Moms of Tween girls.....

[Kjersti]

I have a huge problem. I have NO idea where to get cute dresses for my daughter Elyse. She is almost 12. I can't shop at Gymboree or Children's Place any more. We were sitting in church today and I could tell she was DYING of embarassment in her frilly Easter dress (okay she was matching her 7 year old sister too....LOL!!!!).

Where do you shop for cute (more mature) dresses??? Thanks!!

[julifish]

My daughter is 13, she's a size 14 in girls and an x-small in adult. She's totally not into little girl type dresses. We shop at Macy's, WetSeal, Ross, Dillards, and Holister. For our cruise she wore a dress she found at Ross, but it was definitely not little girl. She has some cute skits and frilly tops from Holister which fit her every day style. It's not easy to find appropriate clothing that the girls want to wear for this age/size.

[krystalhartley]

Can she fit into Juniors sizes yet? And would she prefer skirts/tops over dresses? If she's into clothes at all, that might be something she prefers because it gives here more combinations and stretches the clothing budget a little farther. She'll be able to wear the tops with jeans and shorts, too, ya know? Plus add in layers like jackets and sweaters. Lots of wardrobe possibilities.

You can find that sort of thing just about anywhere. My go-to stores for my kids have been Old Navy and Target.

[EvaK]

You may want to check out Justice. I think the clothes are specifically designed for tweens. You don't have to worry about something being too low-cut, etc. Not sure how many dresses they have, but I know they would have separates (skirt w/blouse) that could work. They are online and in most major malls.

[emmasmommy]

we're ALL big fans of Justice here as well.
m just got this dress (yes, i know she's not a tween, but she thinks she is) and i adore it!

[breakingbrie]

I was going to suggest Justice! My older nieces looooooove that place! Since they've outgrown the toy stage, and they're getting a bit older now, all they want are clothes! They are almost 10 and almost 11. They do have some nice stuff! I went in there to get gift cards, and I can't wait until my girls are old enough to want to shop there.

[Sherri Tierney]

My daughter is just hitting the Justice phase. My 12 year old niece likes it. When I first started checking it out, I hated the store. Nothing seemed appropriate. There are still things I don't care for at all that they sell but I have started to find a bit more for my girl there. We were huge Gymboree fans until recently when she has started to feel like their styles are kind of baby-ish. We still buy plain stuff there, just nothing with cutesy prints. LOL Back to Justice though, I did see some adorable stuff in their spring line.

[DawnMarch]

My daughter is 11 and perhaps they go through phases faster here, but none of her friends will have anything to do with Justice anymore (sadly, since they have cute clothes). We had good luck at JC Penny last year for dresses.

[mariewilcox]

Cheyanne (almost 12 also) is an Aeropostale girl - she HATES frilly or even one tiny little ruffle, rarely wears dresses or skirts, and is very sporty, but she loves their dresses and skirts and they are very reasonably priced because their stuff is always on sale.

I've bought a few things at Justice but I have found that they fall apart fast and they are expensive even if they're on sale (IMO) but they are a bit more "girly" if your daughter is not so much of a tomboy

Oh, and she's not very big but does fit into their size 00 regular pants/shorts and X-small size dresses, tops. Their clothes are long and thin like Cheyanne is - LOL - she hates the idea of her stomach showing and loves to layer long shirts/camis. She also loves their camis and has an extensive collection.

[ryliesmom]

My DD (almost 9) loves Justice too. I'm starting to come around, lol. She refuses Gymboree now but will still do some Children's place. Dresses are always so hard. Have you tried Boden? I love their clothes for my two and they have teen sizes now although I'm not sure what they have as we're not quite there yet.

[Nikki Epperson]

Another big fan of Justice. Destiny loves that place and if you shop the 40% off sales, the prices are comparable to other clothing stores. I've had no problems with her clothes at all from there.

[tanyiadeskins]

my almost 11 yr old loves Justice as well
we got this, this weekend for 40% off

[gracelikerain]

My 11-year-old likes Justice. And occasionally I can find their clothes for pretty cheap at TJ Maxx. We also shop at Penney's and Kohl's.

[hollyxann]

My oldest is 13 and she normally shops in the junior section at different stores...sometimes she will still look at the girls section but she is so tall that she kind of has to shop in the junior sectin. We used to shop at Justice A LOT!!! But now she's more mainstream clothing.

[ariesfl326]

My daughter is 10 yrs old and we have the same problem. She isn't really into dresses but just finding everyday clothing is a pain. My daughter (like myself) is big around the middle and she is over 5ft tall which makes finding appropriate clothing difficult. I usually shop at JCPenney for pants (she wears plus size because of the waist) and then usually try to buy bigger comfy shirts where I can find them. I recently ordered her communion dress and ordered that online and then had to have it altered b/c of the length. We love Justice but she just can't fit into their clothing. I truly wish designers didn't make the darn clothes so skimpy!!!

PS: When she was a baby she could have been a Gymboree model...gosh how I miss shopping at that store!! LOL

[Davita]

We were huge Gymbo fans too when my kids were little. My dd went through a serious Justice phase from about 7 to 10. Now she is finishing up fifth grade and will have nothing more to do with Justice. We shop at Gilly Hicks and Hollister (and Abercrombie kids when they have sales). I have to make sure that the skirts and shorts are the longer ones but I do kind of like the classic styles and colors. We like Aeropostale too! Now I just have to figure out what to do with a closet full of Justice clothes, lol.

[xboxmom]

Ok another annoying thing about tween girls clothing......besides not being able to find clothing thats age appropriate in their size... But seriously whats with the training bras every one I see is padded!!!! Like seriously I don't need my 11 year old daughter in a padded bra.

[Kjersti]

I love the suggestions! Thank you so much for taking the time to post them.

[mariewilcox]

LOL Kim - I hear what you're saying but Cheyanne wears the padded bras because she says they are more comfortable when it comes to rubbing against her... once her clothes are on you can't tell a bit that they're padded at all and don't make her look "bigger" or "fuller" etc. In a way they actually hide her size (although she's really not that big yet!)

[xboxmom]

Originally Posted by mariewilcox

LOL Kim - I hear what you're saying but Cheyanne wears the padded bras because she says they are more comfortable when it comes to rubbing against her... once her clothes are on you can't tell a bit that they're padded at all and don't make her look "bigger" or "fuller" etc. In a way they actually hide her size (although she's really not that big yet!)

I found some the other day that the pads can come out of so I guess she can try it both ways and see which she likes better. I just don't want it to be all weird.

[mariewilcox]

I had the same reaction Kim - I was like, "You sure as heck don't need a PADDED bra!" LOL - she told me why her friends like them so I decided to give it a try. She's only like an A cup at most, if that, and it really kind of makes her look flatter.

[scrappurple]

Justice and they go upto size 18. Very tween.

[kelley]

My 10-year-old likes Justice. Its a total bummer when the stop wanting Gymbo!!