Where do your teens and pre-teens buy clothes?

[rcat74]

I have two extremely fussy DD’s. They both prefer to dress in an ‘edgy’ way which I don’t like but have to accept. The younger one initially loves what she buys and after one wear completely rejects it. We have got to the stage where we are saying she has to wear it or won’t get anything else. The reason I have kept buying is otherwise she would have nothing to wear!

OP I hear you. It's a tricky time. I wonder if you need to ask MN to adjust your title to add "edgy" or "alternative"'or something though. Because my teens are mostly buying in JD and other sports shops. Which doesn't help you I imagine

Where do they like to buy clothes?

@Banshee9 the elder seems to have gone through the sports clothes phase quite early on. Glad it’s not just me! @Wonfordmostly New Look but the quality is awful so I am looking for new places they could try.

Brandy Melville, Berksha, Desiguel (pricey). Urban outfitters (also pricey). I find there’s not much on the high street tbf but have found these online. Very tricky age clothes wise.

I am too old to know what "edgy" means .
Both of mine shop at primark, newlook, h&M for basics.
The mainstream one likes Monki, Zara, Urban Outfitters.
the emo/alternative-ish one shops at Afflecks palace. Punkd Image, EMP for band t shirts, Thunder Egg, Pop Boutique.

Mine buy from depop and vinted.

New Look and primark are good if they are very fashionable as they won't want long lasting classics at that age anyway.

Urban Outfitters is now shunned as 'basic' by my teens although they currently like Zara so who knows. They are in a vintage shop like terriers down a rabbit hole though.

We live so far from shops that it’s usually somewhere like Next as they will deliver and we can return in our own, very slow time.

Urban outfitters, mostly. It is expensive though!

Occasionally H&M, Zara etc. Also ASOS, Vinted and various local vintage shops etc. Primark occasionally but she doesn't like the poor quality.

Dd has just discovered charity shops. She and her Y7 friends leave their very expensive private school at lunchtime on sat and trawl the local ones. Love it I'm proud of her for saving money and she can find some unique stuff!

Following because we are struggling with early teen clothes too. Mine likes some things from Fat Face and Zara (only some - most are rejected). She’s happiest in hiking shops like Mountain Warehouse and Blacks but I refuse to buy yet more fleeces or technical trousers.

She does have a penchant for clog boots (stole my Lottas) which I think make her look quite cool. I don’t know about Edgy though. What does that mean these days?

I would describe mine as alternative, so may be at odds with your DC's style, I know mine would not shop in New Look or Urban Outfitters.
She picks up some pieces in H and M, but mostly her stuff is markets/charity shop/vintage. She goes to a place where you pay by the kilo, so comes back with all kinds of things that need a bloody good wash before she wears them.

Romwe, Shien, Primark. Dd loves Urban outfitters but can rarely afford and when we went to London she bought some trousers from Brandy Melville as a treat with her bday money.

If edgy means individual then places like Vinted are probably the answer because you'll be able to find stuff that's not currently in high street shops.
My dd buys from the high street (Bershka, Primark etc) and online (ASOS, Pretty Little Thing etc) which is very mainstream so probably not what you're looking for.

Charity shops & vinted for casual. Younger one likes band t-shirts which usually come from Fopp, HMV etc. H&M for school jeans etc.

They also wear stuff once & then reject, but that’s a bit easier when it came from a charity shop!

I’m sorry I used the word ‘edgy’. I buy my clothes from Hush, Boden( not so much now) and the like so edgy to me means anything in black, grey or khaki which isn’t very feminine! 🤣 A complete misnomer I know.

Mine mostly buy from charity shops, vintage shops, vinted, etc.

May be worth giving her a budget to buy for herself rather than buying for her if she keeps buying things and just wearing them once. This would give her an incentive to think before she buys, and to sell on stuff she changes her mind about.

That would have been helpful to clarify.

That's not edgy.

Edgy to me means either more alternative, with lots of focus on materials. E.g. leather and metal and band tees.

Or pushing the boundaries somehow

Black, grey and khaki is just a colour pallette that can be managed in all stores..

The main thing is suggest is stopping your youngest being so spoilt. Only wearing clothes once? That's appalling

@JustFrustrated I think I’ve already said that myself…

Look at Urban Outfitters clearance/sale - if anything is to their liking sign up for emails & make an acc, they very often give discount codes. They do have good stuff on clearance it's well worth a look (make sure they approve first though!)

Are they in adult sizes yet? Even size 4 or 6 up? If so I can recommend some sites with alternative wear.

www.emp.co.uk/

EMP has good alternative wear & some kids sizes (and plenty of adult).

www.killstar.com/

Killstar has plenty of alt wear, adult sizing though.

Shein is brilliant for cheap alternative wear. Search "Romwe goth" or just "romwe" in general lots will pop up. Make sure & read the reviews though because sizing etc varies item to item.

Bershka is good for combats, print tees etc.

Pretty Little Thing is popular with my teenagers, as is I Saw It First, both would have some alt wear on as well as mainstream stuff.

Good luck I hope you find some things they like! 🍀

Urban Outfitters and Dickies.

Urban Outfitters or ASOS.

Possibly Primark for something like a little plain crop top. But that's only if she's buying it herself. If I was buying it she'd want it from somewhere more expensive!

My sister in law uses KillStar, at 40+ and that is DEFINITELY edgy.

It's fabulous isn't it?! One of my teenagers is really into the alternative scene & loves their clothes & the kreeptures:)