Do you choose your late teen boys clothes?

[1newname]

This is silly I know but I have self esteem issues!

Both of my DSs have no interest in clothes, to the point they wear the same things all the time. I would like to get them new stuff but I can't choose for them anymore (I don't know what's cool for an 18 year old...) but I feel guilty. Ds2 makes the odd comment and has come home a couple of times wearing his friends stuff but he will not go clothes shopping or even look online. Part of me feels terrible because they aren't 'trendy' like their friends, but also if they were that bothered they should do something about it.

Do you choose your 17-20 year old boys clothes? I was very independent so it's alien to me

One yes, one no.

One loves clothes and chooses all his own, has done for years.

One doesnt care at all. I buy him joggers and t-shirts now and again. He ordered himself a football top recently and that must be the first thing he's ever bought himself. He's 18.

Ds is younger at 14 and has no interest in picking out new clothes - he needs them frequently as he grows like a weed. He and dh will go together and mostly Dh ends up choosing and ds agreeing - he would wear clothes from 4 years ago that were clearly far too small if we left them in his wardrobe, just doesn't give a crap. Also would wear holey stuff if again we didn’t clear it out.
I was hoping he might start caring just a little at some point!

DS1 is 18 and I will buy him clothes for Christmas and Birthdays. He has a certain style, so it's not too difficult. Other than that he picks his own stuff.

Just grab a few outfits you think your son would like and go from there.

Don't lose hope! DS1 was the same at that age. He started caring at around 16.

The 15 year old - yes, because otherwise he'd still be wearing the clothes he had in his wardrobe the day I stopped buying them.

The 17 year old - no. He tends to take his girlfriend to help him tho.

I wouldn’t let my son go out dressed like a drug dealer but clearly not everyone sees an issue with it or even questions who their kid is friends with

Yes! DS is 18 and has no interest in clothes at all. All his clothes were bought on line during lockdown and are getting a bit shabby now. He doesn’t care but they are too shabby for interviews or meals out etc. At home he wears pj’s and Oodies. He needs a new batch of clothes and I had to ask friends where their sons shopped. I dragged him into River Island just last week and managed to get him to try some trousers on. Ended up buying a few pairs, same style in different colours. It’s a start! He didn’t like any tops and wouldn’t try any on. I was told that at some point in his teenage years, he’d take an interest in washing and his appearance. I’m still waiting!

Yes, exactly! Mine has just turned 14 and I haven’t chosen him clothes in years.

DS is 18 and autistic and has absolutely no interest in clothes whatsoever. Tbh he wears pj bottoms/shorts 90% of the time unless we go out somewhere.

I don't think that children look like drug dealers. The only time I'd know someone was a drug dealer is if they answered a drug line and sold me drugs? Not that I have.

They could be dressed as Dame Edna Everidge and it wouldn't stop them being a crystal meth dealer?

Drug dealer is a criminal endeavour, not a clothing style?

I agree they don't look like drug dealers. They look like a stereotype of drug dealers seen in dodgy daytime TV dramas.

Yes. He has autism and would never ever buy any clothes. He’s 18. He doesn’t care what he wears and I have to keep and eye on him or he will keep wearing clothes that are too small for him

I have a lazy one! He couldn’t care less about clothes, but equally, won’t try anything new. So I basically just end up buying him the same two brands of hoodies in 97 different colours. And won’t migrate from skinny jeans, much to his sister‘s horror 😂

These boys are going to make great husbands aren’t they? Not trying to look good surely doesn’t interest girls. So what do they see as important about personal grooming? Anything? Obviously I’m joking about marriage as they are teens but job interviews might be round the corner?

None of my sons seem to have any interest in buying clothes so I do buy for them. Either that or they'd be happy in rags. My eldest has bought his own from about 18 but my current 18 year old still has very little interest in buying his own. My 14 year old has Autism and zero interest so I choose for him. Generally they are happy with whatever I buy. My friend was telling me how her boys want these specific Nike trainers and my son has had one pair of trainers for over two years. If I suggest new ones he says "why? I have a pair of trainers?". We joke and say "I had a pair of trainers when I was six, why would I need more?"

I can't begin to tell you how many things are wrong with what you've just said. Especially given a large number of posters who have said their boys have no interest in clothes have also said their boys are autistic.

I don't pick what he (16) wears on a daily basis but will give him some ideas on style on the odd occasion.
He has no interest in clothes or buying them (total opposite to my DD), I just buy pieces, I think he would wear off vinted- Sometimes I ask him and says he doesn't like it and I've brought it anyway (He can't invision it) and he's agreed he likes it, once he's tried it on.

I respect there are certain colours he won't wear but sometimes nice to experiment with styles especially as he's not a tracksuit kind of person.

My 20yo DS sounds just like yours @1newname. My 16yo DS is completely different and is quite interested in clothes and happy to choose them.

In December I took both of them (and my teen DD too) to an outlet village place with lots of cool brands and said I wanted to get them some nice stuff for Christmas and they could choose it. That went down well with all three of them. We had lunch too and made it into a nice trip.

One of my dc has an interest in clothes and likes to choose their own. The other has always had zero interest, but to be fair to my dc they have always been so tall that either finding clothes that fit or are age appropriate has meant that its often not a simple case of walking into a shop and knowing there will be suitable clothes there, so yes i'm still involved in finding them...wish i wasnt though!

No- mine had a monthly clothing budget from mid teens which got paid into their bank account. I worked it out based on mid range prices, and if they blew it on expensive stuff then other things had to come from vinted/ supermarkets. I still paid for shoes and jackets.
It taught them to save and budget. It was also a good incentive to get a part time job.

We fund clothes until they are out of uni. Neither of my sons are bothered about designer clothing or branded clothing. My Dad worked in textile marketing and they are not swayed by what some random person calls on trend or fashionable. They want comfort.

They tend to wear plain t shirts, occasional small graphic on their t shirt but something online not from a high street shop, sweatshirts, jumpers or textured tops and the occasional hoodie. Bottom half is jeans, smart joggers or chino sort of style trousers. They tend to send me a link or look in Next.

They are savvy about money and where to spend it. They know that when they get a hole in their sock when they take it off they rip the hole larger so it is very obvious and then the clean pair goes into the textile recycling bin we have at home. They are not wearing anything that looks stained or tatty. They know how to treat grease stains on their tops.

I have a kid teen and choose his clothes but he prefers that as I tend to keep up with trends and his friends always like the clothes he wears so he tends to be the first out of his friends to wear something and then they all follow suit 😅 I think it depends on the teen. Mine likes clothing and has an interest in putting outfits together but hates the act of having to go shopping and rarely asks for anything.

Ah ok. That's probably why I don't recognise it as that! To me as long as you're not a drug dealer it shouldn't matter how you dress. I'd have been mortified if my mum styled me at 13.

I have 3 foster sons of 17, 18 and 19. None of them are particularly fussed about what they put on. They all like sports clothing a lot. They all wear jeans and have 3 pairs each in black, blue and grey/khaki. 2 are in medium and 1 small for T shirts. I buy 8 in different colours for older 2 in medium. Youngest likes his football team tops so has 4 of those. Sometimes I take them all to sports shop and tell them pick 3 hoodies each. It takes about 5 minutes as they just grab 3 in same brand. I'm sure girls would be fussier. I like having boys because they are chill and eat anything and everything I cook and never any trouble.

@Littletreefrog So you think autistic people don’t marry!? How odd. I did say it was a joke but we cannot excuse everything in life as down to Sen can we? Most young men are not Sen and will need to think about appearance at some stage in their lives. Often being well groomed or looking suitably dressed will matter eventually. Autistic or not. Maybe presenting better version of yourself helps with employability? Plus other dc do seem interested. I would start talking about what might be needed in the future as a catalyst to start clothes shopping though.