Comments on: Teenager chic on a budget

By: Elise

Elise — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:02:14 +0000

I have to second the recommendation for thrift stores. I get almost ALL of my clothes there. Hopefully the writer (teen) lives in a large enough city that there are many to choose from — some of them seem to have better clothing than others. But even a small-ish town should have several — my mother lives in a town of fewer than 100,000 people and there are at least 5 thrift stores. Her fave is the one run by the hospital auxilary, because the donations are generally from doctors’ families. She gets some amazing deals there!

Good luck on your quest!

By: Laurin

Laurin — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:28:42 +0000

Seconding Melissa’s advice about Plato’s Closet and tennesseegal’s recommendation for Steve & Barry’s! Also, although not quite a STORE you can often find really cute stuff on ebay, oftentimes new with tags. I buy my pre-teen daughter new stuff on ebay (and the other stores I mentioned) all the time.

By: tennesseegal

tennesseegal — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 04:33:44 +0000

If you have a Steve and Barry’s in you area, hit them up. Nothing retails for more than $20, and they carry Sarah Jessica Parker’s Bitten Line as well Amanda Bynes’s Dear Line. Watch for the quality though….some things are well made while others are not.

I got an adorable coat there for $20, and I know they have jeans on sale right now for about $10!

also check out the clearance section on wet seal. it can be really hit and miss, but you can find some amazingly awesome deals there…like basic tops and layer pieces for around $5-$10.

happy shopping!!!

By: Jamie

Jamie — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:50:06 +0000

I’m 36 Carmie– doin’ the same thing–so I must be a bag lady in comparison!

By: carmie

carmie — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:15:34 +0000

Yes, fantastic advice.

I still wear long-john shirts under Threadless t-shirts, and I’m pushing 30 Am I a bag lady or mutton dressed as lamb?

By: carolyn

carolyn — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:05:06 +0000

Really great advice, Mir. And this coming from a not cool 45 year old mom of teens.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 02:01:56 +0000

Two words: Plato’s Closet! It’s an awesome chain of resale shops aimed at teens.

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 01:06:06 +0000

Along with these great suggestions (I love the thrift store idea especially if you know the brands you are looking for!), I have heard good things about the national chain, Plato’s Closet. Here’s the website: http://www.platoscloset.com/about_us.html

It’s a resale shop that caters to those in their teens/20’s.

By: jj

jj — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 19:43:02 +0000

I think also, one thing that jeans & t-shirts teenaged girls have trouble with is accessories. (Because, well… jeans & t-shirts don’t need many accessories!) If she wants to go layered and a little more fashionable, scarves, hats, a decent bag and even like slouchy gloves can go a long way to update your wardrobe without costing a lot of money… especially if you can hit the thrift stores, or craft your own.

By: Brigitte

Brigitte — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:55:30 +0000

I so miss getting to wear campty choices, and wearing long-john shirts under T-shirts. Bummer.

(Shhh – sometimes I dress like a bag-lady anyway, don’t tell!)

Great advice – and when the season is right, hit the church rummage sales. Again, there’s a sea of plaid polyester, but if you’re willing to search, you can find dirt-cheap treasure.