Non-tarty girls clothes???

[CardyMow]

I'm trying to find a party dress for christmas for my 11yo DD. She is quite tall, wears age 13-14 in most shops. The only party dresses I have found for this size (Tammy Girl in BHS) seem to be ones I would find barely acceptable on an 18yo going clubbing, they're certainly FAR too low cut and high-hemmed (mini-skirts at the bottom) for an 11 yo. She is too big for any supermarket clothes, New Look doesn't seem to have any party dresses in the 915 stuff, and the dresses in Next are all pink and girly (sooo not my DD, I only get her in a dress once a yr at christmas!!). I just want a smart party dress for her that doesn't either look like it was designed for a 4 yo OR look like it was designed for a slapper!! HELP!!

Look on the M&S website at older girls dresses, I think they have a few quite nice ones, some I think would probably look better in reality than on the pictures. Have you tried boden? They have a couple. Good luck!

My DD is just moving into this age range so I feel your pain. I wish that I had just gone to Debenhams having just found the dresses below:

I love this:
ben de Lisi pink

And this I would like for myself!
Ben de Lisi blue velvet

Gorgeous colour:
Purple Ted Baker

Topshop/ Zara/ H&M in size 6 might do?

Tried size 6, she's long in the body, average in the leg, and the tops of the size 6 gape a bit too much and the bottom half looks odd, never falls in the right place on her legs...M&S I find come up rather small, I got her white shirts from there in September for school in 13-14 and she's already grown out of them (bust and length-I've sewn the button across the bust back on at least once on every shirt, just trying to eke them out til xmas hols...), what size is their largest in the party stuff? Plus no Zara or H&M (she fits in 13-14 in H&M, just distance) locally, don't have time to travel 30 miles to the nearest ones before xmas. Hmmmmm BODEN didn't occur to me.....might look there in morning (online of course, my town has nothing but bluddy nail bars and charity shops!)

PANTS!! Just looked at those links, She would actually LIKE the blue velvet ben de lisi, but the age 12 would rip across her bust. [there's no grumpy face emoticon!] The purple one she would make me eat, and nothing pink or she'll burn the house down.....