Want to give style advice for an angel tree kid?

[sunshinyday]

Hi! I am a lurker coming in to get some feedback from people who probably spend more time with teens than me. I am shopping for a 14 year old from an angel tree. Her request was simply "boots to wear with skinny jeans."

I am thinking about getting these in black.

shop.nordstrom.com/s/steve-madden-craave-boot/3599537?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=Tan+Leather&resultback=0&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-searchresults-_-1_1_

Or do you think these are a better choice?

www.ae.com/web/browse/product.jsp?productId=1414_2943_001&catId=cat6470548 

and I would also be getting these as well to go with the riding boots:
www.ae.com/web/browse/product.jsp?productId=0411_2496_217&catId=cat6750003


What do you think of these boots? Is a tall boot the way to go or should I be looking at combat or moto boots? I want to pick something safe since I don't know her style.  Do teens still wear the ugg lookalikes and is there a good chance she already owns this style?

ETA: I am in Seattle. I can't get any more information about my girl but I did a little research on the organization and it is a homeless shelter for teens.  Having this information changes my list a bit and explains why some of the kids asked for things like a sleeping bag and warm slippers.  I had previously assumed she was low income and didn't realize she might be living in a shelter. I will be getting her:
boots and will include a Nordstrom gift receipt so she won't have any issues returning if necessary, slippers, winter hat, scarf, gloves, GC to F21, nailpolish, lipgloss, cute socks, lotion and a handbag. I saw that the organization requested things like F21 gift certificates so I am pretty positive she will be able to use it. 

[kaylie]

Oy, is there anyway to get more clarification? My sister is around that age and she wears her skinny jeans with doc martens. I can't get her in a pair of riding boots to save my life. If there's no way to get more info, I would go with a pair of riding boots and a pair of lace up combat boots. I think some teens still wear Uggs, but I don't think they're cool unless they're real Uggs.

[mccallister84]

My eighth graders would wear any of those including the doc marten types.

[Deleted]

I see lots of teens in riding boots. Uggs are still very popular here, but KS is behind when it comes to trends.

[my4girls]

I would skip the last pair, I like the second pair of boots better than the first. Can you maybe find some kind of shorter lace up boot to go with the riding boots instead of the ugg knockoffs?

[changedname]

I think go with the second pair. If you can swing it, add another pair of a different style. Shopping for teens is always tricky.

[skib]

Where are you geographically? That will probably impact what I'd say. I'm in TX (near Dallas), and I don't see many teens wearing Doc-type boots. They're more into riding boots and Ugg-type boots.

[sunshinyday]

Dec 15, 2013 6:07:59 GMT -5 kaylie said:

Oy, is there anyway to get more clarification? My sister is around that age and she wears her skinny jeans with doc martens. I can't get her in a pair of riding boots to save my life. If there's no way to get more info, I would go with a pair of riding boots and a pair of lace up combat boots. I think some teens still wear Uggs, but I don't think they're cool unless they're real Uggs.

Thank you! I am actually probably leaning more towards a pair of lace up combats because I think they might appeal to a wider range of styles. 

[steph96]

I would go with the 2nd pair, but in dark brown. That is what I see all the teenagers wearing around here.

Buy them from a place where she can easily return/exchange them.

[sunshinyday]

Dec 15, 2013 9:45:29 GMT -5 @rennido said:

I haven't seen my girls wear doc marten type boot yet, just riding boots....but I'm in Montana. It's practically Siberia up here fashion wise.

I am in Seattle. It's less preppy here so now I am leaning towards the lace up combat style boots as the safe choice.

[chikastuff]

Please don't buy her pricey things. I know you want to do something nice, and you are. But shes living in a shelter with many other people/women and little private space. nice boots from nordies will be stolen before she can even wear them outside.

It's best to stick to mid-grade lower priced brands. Remember, for her Target is probably a luxury store I'm sure you can get her stuff there that she will love and won't carry as high a risk of theft.

[sunshinyday]

Dec 15, 2013 17:47:16 GMT -5 chikastuff said:

Please don't buy her pricey things. I know you want to do something nice, and you are. But shes living in a shelter with many other people/women and little private space. nice boots from nordies will be stolen before she can even wear them outside.

It's best to stick to mid-grade lower priced brands. Remember, for her Target is probably a luxury store I'm sure you can get her stuff there that she will love and won't carry as high a risk of theft.

Thanks Chika. I made my purchases and got cold weather h&m accessories and a handbag ($30 black crossbody slouchy tote) and some fun drugstore cosmetics. The boots I ended up getting were $45 (madden girl combats on sale marked down from $70 on amazon). Overall I feel good about what I got and the price points. I consider target, F21 and h&m in the same range. I was in sephora today and was tempted to pick up something for her but had to remind myself that I bought inexpensive polishes and gloss at her age. I hope she loves what I picked out.