6th form Girls-what clothes to buy? Where?

[ToadMum]

As a preparation for university life, 'business dress' is a very strange stipulation - apart from 'scrubbing up' for a few more formal events, I doubt that DS1 has worn anything other than jeans, T-shirt, leather jacket / long coat if particularly cold, all year at Birmingham. Admittedly, the leather jacket is a very nice Superdry one (last year's early Christmas present) and the coat Pierre Cardin (previously unworn find in a local charity shop) but not what most folk mean by 'business wear'. In fact, only those who are not going to university but are spending a gap year / taking up an apprenticeship or just a job in an office setting are likely to find themselves needing to dress in that way on a regular basis.

[silverysea]

That makes me laugh- I'd love for her to wear whatever she likes- but she always wears saggy pilled tracksuit bottoms and the nearest shirt, which might be my oversized pyjama top or her sisters discarded tshirt from the floor - invariably adorned with her last few meals. I just threw out my 20 year old perished once-White reeboks that she recently took a shine to- they really looked awful, I used them for gardening.

I got her to look at her elephant-shaped and coloured back view in the mirror, before going out for a family meal, and she laughed and tied a (grey! Argh) hoody round her waist! She is slim and beautiful nonetheless, and I envy her nonchalant approach but I fear it Will Not Do!

It's not just summer, she genuinely was happy in her black stained outgrown pulled-thread well worn school uniform, with frayed cuffs and high water trousers.

Just not into clothes, I guess it's my fault.

[KB]

I don't think requiring business dress is supposed to be preparing then for what they will be wearing at University.

At DCs' school it was a privilege instead if wearing uniform and seen as putting 6th formers on a par with the other adults in the school including teaching staff.
In a school where the 6th formers provided role models and mentors for the younger pupils it would have been odd for them to wear University student style clothing.

[copella]

Silversea your daughter seems delightfully unaffected. Perhaps take her out and get her to buy something in her style. At 16 I fear it is too late to be buying them clothes or having too much influence over their styles. My own DSs pay no attention to me and my only input is to ensure they are at least wearing something clean!!!

[silverysea]

In my day at Uni, jumpers with the elbows out in tatters were pretty common. and they were not a fashion statement, more an economic one!

Her dad and I got her some nice simple basic things at H&M-black bottoms white/cream tops. that'll last a day or two then I reckon they will be back in jeans and hoodies, if allowed. still she will have it for important outings/open day/whatever.

She valued my advice! about creasing/washing/going with everything/lasting a while. and trying it on properly.

[ToadMum]

A propos good old H&M (or 'Hennes', as it is still referred to chez Toad, since DH and yours truly are old and crumbly and set in our ways ), don't forget their 'save the planet' scheme, or whatever it's called. Donate a bagful of scruffy old clothes / shoes / textiles and receive in return a voucher for £5 off when you spend at least £25 in one go. We have collected several this year, so some vouchers distributed amongst offspring and friends. DS1 got two nice duvet cover sets a couple of weeks ago - they cost a little over the minimum each, so he bought one and I bought the other. Thus teaching him strategic shopping skills, as well as making sure that he actually has some bedlinen to use for the coming year, as he has a double bed in his new shared house, leading to draughty bits around the edges of his old single duvet.

Our current batch expire tomorrow, so another little shopping trip may be in order, methinks .

[Amber]

A propos good old H&M (or 'Hennes', as it is still referred to chez Toad, since DH and yours truly are old and crumbly and set in our ways ), don't forget their 'save the planet' scheme, or whatever it's called.

I am so excited to read that! My kids take the P*** out of me something terrible for calling it Hennes (which as I know you know TM means 'hers' in Swedish) as they do indeed any overt manifestation that I can speak other languages. They think in fact that I call it Hennes in an attempt to show off rather than a throwback to what it was once known as. For similar reasons I also pronounce IKEA differently from most people here with the I as in 'milk' not 'ice'. Old habits die hard.

[ToadMum]

Amber - if you ever watch 'commercial' telly, you will find that we now have 'Ik-Kea' here now

Our DC have been brought up hearing H&M called 'Hennes'; they don't even correct us. All of them had quantities of the things we actually bought new for them when they were younger (as opposed to from charity shops) from there and we have recently started shopping there more again. Possibly something to do with the voucher scheme? If their friends look at us a bit askance on the name front, I just point out that we are old, etc, but they can see that, anyway . I can even remember when the title was '...and Mauritz', but tend to keep quiet about that...