Help me find a wedding outfit for my 12 yo DD

[Doublebubblegum]

We are off to a wedding in April and my DD needs to find an outfit to wear. Really struggling to find something to suit her from the usual places.

She's very slim - no curves - and wears age 11-12 clothes, or maybe XXS from the adult range.

We are way past flouncy dresses and pink (occasion wear was much easier when she was a lot younger and happy wearing a frilly dress of the type you can find anywhere!) but struggling to find something she likes. She's very casual (baggy jeans and hoodies).

There are a few older girls at the wedding so she wants to look 'grown up' - any ideas of where to look?

She likes blue, and would prefer to cover her arms if possible.

Yes, my 12 year old (nearly 13) loves Disturbia - we have a wedding coming up and will be getting her dress from there.

This is what I was thinking, well their dresses. But their skirts and tops are suitable for this plus she could wear them again. Harder with a dress.

I’m sorry I haven’t read the full thread so apologies if I’m just repeating what others have suggested but mango do a lovely teen range. Also M&S have a polka dot version of that blue shein dress. It’s not blue but it’s lovely and 13 year old dd had her eye on it. Give it another few weeks and shops like Zara will have more spring summer stuff in. We had an event in April last year and then 12 year old dd got a lovely dress from Only.

@Doublebubblegum I had a skinny DD and honestly Zara is made for skinny kids. Probably River island too. I think your problem is that dd is wearing baggy clothes to cover up being skinny and doesn’t care for other clothes outside this genre. Therefore maybe you need to roll with that? Baggy trousers and a baggy top. Just in better fabrics if possible. Would she feel bad if she didn’t make much change to her daily clothes? Or would she be happy looking baggy? Many teens are self conscious. DD1 was not skinny and didn’t like that either.

Honestly - look at the Zara and River Island teen sites and go from there. Some other suggestions are way off. H&M might be a shout and Zara XS is very small so a very neat top might well fit. Slouchy trousers - more difficult but she might like that idea.

Shoes. Converse - not for me. Slip on ballerinas? Or failing all else, trainers!

DSD has a puff sleeve dress from Abercrombie & Fitch for formal occasions, i'd never have picked it off the hanger myself but it works on someone young Women's Dresses & Jumpsuits | Abercrombie & Fitch

Maybe rn but.more young than some on this thread. It's a really hard age because they don't want to.loik like little girls. I think this is a huge issue with fashion for teen actually, it's too young or too old.

DD did wear both again many times

I guess it depends on whether she needs a bra/ has a suitable one. I love low back dresses on kids, I think they look really cute.

I think that looks like something a middle-class mum in her 40s would wear!

Oh Christ! That’s a whole other level! Hopefully she has a slight bust at this age. Unlike me at 12 who had sizeable bosoms but was told by a friend I needed a bra. My mum wasn’t happy (she’s flat chested).

They aren’t going to work if she’s skinny with no curves.

I don't think they'll suit her if she's skinny with no curves, but I do think they're way more appropriate for a 12-year-old than a lot of the other things posted. Half the stuff people have posted would be fine for either a five-year-old or a fairly boring middle-aged woman, but not for a tween/young teen who might want to look at least vaguely trendy.

My dd13 wore this to a wedding last weekend. She is a skinny baller dancer with no hips or boobs. The dropped waist works really well with this. I think she bought the xs. The fact it was a skort gave her extra confidence. She wore it with black ankle boots and a short pink fake fur jacket.
https://www.hollisterco.com/shop/uk/p/high-neck-drop-waist-skort-dress-62129824-1005

Maybe this based on what she likes on Shein? It comes in a XXS and if she doesn't have curves at the moment might work?
https://www.ohpolly.com/products/serra-modal-off-shoulder-bubble-hem-mini-dress-wine-red?variant=53531820523901&currency=GBP&srsltid=AfmBOoozqPjtYnDhNrEl1rZ9x1QHeXxTWHUWwSQG47t-RPML-hWIKGI7Ic

I was also going to suggest Disturbia.
I've got no idea what a teen would wear to a wedding. Ballet flats were my immediate thought, sparkly or otherwise!

This isn't appropriate for anyone to wear to a wedding, least of all a 12 year old.

Eek! No, no, no!

I don't actually mind the black one for someone her age - and I think the very dark colour helps to keep it looking a bit elegant. Navy would be better ...

The blue one looks like a 1980's figure skater the morning after the night she got plastered and had a shag in a hedge.

My 11 year old daughter picked one like this in a different size from Primark last summer. It's a shirt dress style,in silky fabric. It covers neck and arms well and looked really sweet with white Birkenstocks but you could do white trainers, add a chain belt.

https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/8202278042-promark-blue-flowery-dress

Tell her to show you some pictures of what she likes, and/or take her to a few stores to look.

I was skinny but had a bust at that age.

As I said - not my style 🤣
I think it's pretty bad too - but I'm not a 12 yo girl wanting to look semi grown up/on trend.

That’s the hard part your DD wanting to look grown up and on trend and then navigating all the dresses in between! I don’t envy you.

Agreed. God no.

Some but not all 12 year olds will like Disturbia.