Back to school: middle school edition

[abs]

Hi.  Help. School starts in 3 weeks so we need to get our act together.

1.  What is in for middle school kids?  Where do they generally like to shop?  DD doesn't know and I sure don't either.  She needs a lot though and would like to branch out beyond just athletic shorts and tees.  Which is good because she can't wear athletic shorts next year anyways.  She is fully into adult sizes now.

2.  Where exactly is a good place to find shorts that aren't bermuda length but also are long enough to pass the finger tip dress code rule (which is dumb and DD has very long arms so ugh).

3.  Any been there/done that advice as we start this journey?

[Deleted]

Do they actually enforce the fingertip rule? Because that’s the rule in our district, but it’s not really enforced unless butt cheeks are actually hanging out the bottom. That’s a whole other stupid thing, why have it and then not enforce it, but also no girl is wearing shorts that pass that rule so then how do you enforce it on 50% of the population? Also, I am 40 and don’t wear shorts that pass that rule either and never have. Longer shorts do not look good on me at all.

My girls have liked Aerie, Aeropostale, American eagle, forever 21, Tilly’s, zumiez, urban outfitters, pac sun. My 16 year old was surprised at how much she liked at Dillards recently. We’ve also bought some from target, kohls, Amazon. It’s a tough transition to finding things that they like and that you like for them. 😂😂 god speed and good luck. Shopping with my teen girls is such an experience these days.

[waverly]

No experience but I just had to pick up gym uniforms which is a first for me. And I need to find a combo lock for him to practice on.

He’s a boy so it’s more sports brands here , UA, Nike, etc.

[abs]

@mrsgreeko, yep! They didn't enforce it in elementary and apparently don't in high school either but they absolutely do for junior high. I hope it's not as bad as I have been told because it will be triple digits until October! It's so dumb. DD and I can wear the exact pair of shorts and they are fine on me because I have short arms. She is an inch shorter than me but they wouldn't pass because of her long arms.

Rough transition for sure!

[savan]

I grew up in Texas and remember those dress code rules well. Kohls is good for all the basics and usually has a big junior’s section. DD also likes to shop at Tilly’s and H&M. We haven’t had to buy longer shorts but I know Lands End usually has them.

[cmeon]

There really isn't a universal place to shop- kids start to branch out into what they like at this age, and yes- figuring that part out takes some time. I'd stick to comfortable basics for now- we're in CFL, and I swear- 75% of the middle schoolers are in hoodies and jeans from the beginning of the year through the end of the year. It doesn't matter how hot it is.

[savan]

Jul 14, 2022 12:43:11 GMT -5 cmeon said:

There really isn't a universal place to shop- kids start to branch out into what they like at this age, and yes- figuring that part out takes some time. I'd stick to comfortable basics for now- we're in CFL, and I swear- 75% of the middle schoolers are in hoodies and jeans from the beginning of the year through the end of the year. It doesn't matter how hot it is.

Yes!  DD wore black leggings/jeans and a hoodie or other sweater almost every day last year, but we live someplace cooler.

[midwestmama]

My DD is going into MS this school year too. She is starting to like American Eagle and found some cute things there recently. I think I've heard Hollister might be popular too? At this point, we're waiting to for school to start for her to see what other kids are wearing. (My DS started MS last school year, but he and his friends typically wore athletic shorts/pants and t-shirts/sweatshirts from Adidas, Champion, Nike, and Under Armour, so not much help there.)

[rootbeerfloat]

DD's MS has school required tshirts/hoodies, which she wears with black leggings (Target) or high-waisted mom jeans (also Target).

Outside of school, she wears crop tops (AE/Aerie) or the occasional tshirt (black from anywhere, anime from Hot Topic or similar). She also wears my clothes when her preferred clothes are dirty lol.

She doesn't wear shorts despite our warm climate.

[186momx]

DD is going into MS and the info she has gotten from a couple older girls is she can't go wrong with leggings and hoodies. We start in September and I'm guessing she will do capri leggings with a crop top and a hoodie over it.

Well I just read the student dress code and nothing DD owns will cut the dress code. At her old school I specifically asked the principal and she said they only ever talked to parents if the clothing was beyond bad and normally that was to ask the family if they needed a voucher for the district clothes closet. Principal words were as long as she looks presentable, and it doesn't affect her learning they don't care. Guess I will have to be asking questions once school admin return to school at the end of August.

[erbear]

We don’t have a dress code and both of my girls wear soccer jerseys and athletic shorts pretty much every day but I teach 8th and the kids wear a lot of AE, vineyard vines, Nike, adidas, etc. Lots of leggings and jean shorts, tank tops, t-shorts. Pretty non-descript.

[madringal]

MS for my daughter was all about skinny jeans and t shirts. She is a pretty simple kid though.

Her friends were all about mom jeans and crop tops. Their MS very much allowed crop tops which blows my mind.

Hollister, AE, Aerie, HM, Gliks seem to be the clothing store favorites.

[MDmomof2]

I recommend holding off on buying too much before the school year starts, if you can. I always wait until DD goes to school and sees what everyone else is wearing and what she wants her look to be. I skip all the Back to School Sales, which makes me sad, but I'd rather buy her slightly more expensive things she likes and wears than inexpensive items I have to donate nearly unworn.

[jinkies]

My son swears that every girl he knows wears Nike Air Force 1s, and from school events that I've attended, that seems about right.

First year of middle school (which is 7th grade here), he stuck with American Eagle and Hollister because they seemed "safe" and he was still figuring out his style. He is now going into 9th and feeling more secure in choosing other clothes.

[abs]

Jul 14, 2022 14:00:39 GMT -5 MDmomof2 said:

I recommend holding off on buying too much before the school year starts, if you can. I always wait until DD goes to school and sees what everyone else is wearing and what she wants her look to be. I skip all the Back to School Sales, which makes me sad, but I'd rather buy her slightly more expensive things she likes and wears than inexpensive items I have to donate nearly unworn.

Yeah this is probably best.  Adult clothes are freaking expensive!  We will just get some shorts and go from there.  I don't want to wait too long on those because end of season sales are starting already!

I know a lot of girls just wear skinny jeans because it's easiest for dress code purposes.  That will not be DD.  The girl hates the way jeans feel and also hates being hot.  

[minniemouse]

Last year, in 7th grade, dd got really into Hollister. Before that she didn’t care much. We mix in cheaper pieces from kohls, old navy, and target (juniors section) too, to save money. She’s been wearing converse sneakers. Most girls her age wear white Nikes though.

[AdaraMarie]

My middle schooler wears only athletic shorts and shirts. She changes to sweatpants and hoodies when it's cold. She has a lot of basketball style longer shorts too. A lot of kids dress similarly, but I think their dress code is "anything that covers your underwear/bra"

[luckystar2]

Jul 14, 2022 14:00:39 GMT -5 MDmomof2 said:

I recommend holding off on buying too much before the school year starts, if you can. I always wait until DD goes to school and sees what everyone else is wearing and what she wants her look to be. I skip all the Back to School Sales, which makes me sad, but I'd rather buy her slightly more expensive things she likes and wears than inexpensive items I have to donate nearly unworn.

Yes for starting middle school I recommend this too. My dd wasn’t super into fashion, trendy stuff. So I got her a few things before starting MS but told her to wait and see what everyone else was wearing and what she wanted before we bought the big chunk of stuff. That worked out well.

My dd loves going to Plato’s closet. Is that a thing everywhere? It’s a trendy consignment shop. It’s great because you can find stuff from all the popular places all there at once. She has no problems with the fact it is consignment store - she loves finding stuff and getting a bunch of things (because the price is so cheap!).

Her faves are: American Eagle, aerie, Aeropostale, abercrombie, shein, kohls. Her jeans and shorts are AE and abercrombie. Doubtful they shorts would pass the fingertip test! Not sure where to find that!

[starlily]

My soon to be 6th grader pretty much lives in leggings or joggers with a t shirt and hoodies, but has started branching out into some rompers and 90s style dresses. She likes stuff mostly from Athleta, Zara, Old Navy, and Target.

Our district actually eliminated the fingertip rule this year! Now shorts and skirts merely "must cover the posterior." There is still rule about exposed midriffs, however, so any crop tops have to be worn with something longer underneath.

[julygal]

My oldest cannot stand being hot and feels overheated easily, so she could not do the leggings and jeans all her friends wore. We found shorts with a 5" inseam or labeled midi was long enough for our school. They technically don't meet the fingertip rule, but hit her thigh low enough that no one has questioned it. She likes Unionbay's "Darcy" which are juniors sizing and come in a variety of colors. We can get them at Macy's, Kohl's or Amazon. I would also advise on waiting to buy the bulk of it until she gets a sense of what she wants.

[caidan]

My daughter starts middle school and all the girls a year above her love the shorts linked below. They were them with a tank top.

www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4JMGKCT/ref=dp_iou_view_item?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They also were hoodies, athelica and vans.

School T shirts like the free ones they get from doing sports camps are also something a lot of them wear.

I don't know know if the school has a dress code or not, but it doesn't appear that there is. crop tops are definitely worn.

[nicolewi]

When I was in middle school, name brands were VERY important, and everyone had the same things. At least for my kids, does not seem the same. I got DD trendy stuff last year and then it turned out most kids at her small school just wore old shapeless sweatshirts. This year they have uniforms, which we kind of hate, but whatever. Boring but we can get through it.

[midwestmama]

My DD starts 6th grade this upcoming school year. I've gotten her a few things at American Eagle, but we're holding off until after school starts to buy more school clothes so she can get an idea of what the other kids are wearing and what she wants to wear.

My DS was in 6th grade last year, and wore athletic shorts/pants and t-shirts/sweatshirts (usually Adidas, UA, Nike, Champion, and school logo) all year. Most of his friends and the other MS boys wore the same thing.

[goldengirlz]

Jul 14, 2022 12:43:11 GMT -5 cmeon said:

There really isn't a universal place to shop- kids start to branch out into what they like at this age, and yes- figuring that part out takes some time. I'd stick to comfortable basics for now- we're in CFL, and I swear- 75% of the middle schoolers are in hoodies and jeans from the beginning of the year through the end of the year. It doesn't matter how hot it is.

My DC and most of their friends dress like in California too. I think it’s partly a puberty thing.

I still buy most of DC’s clothes at Target but they aren’t into fashion at all. And they refuse to wear shorts — only joggers. (That said, while I consider our 75 degree August weather to be hot, I know that’s 20+ degrees cooler than Texas!)

[somersault72]

DS is getting ready to start HS(!!!). In MS most kids wore athletic pants/shorts/leggings and t-shirts and hoodies.

[abs]

Update:

DD and I did a bit of shopping today. She ended up liking American Eagle the most. She got two pairs of jean shorts that should be long enough and a pair of baggy straight jeans. She also got a tee shirt from Tilly’s. We will hold off on shoes and anything else until school actually starts. There were quite a few teen girls also shopping in the same stores so that helped her a bit I think.

[abs]

Jul 18, 2022 11:56:29 GMT -5 goldengirlz said:

Jul 14, 2022 12:43:11 GMT -5 cmeon said:

There really isn't a universal place to shop- kids start to branch out into what they like at this age, and yes- figuring that part out takes some time. I'd stick to comfortable basics for now- we're in CFL, and I swear- 75% of the middle schoolers are in hoodies and jeans from the beginning of the year through the end of the year. It doesn't matter how hot it is.

My DC and most of their friends dress like in California too. I think it’s partly a puberty thing.

I still buy most of DC’s clothes at Target but they aren’t into fashion at all. And they refuse to wear shorts — only joggers. (That said, while I consider our 75 degree August weather to be hot, I know that’s 20+ degrees cooler than Texas!)

75 degrees is 30 degrees colder than our current temps, lol! God I love San Francisco summers. Absolute favorite place to be in August.

[secretagent]

Thanks to this thread, I'm looking at Abercombie Kids clearance for my not-into-clothes middle schoolers in anticipation of them caring one day. Any sizing pointers? I know Abercrombie runs small in general.

Both are slim, under 58" and probably 60-65 lbs. Wearing 8 and 10 Slim swim separates from Lands End if that helps, M and L Cat & Jack (the L is baggy on them but I guess in style). Thinking 11/12 tops, maybe 9/10 for a 2 piece swimsuit?

[formerlyak]

My kids are in elementary and high school, but my our high school is next to the middle school. Most of the girls I see are wearing yoga pants and t-shirts or hoodies. Nordstrom Rack has Zella Girls which is similar in style to Athleta and Lululemon (it was actually started by a former Lululemon designer) but it is much cheaper.