"Cool" clothes for tiny pre-teen

[ChristaN]

I have two dds.  My dd12 is about average size although thin.  She can wear zeros or 00s in juniors lines, though, which offers her options in clothing.  My dd10 will be starting middle school (6th grade) in August.  She's in about the 3rd percentile for size at her age and is also thin (size 8 slim, 56 lbs.).  Her size isn't a concern in and of itself in that most of our family is very, very small.  There are a few average sized people like dd12, myself (5'4', 115 lbs), my father (5'10"), and my paternal grandmother (about 5'4").  The rest of the men on both sides of the family range from 5'3" to 5'7" and the women from 4'10" to 5'1" or maybe 5'2".

She, however, really, really wants to be able to wear the clothes from stores like American Eagle and is instead stuck with things like Gap Kids.  I have found that some of the Gap Kids jeans look fairly similar to the juniors versions of jeans, but the dresses and shirts that fit her at most stores look like Gymboree fare.  I do realize that both American Eagle and Aeropostale have kids stores, but there aren't any near us. 

Does anyone have any recommendations for juniors/pre-teen looking clothes that are not dorky for a really small 10 y/o?

[karne]

Have you tried on line shopping?  American eagle, and I think Aeropostale, have a kids line, which seems to have the same "look", but in smaller sizes.  Justice has sizes that are smaller as well.

[34me]

My 15 yo neice was/is in the same boat. She has reached 4'10" and will be 16 next month. She did as the previous poster suggested. The did the kids versions online and was able to do Justice at that age. My mom has also been put into service as well as another local seamstress though. She is a c cup so she's totally screwed because kids clothes don't leave room for an older figure. Good luck.

[Drummer's Wife]

My pre-teen loves Justice the most. Before you order online or shop in-store, google for a 40% off coupon. I never pay full-price. (they also hand out $15 off 40 at times.)

[RN2Bmommy]

I second Justice. DSD 11 1/2 is 62lbs and 54" tall in 6th grade. DD who is in 2nd grade age 8 is already 52" tall....lol. DSD will likely be very petite.

[ChristaN]

Thanks.  We have bought her a few items online at PS and 77 (American Eagle and Aero's kids stores).  I prefer to shop in person as we've found that the sizes really aren't that std between the various clothing lines, but I will likely keep doing some of her shopping online. 

While dds both liked Limited Too, they really don't care for Justice.  Dd10 doesn't like fluorescent colors and all of the writing on the clothes.  Justice apparently isn't popular in her school, either, and she's unfortunately one who cares about what's popular. 

Thank you for the ideas thus far :) .

[chel]

Ambercrombie has a kid line where the clothes are exactly Ike the teen store

[ChristaN]

Originally Posted by chel 

Ambercrombie has a kid line where the clothes are exactly Ike the teen store

Thanks, I looked @ that online & those are the type of clothes dd likes.  They are expensive and she's still just a little small for their smallest sizes, but maybe they'll fit her by the fall if she grows a few inches (which will have to happen eventually!).

[mtiger]

Originally Posted by chel 

Ambercrombie has a kid line where the clothes are exactly Ike the teen store

Yes, even the push-up bikinis. Klassy.

[ChristaN]

Originally Posted by mtiger 

Yes, even the push-up bikinis. Klassy.

I'm not suggesting that I'm going to be buying my 10.5 y/o push up bras or bikini underwear.  She doesn't need a bra at all actually.  I'm just looking to help her not feel like a big six year old b/c she is more similar in size to a 2nd grader than a soon to be 6th grader.  She likes the skinny jeans (not jeggings), t-shirts with faded nature patterns, etc.  She wants to look like a middle schooler not a little kid just b/c she happens to be small.  That doesn't mean she or I want her to look like a street walker. 
 

[Linda on the move]

One of my DDs has had good luck in the Macy's girls section. Not all of their clothes, obviously, but some of them are very middle school/teen looking. Different things work for different kids -- she's had a few clothes from Aero but didn't care for the way they wore.

I don't like ordering clothes without having a chance to try them either, but sometimes there's really not a good way around it.

[mtiger]

Originally Posted by ChristaN 

I'm not suggesting that I'm going to be buying my 10.5 y/o push up bras or bikini underwear.  She doesn't need a bra at all actually.  I'm just looking to help her not feel like a big six year old b/c she is more similar in size to a 2nd grader than a soon to be 6th grader.  She likes the skinny jeans (not jeggings), t-shirts with faded nature patterns, etc.  She wants to look like a middle schooler not a little kid just b/c she happens to be small.  That doesn't mean she or I want her to look like a street walker. 
 

Didn't think either of you do. Was just pointing out (in perhaps a back-handed way), that Abercrombie may not be the best choice for any pre-teen/teen. JMO.

[jdsf]

I just posted a similar thread about skinny jeans, but barring that debacle, we have had good luck finding trendy clothes for 10.5 year old, tiny DD at department stores like JC Penny and Macy's. There is also this Disney line at Target with some pretty fashionable options, they really do look just like shrunk-down versions of juniors clothes. If you have the time, it's worth trying thrift stores... DD has found some amazing things like Nordstrom leather boots in a size 1.5 and other boutique/high end dresses and skirts, although I don't much have the patience to spend 2 hours digging through piles of random for a couple of finds, but hey, it's definitely cheap. This issue was worse when DD was wearing a 6/6x, but now that she's into big girl sizes, we have definitely found some lines that cater to tweens, and their grandmother in OK seems to have luck at the Beall's in her area, but ours seems picked over.

[enkmom]

Try Kohls or Kohls.com for the Mudd line.  It comes in Juniors and Girls 7-14, with no rainbows or unicorns in sight.  Some of the capris I noticed had that annoying pink  "little girl" top-stitching, but most of the line looked similar to the Juniors line.

[LynnS6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChristaN 

Thanks, I looked @ that online & those are the type of clothes dd likes.  They are expensive and she's still just a little small for their smallest sizes, but maybe they'll fit her by the fall if she grows a few inches (which will have to happen eventually!).

Two other thoughts:

Ebay. A lot of parents buy the expensive clothes for their kids and then have their kids outgrow them quickly. I get about 1/2 of my kids' clothes on Ebay (I buy dd's leggings at Target). Once you figure out what fits her, I'd recommend that. Until then, you might also look at consignment stores. I find some of them to be overpriced, but they're still cheaper for name brand than new. That would have the advantage that she can go with you can try them on.

A tailor. It's sometimes not that expensive to get clothing tailored so it'll fit, especially if you get the clothing on sale or via Ebay/Consignment. Most of the petite women I know have their clothes tailored.