Is this dress too babyish for dd(11)?

[Moroccobanks]

Would you say this dress is too young for a nearly 12 year old?

Forgot to say, no, my dd wouldn’t have worn that dress. If you can afford to buy it and risk that your dd wears it only once, then fine. It’s infuriating having a child, who wants clothes then doesn’t wear them. It’s been a recurrent theme with dd since she was about 4.

Most 12 year olds won't have the patience for 'styling' an item every time they wear it, mine is more of a find it and throw it on dresser.....obviously not all kids are the same though.

My DDs (12&14) and DN (11) are obsessed with styling their clothes, it's a part of growing up that girls have some control over at this age and how they express their personality. Some girls will want to dress in very adult clothes, some will want to wear baggy 'boys' clothes or even 'babyish' clothes to visually delay the effects of puberty. The later two options are much easier to parent than the first IMHO.

I think your DD should wear it if she loves it and I'd absolutely have a fun chat about how she wants to style it. But also if it has just been bought and if she's concerned it's a bit babyish tell her it's OK to decide she doesn't want it and send it back, my two find it hard to admit to changing their minds sometimes when something has been ordered but I think it's important to help them learn that's OK as well.

I’d wear it and I’m mid thirties. With DMs and slouchy grey socks.

And a black leather jacket. 😌

I think she sounds like a style icon in the making! This sounds like a fab outfit to me! Maybe she has an early eye for fashion! I would encourage it!

Just asked my dd11, she said too babysish

Just noticed it's mini rodini! I reckon she's a future fashionista!

Depends on the child.

hence why my opening post said "Surely this isn't always true?". I've no doubt some kids are more influenced by peer pressure, my point was not every kid is.

Yes, very babyish. My GD is almost 11 and wouldn't think of wearing that. It's more for a kid of 6 or younger

11/12 years olds are still very much children. Many still play with toys (although usually in secret! Which itself is a bit sad really).
If she pairs it with a denim jacket, maybe a belt it won't look so young... but she is young so what does it matter!!

@gulpsx why is it judgemental to say lots of people would see a little girl in a cat dress? I didn't say it was a bad thing, your own judgement led you to that conclusion.
It's a dress made for younger girls (hence the size range) and just because something is a branded item doesn't automatically make it cool or stylish.

Quite a few people have pointed out that that dress is suitable for younger children or for teens/adults.
At OP's DD's age where they are trying desperately to fit in with peers and to appear grown up it will appear like a "too young" dress unless DD has a particular confidence or style to pull it off. Which she may do, but most 11/12 year olds won't. By the time DD is 14, this will be a non-thread as she'll just wear what she wants.

A good example is when Frozen 2 came out, my DD and her peers (all aged around 14 at the time) all went out to see it. They'd grown up with the original Frozen and were going for nostalgia as much as anything. However, 11 year olds did not go out to see Frozen 2 for fear of appearing babyish and not having outgrown children's films.

@Divebar2021

It's not the parents who think girls of 11 should conform. (And girls are trained to conform anyway, in a million ways, particularly via school uniform).

Anyone with any experience of tween girls surely knows how desperate so many of them are not to stand out, not to be the one dressed differently, stylishly, or in 'quirky' clothes their mum loves, or brands none of their peers will have heard of.

Preteen girls do not want to be the reject from the tribe. This is the case even in societies where children don't wear school uniform and are theoretically free to wear whatever they want every day.

Hence wall to wall Hollister and American Eagle clothing in middle schools across America (maybe eclipsed by some other brands now).

By high school they've all relaxed and embraced individuality. But membership of the tribe is incredibly important to girls aged 11-13/14.

@mathanxiety

well I don’t necessarily disagree with you other than your comments about parents - some parents (mums?) do seem to embrace conformity rather than encouraging individuality. I have a pre-teen myself so I know the desire to fit in is strong. My own DD is into clothes and fashion but is fairly conforming. Among her friends there are glimpses of individualism though and that’s what I try to encourage. Every now and again a kid comes along who isn’t interested in conforming 100% and that’s what the OPs DD sounds like. One 10 year old I know has just had a short asymmetric hair cut shaved on one side and another is into skater clothes ( baggy board shorts and oversized T shirts). I love it. I find it sad that the OPs DD should like something and be put off by comments here that it’s too babyish. I mean if she has a vision for it and owns cowboy boots for heavens sake let’s not quash that enthusiasm for self expression.