Argh--jeans for junior girls? What's not horrid?

14 years ago

Has zipper material suddenly gotten overwhelmingly expensive? Seems that no manufacturers want to use more than a couple of inches of it in any pair of jeans for junior girls these days. I'm in a deep quandary...

What lines of jeans are decent for girls to wear when they leave size 16? I don't want nun-like, but I don't want street-walker, either...Is there *anything*? DD has plenty of nice Nike yoga pants, which look fabulous with sneakers or decent shoes or even boots, but she's grown out of her last pair of kid jeans and we have to face the fact she needs to be in a junior size now, like Junior size 1. Clothes have changed so much since I last wore a junior size, before my hips opened from pregnancy. I really could use some help/pointing in some good directions for middle-school-girl jeans that aren't prudish but not sl*tty either. Honestly, I don't see jeans I feel comfortable with on any of her friends...I have a real problem with what it says about girls if they have 2" of zipper...thanks in advance.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (17)

geogirl1
14 years ago
Welcome to my world! The best jeans for teens unfortunately are in some of those "teen" stores. The best jeans that fit your criteria are at Aeropostle, American Eagle, Macy's, and Nordstrom's. Nordstrom's is expensive, but they do have jeans that fit. Stay away from Abercrombie. Old Navy should also have jeans for her. I like Aeropostle the best. They have great sales, so the jeans are actually reasonably priced when on sale. They have lots of styles and they are one of the "acceptable" teen brands, albeit on the low end. Have fun shopping!
work_in_progress_08
14 years ago
Welcome. Step right into the Hollister store in the mall. You will be unable to hear yourself think, so spending inordinate amounts of money for your DD will be no worry - until they ring you...

Seriously, you have to go with her the first time while you still can and I am assuming that. lol DD wanted to shop ALONE. We've gotten Hollister, Wet Seal on the cheap and because only store that carried DD size 00. Also, Delia has the smaller waists with longer lengths if you order catalog, but you must visit the store as I am sure your DD is as mine, they must fit perfectly. Oh, PacSun, I don't know where you live, so I could be giving you names you don't have in your area. UGH

I will tell you a little secret, GAP makes womens jeans in a lower rise (read: you can actually wear underwear). Trouble may be fitting your DD. Mine had no butt and legs that go for a mile so GAP was not an option for her, but a few of her friends were successful.

This was one thing that tortured me for years with my own DD, so I wish you luck in your journey,
Related Discussions
? for mom's who are raising/raised girls or what worked with you?
Q
Comments (26)
Hi lyfia! and congratulations on your baby girl. I have a 10yo dd. Both dh and I are introverts. I was painfully shy as a child. Neither of us had a lot of parental support growing up, and I think this is a major cause of our social insecurity. My DD is probably the most extroverted person I've ever met. She will go up to anybody and strike up a conversation. She went on a sleepover with a group of girls she never met last week - no fears, she said "It's another chance to make new friends!" So, your daughter is not absolutely destined to be shy or insecure. I didn't do anything special. I couldn't stand being cooped up in the house when she was tiny so we went to the park almost every day. I soon met lots of other moms (depite my shyness) and other kids her age. The going to the park and hanging out lasted for her first five years, by which time she had a large group of people she knew, and felt comfortable with the moms as well as the girls and boys. At five she started school, and that went very well for the first couple of years. She loved her teachers and got along well with the other kids. But in second grade the whole alpha girl/wolf pack mentality kicked in and she just didn't understand what was going on. The playground can be a really cruel place. In addition, she was getting tons of homework that seemed downright silly and timewasting, so we decided to pull her out of school for a break and try homeschooling. The homeschooling was my dh's idea. I felt dd was much to social to do it. As it turns out, the socializing she gets from homeschooling is far superior to that at school. DD has kept a couple of friends from school, some old buddies from the park days, and has scads of friends from dancing, science class, Girl Scouts, gymnastics, swim team, etc. - and is able to interact with them all without the kind of survival-of-the-nastiest mentality that comes when you put 50 kids of the same age onto a playground. And the greatest thing about homeschooling is that you get to stay close to your kid. When she was at school I really felt like my role as a parent was being supplanted by teachers, school administration, and most of all, by other kids. Now we are just as close as when she was younger, and I think that bodes well for when she hits the adolescent years. But I didn't mean to write an ode to homeschooling! Really, my main thoughts are: *Stay close to your daughter. There's no such thing as too many hugs and kisses. *Don't compare her to other kids. Yes, other kids will talk sooner, walk sooner, be potty trained - whatever. Let her go at her own pace. They'll all walk and talk sooner or later. *Take all parenting books with a grain (or a pound) of salt. In fact, I would minimize the reading of parenting books altogether. They make you paranoid. *Get out of the house. Expose her to lots of other kids and adults. *Let her be alone sometimes (as she gets older.) Let her learn to enjoy her own company. *Have people over. Family, neighbors - the more people she meets the more she'll feel capable of dealing with. *Don't worry about making mistakes. I sometimes think that my own concerns about dd - that she would be shy and extra-sensitive like her mama - actually helped her out. For example, I didn't want to leave her at kindergarten (the parents were allowed stay for the first day) until she finally said "I think this would be more fun if you went home." I guess what I'm saying is, let her be the one to decide when she is ready to fly solo, rather than pushing her out of the nest. Okay, this has been way too long a break from work! You are a great mom, and your daughter is going to be just fine. Amy
...See More
My Momma used to....
Q
Comments (24)
Alexr- I memorized "Abou Ben Adhem" for my 6th grade class because my mom told me SHE had memorized it for school, too! My parents are in their 80s and now live in Florida after a lifetime in NYC. I had a typical NYC 1960s childhood- stay at home mom, 4-room apartment, shared a bedroom with my sister, dad worked two jobs. My mom was definitely not a cook. The only vegetable I ever saw came out of a can or a frozen food package. But my mom put a hot meal on the table every night at 6:00pm- mostly red meat and potatoes. She had a regular routine- Monday was steak, Tuesday was spaghetti and meatballs, Wednesday was stew, Thursday was lamb chops, and Friday was chicken, and for special occasions- pot roast! Saturday was potluck, deli, or Chinese food, and Sunday we visited our grandparents for chicken soup and boiled chicken & mashed potatoes dinner- with a "dumb waiter" in the kitchen! But my mom was always ready for homework projects- loved to help us with costumes, dioramas, book reports. We always played word games at dinner and danced with my dad after dinner every night- anyone remember the Bossa Nova? Every Weekend we went on a "show & tell" outing, so my sister and I would have something to share with our class on Monday. We visited every free museum and historic site in the city with our Brownie Starflash camera. My dad always thought my mom was beautiful. She was a petite red head, and even though she's totally grey now, he still refers to her as the "red head". My mom has never spent a penny without okaying it with my dad first. And he always tells her to buy whatever she wants, but he likes to see her model the outfits first. We all watched the one TV in the living room together- I remember seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan in 1964! My dad loved to buy us toys, and my shared bedroom was overflowing with hula hoops, roller skates, Ginny dolls, Barbie dolls, Slinky, Lionel trains, board games, and 45rpm records. I was a lucky girl!
...See More
What did your first apartment look like?
Q
Comments (31)
OMG, what a fun thread . . and what memories! My first apartment was in 1974 in Deerfield Beach, Florida. I'd gotten my RT degree and had been working in Detroit (New Dawn, we were there at the same time!) at the Children's Hospital, but tired of the hour-long drive back to my parent's home in the suburbs . . not to mention Michigan's cold, gray, slushy winters. One day, I'd had enough and three weeks later I was on my way to a new, exciting job in Ft. Lauderdale as the head of a Special Procedures Department at one of the local hospitals down there. I had no furniture,no dishes, pots or pans; nothing but my clothes, etc. to take with me. I had to buy everything when I moved in. Thank goodness I had a nice bit of money saved! Mine was a one bedroom apt on the third floor of a 3-story building about a 1/2 mile from the ocean. It had a screened-in porch that overlooked the pool area. I found a couple comfy folding patio chairs and a little table at my Publix grocery store for out there. My gram took me to a furniture store on Federal Highway in Boca Raton and I got the prettiest green & white bamboo print sofa, white wicker coffee and end tables there, a big wicker throne chair and a couple of yellow ceramic table lamps, too. I loved it all, as it looked so exotic . . . and so un-Michigan! I had no dining room table or bar area, so I guess I must have eaten at my coffee table. I probaby ate most of my meals during the week at either of my grandparents homes, though! Both sets had retired to Deerfireld Beach a few years before. Gosh, I haven't thought about this for 20 years,at least! My grandparent's lived in a condo on the ocean and their many retired friends were always giving me decorative pieces for my place. They taught me to make all sorts of great appetizers . . . which is what they all seemed to live on. That and Tanqueray & Tonics. I don't mean to infer that they had drinking problems; I just remember a LOT of cocktail parties. One gave me a large framed print of one of Henri Rousseau's Jungle paintings for my living room. I got my queen size bed, and dresser from one of them, too. They were all missing their own grandkids a lot and I became the substitute grandchild to many of them. They were such sweet, wonderful people! I have such great memories of them all. I bought a beautiful green & pink on white jungle print bedspread with tropical leaves and flowers on it. . and I still have it today! It's tattered and torn, but I loved it so much I've kept it all these years. I never did own a tv in my four years down in Florida and I don't recall ever missing it. I spent my evenings during the week listening to music and reading or playing tennis with friend's. Weekend days were ALWAYS spent at our local beach with my friends, swimming, surfing, scuba diving and playing beach volleyball . . . or waterskiing up and down the Intracoastal Waterway. We spent the evenings at the nightclubs in and around Ft.L and Miami. Anybody remember Big Daddy's Brother Jim's in Ft.L? We also spent a lot of time down in Key West, scuba diving and beaching it. I got to know KC & The Sunshine Band when they were just locals playing at the clubs around Miami. Those were a wonderful, exciting and life-changing four years for me. What great memories! Thanks New Dawn :~) Lynn
...See More
Question for today 3/21
Q
Comments (21)
This is such a great thread, thanks Vicky. My Mom was a professional seamstress and made mens suites. She had RA and became bed ridden when I was 4 and lost her eyesight when I was 7. She instilled the love of sewing and a lady I lived with helped me make a jumper when I was 11. That's all it took. I tried everything on my mom's treadle. Thank goodness for Home Ec. classes! I took 4 years of sewing in high school and the Home Ec. teachers were so helpful and took a great interest in my sewing. I made my bridesmaid and flower girl dresses for my own wedding at age 21. As many of you, I sewed for my family, made curtains, pillow covers, costumes for skating carnivals, school plays. During the 80s I sold crafts at various shows and I made good pocket money. It was tough years for farming so early 1990 I went back to office work full time and sewing go put away. I retired from this office position in 2001 and took out my sewing again. If I had a choice I would be sewing clothing, but as someone said, noone is interested so my alternative is quilting. It is very different from clothing and I struggle with choosing colors. I belong to a guild and an afternoon quilting bee where I have made the best of friends. I make mostly throw size quilts and try to make several charity quilts each year. Anything to do with sewing is so much fun to me. Friendships I have made are the best and having a forum like this is very special. Jean
...See More
tomorrowisanotherday
14 years ago
I certainly understand the dilemma! When shopping for jeans for my DD we actually wound up at our local HORSETOWN--it's a store for all things horse-related! They had a huge supply of jeans that were capable of covering her butt reasonably well. She wound up getting some boot-cut Levi's that ran around $28 or so. Later, I spied these jeans at Kohl's, same price too.

You know, it's not that I have to see her looking all "Hannah Anderson,"...but I don't want that trashy heroine-chic thing either. Why is it so hard to find middle ground????? BTW, we had NO luck at Aeropostal or Old Navy. She abhors the skinny legs and that's all they had in her size. Bummer.

Oh, you might try Walmart too. I rarely do any clothes shopping there, but we found a few pairs of jeans that are actually pretty nice. And since she's still growing, I don't really care if they are super-durable.

I wonder about ordering from Lands' End...that might be a possibility.
geogirl1
14 years ago
The problem with teen girls is that many (but not all of them!) are in these 00 or 1/2 or 1 sizes. "Regular" jeans aren't made for them, because these girls' proportions are "off" womenÂs. Their waist to inseam ratios is teen-like, not woman-like. So, regular jeans don't work. The waists are too big in the back in order to get the length you need for a teen.

I also agree with Work in Progress - Delia's and Wet Seal are big hits. No Holister for us, it's the same with Abercrombie. Too sexualized for me; my 14 year old doesn't like it either. Yeah!!
sweeby
14 years ago
Along the 'Horse Town' lines, if she's narrow in the hip and long legged, boy's jeans (Levi's) might still be an option.
parma42
14 years ago
I'll echo sweeby.

When I was young, I had no hips and no butt. Guy's jeans did the trick.
terezosa / terriks
14 years ago
The good news is that really long tops are in style!
mahatmacat1
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks, you all! I'm so glad to know I'm not alone--I was a bit afraid last night after I posted that someone would reply with something like "you're cramping your daughter's style--you should let her dress like her friends" but honestly she's creeped out by the clothing her friends wear too! She's very athletic, and if my DD could wear athletic clothing all the time, I think she'd be happiest :). Her friends from her homeschool resource center classes aren't athletic, and they dress in ways that, as DD says, "they couldn't run if they wanted to!" LOL. Love that girl's sense of priorities :). We'll be seeing what her XC friends (she runs with a local inter-school track club) wear in their off-hours in a couple of weeks on a road trip...should be interesting...

But in terms of sizes, DD is definitely in the no-hips-no-butt category (the adjustable tabs on girls pants were the only things that allowed her to wear jeans at all during her 'youth' :))--I'll look at Levis again. Our problem with them so far has been that all the boy-size pants that are long enough to fit her legs are too big around her waist! She's a pony, for sure--takes after her nice tall Dad, not her short monkey-Mom :) -- so she's got legs forever and just the barest suggestion of hips.

You all have given me some great suggestions - I'll report back with what worked. This is such a fabulous age, so exciting for the girls, as they work through their own identities and try out different personae...
mahatmacat1
Original Author
14 years ago
OH, and re horsetown - I was online yesterday and wouldn't you know it, the most likely jeans I found were from a horse-riding supply place! Guess you don't want to do the Norge when you're roping calves :) I really appreciate that they make *workable* jeans for Western riding girls. I'll definitely check those out, after your recommendation.
tomorrowisanotherday
14 years ago
*NORGE* HAHAHAHAHA!
leahcate
14 years ago
Ya know, this style is soooo over, or should be. Just yesterday I again wondered if the wholesome--mom-type, thirty-something knew her b.crack was showing about 4- 5 inches as she bent down to view toys. I mean, who in their right mind would wish that for themselves, much less their children. Yes, children, for as you all know, it's hard to get away from this even in the 2-6x sizes. Don't get me started on the glamorizing- Bratzation of our little girls*!
My tall, slim 10 year old was trying on jeans in Gap kids and none of the sz. 16's are comfy( too tight in the legs, she says). I sneak over to the boys section and find a perfect fit for her. We girly-ed them up with a scarf belt. I hunt and hunt and just hope to get lucky. Good to see some of the ideas here. We have also adopted the popular not-too-short skirts with tights look, and the the plaid shirt-waist dresses over tights.
mahatmacat1
Original Author
14 years ago
OY Gevalt...we just spent a marathon session in the mall...I've crawled back to my computer to let you all know that *one* pair, yes *one* pair of everything she tried on Sears, Macy's, j.crew, gap, some other place, and finally Nordstrom girl's section fit her. ONE pair at Nordstrom. And still it's too big in back, so I have to do some darts for her.

At least they were on sale.

It's called "Hydraulic", and we got a look we swore we'd never get, but at that point we were so d*mn tired we just took them...they have fake holes in them. UGH. But at least there's a decent-size rise.

We didn't have the energy to backtrack and go to Gap Kids, partly because they never have sz. 16s there -- evidently petite ladies always take them. SO, I'll go online and see what there is for her in the Hydraulic line elsewhere on the web.

It was funny--maybe it was just the correct thing to do, but there wasn't one salesperson who wasn't sympathetic to our search for higher-rise jeans. They all hate them too at least that what they said.

Thanks to you all I didn't even have to set foot in Abercrombie, and for that I am eternally grateful.

leah, I'm surprised you had good luck in the boys section--they're always too wide for their length for my DD. I kept trying, and it never paid off. So I should say we checked both juniors and boys in all those sections until we got to Nordstrom and went to the kids' section.

She's just happy to have a pair of jeans again!
golddust
14 years ago
Well, if I had to choose between a 1/2" long zipper and a couple holes, I think I would choose the holes too. Shopping is so exhausting. I'm glad you found something!

So you got a girl's size and not a junior size? Maybe that is why you are making darts? LOL!
golddust
14 years ago
Fly, did you encounter anything close to these jeans on your shopping spree today? I hope not! Speaking of zipper shortages...

Here is a link that might be useful: OMG jeans!
mahatmacat1
Original Author
14 years ago
OY gevalt again! golddust, DD's reaction: "I want to laugh and cry at the same time!"

love that kid :)

And we tried juniors, really - couldn't find a mid-rise there that fit at all. Supposedly there's a 00S in "long & lean" at gap, but I haven't found it yet. That's the only one that might fit her of the juniors, but it's still big around the waist. She's almost 5'5" (I'm only 5'3"...) and all young colt leg. And this evening after I posted, I just found a gap 18 slim pair of black jeans at eBay with adjustable waist (bought it now pronto), so we get to hang on to the adjustable waist thing for at least one pair of pants longer--yeah!
segbrown
14 years ago
My 11-y-o daughter is younger and smaller, but she is also long and lean. We found the brand Tractor, which I think is only a girls brand, but the 12s and 14s fit her quite well. She is 5'2" and 75 lb. Maybe a larger size in that brand would help?

Incidentally, if anyone else is looking for long skinny pants for girls, we found Tractor at Nordstrom last year, and I was glad to pay full price for something that fit. But it wasn't one of the more expensive brands, maybe $35? Anyway, this season I found a bunch at TJ Maxx for $14.99 a pair, and emptied them out of size 14. So check your local TJM ...

UPDATE ... I just checked on the Nordstrom site, and it looks like they only go up to 16. Not enough for OP, I don't think, but maybe someone else can benefit from the info.
mahatmacat1
Original Author
14 years ago
We saw those, but they didn't fit...I don't remember why.

BUT the TJ Maxx tip is great! Thanks! Maybe we'll find some Hydraulic too.

btw, Tractor, Hydraulic...what's the idea?

Argh--jeans for junior girls? What's not horrid?

Comments (17)

geogirl1

work_in_progress_08

Related Discussions

tomorrowisanotherday

geogirl1

sweeby

parma42

terezosa / terriks

mahatmacat1
Original Author

mahatmacat1
Original Author

tomorrowisanotherday

leahcate

mahatmacat1
Original Author

golddust

golddust

mahatmacat1
Original Author

segbrown

mahatmacat1
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Argh--jeans for junior girls? What's not horrid?

Comments (17)

Related Discussions

mahatmacat1Original Author

mahatmacat1Original Author

mahatmacat1Original Author

mahatmacat1Original Author

mahatmacat1Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

mahatmacat1
Original Author

mahatmacat1
Original Author

mahatmacat1
Original Author

mahatmacat1
Original Author

mahatmacat1
Original Author