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  1. #1
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    Default Teen boys and clothing

    Wondering what other teen boys (or older tweens) are wearing. My 14-year-old is super picky about clothes. Just spent an exhausing 3-4 hours at the mall with him and his less-than-willing younger brother. I seriously walked over 8,000 steps!

    His most common mode of dress in name-brand athletic wear (Nike, Under Armour, some Adidas and Puma). He likes shorts and the dry fit style shirts the best. We also bought a few pairs of long pants (though will only wear them if it is extremely cold or over shorts on the way to the bus). The other type of shirt he tends to wear are t-shirts from races or school soccer team shirts.

    He also likes to "dress up" about once/week in a Polo or American Eagle polo style short sleeve shirt (the latter is still a bit large for him) and cargo khaki shorts or occassionally cargo long pants. He also will wear a crew neck tee (solid) and just bought a waffle textured longsleeve shirt to pair with cargos. He also considers American Eagle graphic t-shirts and cargos to be dressed up. : )

    For shoes, he's into Nike, but he can't fit too many types due to having a wide foot. He used to like loud colors but this year chose black. We just got him a pair of Sperries in canvas (they are two-toned--kind of original--they look like a canvas boat shoe). I see a lot of teens in solid canvas sneaks around here--like Vans, maybe?

    He likes a thin sweatshirt or his soccer warm-up jacket as a coat. He has a North Face fleece from last year that he'll wear if it's below 30.
    Winter coat? A no go so far. He's grown out of his LL Kids parka and has nothing for this year (I asked him what he'll do if he wants to shovel snow or gets asked to go skiing?). I really don't know what he'll be willing to wear.

    To make matters worse, the high schoolers do not use their lockers and instead carry their backpacks all day long. He has a HUGE (and I mean huge) LL Bean commuter backpack that can hold the immediate world. But he probably wouldn't want to stuff a winter coat into it.

    All this "name brand this," "name brand that" makes him sound like a snob, but he's very appreciative when I do take him shopping.

    I feel like there's not a ton of variety in his wardrobe. He doesn't really have all that much--he's tough to fit (short for age and athletic build).

    Anybody else? Oh, and my 11 almost 12-year-old doesn't care what he wears at all. Rarely. He did get excited about picking his sneakers for school this year, but that's unusual for him.
    Lisa
    Mama to Jack (4/20/01)
    and Joshua (11/16/03)

  2. #2
    SnuggleBuggles is offline Black Diamond level (25,000+ posts)
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    My teen doesn't care one bit. I buy him whatever and he wears it. He's unaware that brands even exist. . Uniforms for school so I don't need to buy him much anyway.

  3. #3
    g-mama is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    My son will be 15 in a couple of weeks - a freshman in high school. He cares very much about what he wears. He plays soccer and is very athletic, but unlike most other boys he does not like to wear athletic clothes to school. He will once in awhile when he's feeling "bummy" but prefers to wear khakis, jeans, t-shirts, button ups...for shoes either Nikes or Vans. He wears his team soccer jacket when it's cool out and will wear a North Face when it's colder. We buy his clothes from American Eagle, Hollister, and Old Navy. At 5'9, he also borrows from his dad's wardrobe now.

    I don't know why he prefers not to wear athletic clothing to school other than that I've always dressed my boys up more than that simply because I've always liked shopping and dressing them. My younger two are the same way. He also seems to get attention from the girls who compliment him for always looking nice so maybe he likes that it makes him stand out.

    I wish name brands weren't so important, but they definitely are. I am a bargain shopper and never pay full price. He had a summer job and he sometimes buys his own clothes, too.
    Kristen
    mama to 3 wild and crazy boys - ages 16, 13 and 11

  4. #4
    oneplustwo is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Our high school is the same ~ there are lockers, but nobody uses them (not convenient) and everyone carts around their enormous, overstuffed backpacks everywhere. I have a highschooler DD and two middle schooler DSs. I have no idea what DD will do when she starts to wear her winter coat; she has no room in her backpack for it. We have the same trend towards little outerwear during our freezing winters as well, at least for the boys. However, my boys were happy to have NorthFace down coats last year for the really cold and snowy days instead of their usual LL Bean sherpa hoodies, and they will wear them again this year (I bought them big to get two years out of them). Around here, teens tend to wear NorthFace for outerwear. Middle school boys are all athletic wear, all the time. High school boys are split 50-50 athletic wear and Hollister/American Eagle from what I can tell.
    “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will,
    and the other from a strong won’t.” Henry Ward Beecher

    Worry is like a rocking chair ~ it keeps you busy but it doesn't get you anywhere.

    for Sandy Hook Elementary School

  5. #5
    niccig is offline Clean Sweep forum moderator
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    My DS is nearly 11 and he wears similar clothes. He wants athletic clothes, but thankfully doesn't care about brand so wears target's version mostly. He will wear jeans but it has to be cold for him to put on long pants. He'll also wear soccer uniform shirts from previous seasons to school, and he has several of those. The trend lately is for the clothes to be bright neon. Latest pair of sneakers is neon yellow. Add to that the neon top and shorts with a neon strip, and it's blinding, but he's easy to spot at pick-up. Most of the boys in his class wear similar clothes. I've insisted on a few nicer clothes/shoes when he needs them, but I just let him choose his everyday clothes. It's not a battle I'm willing to fight. If your son is fine with his clothes, I would just let it be for daily wear, but have a few nicer things when he needs to dress up more.

  6. #6
    Globetrotter is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    I'll be watching..
    We love American eagle for dd, so I always joke that I'll buy ds's clothes there when he's a little older!
    Pro Soccer team jerseys and quirky t-shirts (woot, for instance) seem to be his thing, as of now. He still wears old shirts from naartjie too because they are soft lol

  7. #7
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    essnce629 is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Quote Originally Posted by SnuggleBuggles View Post
    My teen doesn't care one bit. I buy him whatever and he wears it. He's unaware that brands even exist. . Uniforms for school so I don't need to buy him much anyway.
    I think our kids are very similar! DS1 (12) could care less as well! He does not like sporty clothing and pretty much wears the same thing every day-- khaki shorts and a Dr. Who t-shirt (I bought him 6 for his birthday)!
    Latia (Birth & Postpartum Doula and Infant Nanny)
    Conner 8/19/03 (My 1st home birthed water baby!)
    Parker 5/23/09 (My 2nd home birthed water baby!)

  8. #8
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    My DS who is 12 is similar. He has to wear a uniform to school so his wardrobe is pretty small. The hard part is that he has a very athletic muscle-ly build. Thick thighs from all the skating he does! Pants are a nightmare to find. He likes athletic pants or cargo pants but isn't picky where they come from (thankfully!). He likes Under Armour and Nike sweatshirts but his t-shirts are usually from hockey tournaments or for our local teams (Bruins, Patriots, Red Sox). He likes the t-shirts from Old Navy since they are soft and tag-less. Not really picky as far as brands yet - he doesn't really comment much - it's more about feel and comfort still.
    DS2 is 10 and doesn't care much about clothes...shoes...well that's different! Loves to look at different Nike's

    eta: Winter coat? What's that? Seriously, my two don't wear a winter coat unless they are going skiing or sledding. They have warm up jackets for their hockey team that they wear in the winter even. The only concession is that they'll wear a hat. I don't even fight that battle...haven't for several years. I figure if they aren't allowed out for recess because they aren't dressed appropriately or if they're cold, then that's the natural consequence.
    Last edited by Meatball Mommie; 11-09-2015 at 10:13 AM.
    Karen
    -----------
    Mom to 2 hockey-playing, Lego-loving boys DS1 2003 & DS2 2005

  9. #9
    almostmom is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    DS only really wears athletic clothes to school - target nylon sweats in blacks and greys, maybe fleece pants on cold days and C9 shirts or ones from sports teams he's gotten for free. Has a few sweatshirts from sports teams (baseball and basketball) and an under armour. But all of the sudden, he has an interest in Vineyard Vines. Yikes - they are SO expensive! I have bought him a couple of half zip shirts, since I spend so little on the rest of his wardrobe, but it will get pricey. He's aware that we can't spend a ton of money on clothes, so wants to find some sales. This from a kid I've probably taken shopping at target for clothes a few times in his whole life! The teen years await...
    He will wear warm jackets- I found a Columbia one last year on the Dick's website and he likes that. Also likes the thin down jackets, which are easy to stuff in his bag. He also has a Columbia fleece from TJ Maxx that he wears regularly.
    Liz

    DS 11/03
    DD 12/05

  10. #10
    lovin2shop is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Both my boys, 13 and 7, think they are under contract with Nike...

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