To just want to be able to buy my dd some age appropriate clothing?

[bridge83]

My dd is 10yo so she's tricky to buy clothes for as she's in between kiddy and more teenage clothes. She likes to be comfortable whisky playing in our street with her friends so tends to wear jogging bottoms t shirts, shorts etc but she also likes her dresses, skirts and jump suits for when we are going out and about.

So today I'm shopping for her some summer clothes. Usually she comes with me but we go away in a weeks time and she's in school so I need to get her some stuff. Anyway I went into every shop imaginable ie Next, New Look, H+M, Tammy, Zara and all I came across were cut off belly tops, shorts that were that short they could only be described as hot pants, bra halter neck tops and tops with inappropriate slogans.

I do not want my dd who is only in year 5 to be walking round with her belly and backside hanging out simple as that but clearly a lot of parents do not mind as they wouldn't sell these kind of clothes. I realise my dd is growing up and pretty soon she won't even let me chose anything for her and that's absolutely fine but for now I buy and shop for her clothes and I just want to be able to go into a shop and buy something nice but ahe appropriate.

I see it all the time, girls my dd age, sometimes younger wearing clothes that quite frankly look to small for them ie bums practically hanging out of their shorts/leggings. Belly tops that show their crop tops/bras etc and I think it's awful. I don't except my dd to want to wear Minnie Mouse jumpers or anything like that but I expect with all the shops on the high street these days to be able to go in and not come out empty handed. So am I somehow being unreasonable about this or does anyone else with dd's feel the same?

I went into Next last week to buy a t shirt for a 10 year old girl, there was loads of choice, all age appropriate, so much so that I found it hard to choose.
I do agree about inappropriate clothes though. I thought it was weird that H&M had a big sign showing the different cuts of jeans for toddlers, like you would get in the adult section. I'm sure toddlers aren't concerned if they are wearing boot cut or skinnies!

My 11 year old wears a mix of Boden (less so these days as patterns have gone a bit weird imo), Jako-O, occasionally something from PO.P (usually outerwear/coats, tbf). H&M can be good for trousers (and, oddly, found loads of really good trousers/patterned jeans in Benetton this year when I was struggling to find any elsewhere).

But I can struggle quite a lot to find a range of stuff too. Next always seems to have nicer stuff in the younger girls section (and not too young, imo) but it never goes big enough - maybe I'm too slow and other shoppers have cleared them out

None of what dd1 has would class as nicer going out stuff, I suppose, but that doesn't bother me (or her) at all.

In a complete contrast to the OP, I've been trying to buy my daughter a cut off top and can't find one anywhere- she's desperate to have one and it seems fine to me, esp for sunny days in the garden, holiday etc. Surely when they are so young it's more about keeping cool than looking "sexy"? Short shorts ditto. Depends on teh style, I suppose.

Any recs?

I have a 10 year old and buy stuff in next, Zara,gap, boden, John Lewis and mango online. Next has got loads of stuff for that age ( and dd has never had hotpants or a crop top)

Tall DD (11.5) has a wardrobe full H&M, Fat Face, Boden, Next etc- not a crop top or daisy duke in sight! Honestly not had any issues finding her stuff, even though she's wearing 13-14 clothes.

Mountain Warehouse can be good for basic tops and shorts.

Next only stock smaller sizes I store, they go up to 16 online and you can order it free into the shop

Surely there is t shirts and longer shorts ive managed to dress 2 girls without a belly on show

We've had threads on here before about Next and the stores do seem to stock very different stuff from each other - i think you have to go on-line to get a proper, more balanced, range.

There's lots of nice clothes in New Look and H and M

I've just bought my dd a khaki bomber jacket, jeans and a checked shirt so not inappropriate

I nearly bought DD this H and M dress, but ironically (for this thread) I thought it might be too long for her.

Do they have Gap Kids in the UK?

Go online and look at European clothing firms - they do much more suitable clothing for this age group.

Lots of nice " appropriate" H & M stuff in my local branch , including lots of nice vest tops , shorts and on line . Also like Zara, Gap , A& F kids , Boden , TK Maxx.
My daughter used to tie the front of her tops to make them cropped at 10 as I wouldn't buy them then ! Is older and still likes the cropped look !

I've 3 dds - the oldest is almost 11 and she has new shorts, just recently bought from Sainsburys & H&M. She loves the sports range from H&M - the shorts, the plain t-shirts, the cut off yoga leggings. I've never had a problem getting clothing for any of mine. Sainsburys, H&M, New Look, Next, Primark - we like a bit of neon in our house, Dunnes do us.

skippy those are really nice.

You can sometimes order age appropriate things from Tchibo, although you would have to put the pages through Google translate if you don't speak German (or I can help via PM). The quality is top notch. I have just had a look and they have some nice treggings and tops, cardigans, and denim dresses and skirts that I think many Y5 girls would wear without too much argument. You would probably be looking at 146/152 size or 158/164 size depending on how tall she is for her age.

www.tchibo.de/kindermode-bunter-fruehling-t400057955.html

In the UK places like Petit Bateau go up to age 12, and there are one or two pretty things in the collection that might pass muster. These clothes are beautifully made, lovely cotton.

www.petit-bateau.co.uk/e-shop/fi-c22/1/citrus-flower-collection.html#/ajax/fi-c22/112y.html

There will be MN sniggering at this, but Harrods have a few t-shirts worth looking at if you want a special one - Kenzo can be quite nice - bright yet young. DD had a 'best' Kenzo t-shirt once at this age and she got a lot of wear out of it. It seemed to be indestructible.

www.harrods.com/children/girls-clothing/girls-tops?sort=-1&viewall=no&psc=18&psi=0

Joules have a lovely range of clothes for older girls which go up to 11-12 and are a lot cheaper than Harrods, hovering around the higher end of Next prices. They wash well and are easy to co-ordinate.

www.joules.com/Girls-Clothing/Tshirts-Tops

look on amazon for fruits of the loom girls t-shirts. They do nice plain ones, good colours, good fit and good fabric- they're also very cheap. Go for the girl fit and size up. My 11 1/2 yr old will need the largest girls size this year - she's quite solidly built, but the next size down that we bought last year still fit ok at the moment. They're only a few pound each and well worth it!

DD (11) lives in leggings or skinny jeans and tunic tops or skater style dresses, she does have a couple of crop tops which she wears with a vest (she fell in love with them but I refused to let her wear them without something underneath - we compromised on the layered look)

Her style works for her, comfortable, slightly girly but still practical for jumping on the trampoline etc

I found Amazon to be my best source for inexpensive options (some last better than others and I tend to buy a size up)

You should shop online.

I went into H&M with dd age 13 (so slap bang in the middle of their older girls range.) everything was either too young or too old.

When they are young you can get their whole wardrobe in one shop but now I have to shop around in several.

In y6 dd's style heroes were Taylor Swift/Zoella so skinny jeans, skater dresses etc. We bought from adult lady section of Primark, New Look teens, H&M, Gap and the supermarkets. The supermarkets and Gap usually have older girls ranges at 6-12 years old ish so will be more "wholesome" in terms of cut.

Fat face has lovely girls stuff as does next

Maybe it is just because I am in Europe, but I have found that the eco-friendly, fair-trade clothes shops have much more sensible clothes.

Or you could try used clothes? This terrible fashion cannot have been around for long, surely.

My daughter is just about to turn 9. She wears about 75% next. She tends to wear leggings with shorts or skater skirt over the top and a t shirt. Next to some great patterned leggings. In the summer she will probably wear cycling short under the skirts. Although I have bought a few bits in new look I find them a bit to grown up for her. And also a bIt skimpy as she is fairly solid! Most of the time next seem to have a good range of age appropriate clothing that is still not too grumpy or young.

What 'terrible fashion' are we talking about Vestal?

There's loads in next. Marks and spencer, too.