Plus size 13 year old

amother

Gray

Sun, Apr 17 2016, 11:42 pm

Help.. My 13 year old is wearing size 16 ladies and I cannot find her anything that looks decent on her. With yom tov and a bunch of family simchas coming up I'm desperate and after 7 hours of shopping today with nothing to show for it we were both beyond frustrated. She is so uncomfortable with her body and watching her try on outfit after outfit and seeing her get more and more depressed was just too painful.
I live in Florida so NY area stores will not help me. I need more mall type stores that have clothing that are appropriate for a young girl and nicely made. Lane Bryant and Dress Barn just don't have that tailored well cut look she likes. Shopping online is an option but tough because her body is really not simple to fit. Any leads are so appreciated!!
(Anon only because I've spoken with so many people about this today and have posted very personal things under my screen name Smile

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amother

Lime

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 12:43 am

Lane bryant and dress barn tend to run a bit more conservative and therefore might be too mature for a young teenage girl. try department stores that tend to be anchors to a mall: macys, lord and taylor, nordstrom, or even jcpenney or kohls. torrid is a youth oriented plus size store and forever21 and h&m also carry plus size lines.
I'm no expert in teenage fashion, I don't even know what's in for people my own age but I think these look kinda young:
http://www.lordandtaylor.com/w.....skirt
http://www.lordandtaylor.com/w.....e-top
http://www.lordandtaylor.com/w.....skirt
http://www1.macys.com/shop/pro.....%3D65|BS|BA%26slotId%3D10
http://www1.macys.com/shop/pro.....%3D65|BS|BA%26slotId%3D21

Goldie613

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 1:16 am

JCPenny has plus size clothes in the kids section that go up to 16, 18 or even 20 plus, which may work for her if she's on the shorter side.

Other than that? Some mall stores or chain stores (like JCPenny or the equivalent) have a teen or junior size plus section. Those are probably more likely to have things that are "in".

Altering outfits that are a bit snug or not quite her style may be another option...

Good luck

FranticFrummie

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 7:37 am

If you go to Nordstroms you might end up paying a bit more, but you can get her a personal shopper who will take all of her measurements. Your shopper will not only help you now, but she will call you whenever something new come in that will fit, and she'll hold it back for you so it doesn't go out of the rack right away and get snapped up. Hopefully it will make your daughter feel special and pampered.

If you allow nail polish, taking her to get her nails done might help her self esteem, too.

Hug

You're a good mama.

amother

Coral

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 8:05 am

This probably won't help quickly enough for the events and chagim coming up soon, but as a former borderline-plus-size (12-14) teenager, the best thing I did was to take a sewing course. It's easier to shop now that I can pull off older styles, but there's a certain empowerment in making your own clothes if you can't find ones that suit your size and taste.
A-line skirts, for example, are not very difficult for a relative beginner and are rarely out of style.

amother

Lawngreen

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 8:37 am

amother wrote:

not op - but I wanted to say that I like some of these options. OP, one thing that you will have to invest in is alterations. If a skirt fits her well but is a drop too short, you can add a strip of ribbon or other material to make it tznius. Personally, I am very short and not thin so I very often have to use my imagination when buying clothing to imagine how things will look after alterations are done. I spend a lot of alterations but it's my dignity involved so I don't see any other choice. You sound like a great mother, supportive of your kids and just wanting the best for them. BTW-I have found many things at dress barn - in the store, not online.

amother

Pumpkin

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 9:12 am

Size 16 you can shop for in many regular stores. No need to go to Lane Bryant.

Loft has some really nice stuff.

But yes, as another poster said, your best bet is to find a good seamstress who can adjust the clothes you buy to look best on her.

Amarante

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 10:53 am

You should go to the best mall in your area because Bloomingdales, Macys, Nordstroms, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue all have higher quality plus size clothing in trendier styles for younger tastes like Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger etc.

Go to the best ones that you can find as the plus size departments are better and more extensive in the larger/better stores located in the regional malls as opposed to the smaller malls in neighborhoods. Macy's is probably the most affordable and does have trendier stuff. Bloomingdales has a good selection of stuff as well. Neiman and Saks have beautiful stuff but very expensive - you can get an idea of what kind of stuff they carry on-line even if you don't buy on-line.

Is there any kind of plus size boutique in your area. In my town, there is one small boutique for plus size women that sells more unique items that aren't carried in the masses. There is a brand called Tianello which is nice because they will custom make the tops and bottoms in the materials you choose.

Unfortunately the styles for Dress Barn, Catherines etc tend to be matronly and not particularly stylish in my opinion. Lane Bryant seems to specialize in trendier styles although not as trendy as torrid. Again, you can get a sense of the type of items carried on-line even if you don't buy on-line.

bluebird

Mon, Apr 18 2016, 11:22 am

Many of my friends use eShakti (and most of my friends are overweight). They go up past US 16 sizes and if you take her measurements they'll alter clothing to fit her, which is great if you don't fit the standard proportions (which many ladies of ALL sizes do not). They make shirts, dresses, and skirts. I don't know what teens are wearing right now but they have a lot of cute stuff.

http://www.eshakti.com/default.aspx