is so helpful.

Any recommendations for leggings? I presume they'll need good thick ones if it's all they're wearing. I got her a Harry Potter hoodie for her birthday and she has one to do with her sport- is there any particular logo I should avoid? I'm not a fan of slogans on clothes....

OP posts:
theliverpoolone · 08/07/2019 20:16

My Yr7 dd had no idea about brands until she started secondary school! Now she's at a school where there are a lot of quite wealthy families, so is more 'aware'. She's mentioned Jack Wills. We have very little money though, so her options are limited to New Look, H&M, Primark and River Island. All of which offer the styles her peers might wear, from what I can see, in particular New Look.

Beamur · 08/07/2019 20:16

My DD is 12 and detests the Pink/hype/Hollister/superdry uniform. But, it is what most kids wear!
Leggings and hoodies seem to be the preferred look for many. Plus vans or Nike trainers.

Rockbird · 08/07/2019 20:17

I can't advise on what to avoid because DD1 would cover her entire wardrobe with Harry Potter slogans! An HP hoody is a very good start Grin

applepieicecream · 08/07/2019 20:18

I buy the leggings in Primark, in winter they do some with brushed cotton insides which are about £4 and are nice and warm. I stock up.

applepieicecream · 08/07/2019 20:20

I got her a Harry Potter hoodie for her birthday and she has one to do with her sport- is there any particular logo I should avoid? I'm not a fan of slogans on clothes....

Plain ones in whatever colour she likes, I usually buy in H&M or Primark but my 16 year old buys Gildan from Amazon, only about £12-15

itsabongthing · 08/07/2019 20:54

Thank goodness for school uniform!

reluctantbrit · 08/07/2019 20:54

DD lives in H&M. She wears 14-15 or S due to her height so it is difficult to get clothes which don’t look to grown up.

She wears the leggings and jeggings from them plus a variety of t-shirts from them. She still likes the odd unicorn T-Shirt. She also has more hoodies in her wardrobe than I can count but several are used at the stable and on scout camps. Plus lots of Harry Potter tops.

We had the odd nice shirt from Fatface but only on the sale.

Oh, Next does great demin shorts which she loves this year.

Teamed with trainers and ballet pumps or sparking sandals.

SummerSazz · 08/07/2019 21:00

Dd12 wears leggings/shorts and T-shirt's and hoodies. Mainly H&M, new look, peacocks, primark and a few pieces from tkmaxx. Sketchers trainers. She doesn't care for labels thankfully and is even buying herself stuff from charity shops and adapting them. Some work, some don't Grin

GreatPissingEmer · 08/07/2019 22:34

Thanks all. I'm looking at some Jack Wills and Hollister things on ebay to scatter amongst the new look and h&m stuff we'll hopefully get this weekend

I can't get my head around the leggings though. With nothing over them!

OP posts:
cookingonwine · 08/07/2019 22:36

DD is 12... but wears next age 16.

Leggings and jumpers here

Dontbestupidagain · 08/07/2019 22:39

My DD is nearly 12. She wears leggings, hoodies and Nikes ALL the time. She likes sports brands. She also likes a crop top but she is very athletic with a full eight pack which to be fair is show off too if I had one!!

Pomgirl · 08/07/2019 22:47

I don’t feel like you need brands, only for the trainers. Leggings hoodies and tops from h&m / new look will be fine then she can find her way if she likes brands. No brand can sometimes be better then an ‘uncool’ one. Stan smith trainers are a solid pick.

beeswax2014 · 08/07/2019 22:48

My 11 dd will only now wear monochrome clothes: black, grey and white. Mostly plain from H&M with black converse pumps.

She also wants a black kanken rucksack and plain black pencil case.

She wears black leather converse shoes for school.

No more pink and unicorns for me 😔

reluctantbrit · 09/07/2019 07:37

@OP try to see if she likes jeggings. While DD has the thicker leggings from H&M I still prefer her in something which looks like a pair of trousers so these are a good compromise.

stucknoue · 09/07/2019 07:53

This will vary depending on where you live, you obviously aren't in the U.K. because most wear uniform and brands will be different where you are. If you are in Europe we found C&A brilliant (they closed 20 years ago in the U.K.) for young teens, in the US Old Navy was their favourite shop. Jack Wills is overpriced!

Fairylea · 09/07/2019 07:59

I would hold off buying too much until she’s there and settled in a bit, she’ll have a better idea of what she wants.

My dd is 15 so a little older but all her friends wear stuff from Primark and H and M. Mainly mom jeans held up with a belt and a brightly coloured crop top or cropped t shirt with a baggy Adidas sweatshirt or jacket thrown over the top. Brands for trainers are important to them - they all wear Adidas or Converse.

Rainatnight · 09/07/2019 08:01

I know OP, I hate leggings but they’re all the rage these days (she says, sounding about 107). Even my three year old is obsessed 🙄

Rainatnight · 09/07/2019 08:01

And you know what, I think you can think of this as a ‘starter kit’ and once she makes the transition, I bet she’ll begin to develop strong opinions!