We all know the headaches that come with shopping with teens. They have a budding sense of style and the eagerness to "fit it" so they are either eager to spend your money on all the latest trends or they couldn't less at about what they are wearing.
Lucky for me, I have one of each! My daughter is very trend oriented and thanks to social media is acutely aware of all of the high priced "must have" pieces. She wants everything she sees. My son, could care LESS about what he wears. He would put on the same thing every day as long as it is clean. With my daughter headed to highschool this year, and my desire for my son to look put together with minimal effort, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to introduce the concept of personal style.
Shopping with teen girls doesn't have to be a headache. I started with getting my daughter to create a style board. Gone are the days where I can pick things out for her. It is a waste of money for me to buy things without her input and approval.
I'm ashamed about the amount of clothes that I have donated unworn with the tags still in tact because I didn't listen. Now I know better. We decided to name her style "Bougie basic" which is the teen version of Hi/Lo fashion and is very similar to my personal style. She likes classic staples (think jeans, plain tees, graphic teas, etc) with a little razzle dazzle. She loves to accessorize. The key to this look is a well groomed appearance with well managed skin and hair.
Before we make a purchase we always ask these TWO questions:
Is it on sale? It is my personal belief that you should almost never pay full price on clothing. I am grooming a savvy shopper so we almost exclusively browse the sale/clearance section. We can pay full price for the razzle dazzle pieces (think shoes), but we focus on getting quality and value for everything else.
Does it fit with the aesthetic that she is building? Encourage your teen to participate in the trends that naturally fit into her aesthetic and look. Self expression and creativity is about being true to yourself and incoporating trends into what you are looking to establish. Trends come and go, but the goal is for her style to evolve with time.
Of course there are other considerations as well but these are the main questions that have to pass before we proceed. This approach encourages versatility and will make figuring out "what to wear" an easier process.
Shopping for teens that don't care about what they wear doesn't have to be a challenge. Make it easy for yourself by noticing what outfits they naturally gravitate towards.
My son loves comfort, athletic clothes, and pieces that are easy to mix and match. He has a couple of Nike outfits that are his "go to" and I knew I couldn't go wrong if I stayed in that lane. I still made sure to check in with him before I started shopping to see if he had anything in mind, and as expected, he did not! I focused on getting pieces that he can experiement with an build his confidence with putting things together. My number 1 rule of never paying full price for clothing still applies and I was able to find a lot of good options to fill his grab and go drawers with.
Encouraging my teens to choose pieces that make them feel comfortable and confident, rather than simply following what’s popular is building necessary skills and saving me money.
I love being able to celebrate their individuality and remind them that the best fashion statement that they can make is by showing up clean, well groomed, and as themselves. By guiding them through these steps, I'm helping them build something that not everybody has: their own sense of style. I am excited to see how they take this foundation and come into their own.
I have linked my purchases over on Pinterest, along with some tips on navigating the sales. Check it out and happy Back to School Shopping Season! Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips for surviving this season.
Comments