Do you and your daughter have the same style?

[Sheherezade]

I'm not sure how many of you can answer this. Probably just me. I was shopping today in Target for my daughter. It has become abundantly clear to me that she and I have completely different ideas about what looks good. She's girly and in to fluffy clothes. I'm still loving that sleek thing - and I wear way to much black. I like athletic and punk. She only wears yoga pants when she has gym and only recently admitted that T-shirts are comfortable. She wears skirts 3X a week. I....don't.

Do you let your children dress themselves? At what age do you start? I do. I only correct hideous clashing. I was surprised to learn that most parents 'round these parts still pick out their children's clothes at age 7. I think I started letting DD pick her clothes at 3 or 4. DS, probably earlier. He has it easier. Boys clothes are simple.

So....how about it? Do you pick out their outfits? Do you stop them from going out the door as a fashion disaster? Do you dress in a similar style?

Oh dear, I hope that most people assume my kids picked out their own clothes! There seems to be a theory that "stripes match stripes" and "floral matches floral."

I mostly let them go for it with a few conditions -- it has to be weather appropriate and somewhat activity appropriate (no fancy clothes for finger painting and vice versa). I also pipe in on hideous clashing. DD has favorite clothes that get too short and in those cases I'll have her put a pair of pants under a dress or something so she can still wear the dress.

I don't know if we have different styles so much as she has her own ideas about what she likes and I can't always guess. If I buy something for her when she is not with me, I make sure to keep the tags and receipt in case I need to return it. I found this really cute shaggy, cozy, chenille pullover for her and she told me it looked too much like the rug in the bathroom. (This is the 6yo btw). I'd say I pick things she likes 75% of the time.

[alison]

Oh dear, I hope that most people assume my kids picked out their own clothes! There seems to be a theory that "stripes match stripes" and "floral matches floral."

Hilarious!!!

[alison]

HOW THE HECK do you quote someone? I've got over 1000 posts and still don't know how to do it!

[alison]

ARGHHGH!!!

Alison, I went and looked at your post and I'm not sure why it didn't work.

[alison]

Alison, I went and looked at your post and I'm not sure why it didn't work.

Comme ca?

[alison]

Sorry to hijack. I'll go "practice" somewhere else!

Sorry to hijack. I'll go "practice" somewhere else!

That should have worked. I don't know what the problem is. Maybe your quote switch is turned off. Just kidding, I don't think there is one. Hmmm.

[Sheherezade]

No prob Alison. I'm pretty laid back. (You can tell by my daughter's clothing. :> )

DD has this taste in puffy 50s-esque dresses that just blows my mind. I can't see them on any kid past age 3. But she looooooves them. Every year, she gets a fancy dress here because they have a GS father daughter dance that's like prom with you dad as a date. It's cute. She really looks forward to it. She's started looking at all those holiday dresses and I am so biting my tongue. I saw some very nice ones IMO today, but I know that if I bought them she'd be disappointed. Not her taste.

This was all recently cemented in my mind when we worked on decorating her room together. My daughter is Laura Ashley. I kid you not. There are a lot of flowers in there. :>

[alison]

No prob Alison. I'm pretty laid back. (You can tell by my daughter's clothing. :> )

Thanks for letting me try. I think I got it this time!

[Stella]

My mom had (still kind of has) bad taste in clothing. I've tried to help the poor lady out because she really does try, but the last time I saw her she was wearing a gorgeous tunic top with 80s striped slacks and pink Pumas.

[Phoebe]

Good question...

My mom is more conservative than I. She still wears some shirts I wore in high school and I graduated a long time ago. I would say my daughter has a different style than I do also. I am pretty casual and prefer pants. Right now, nothing fits me so I am wearing sweat pants most of the time. DD has a unique style. I started letting DD pick out her clothes at age 2 because I got tired of fighting with her. She wore this tattered ballerina costume every day over her clothes and slept in the dress as well. At age 3 from October to January, she would only wear one shirt, an orange Halloween shirt. Finally I got her to pick out another shirt and I bought two of them.

Since then she has gone through phases and now prefers only skirts or dresses. I put my foot down once in a while and tell her something and let her know she can't wear something until she gets home from school. I have a whole collection of photos of her hilarious outfit choices. If I can find them I will post them.

DD#2 has since followed in her sister's footsteps and wants to match her sister. I am determined to have some influence on DD#3, but I will probably lose that battle, as well. One mom at DD's preschool gets to pick out her daughter's clothes everyday and she is dressed to the nines, hair with hair and all.

Jennifer

[DCJenn]

OK moms of girly girls-

I insisted on a dress, tights, my 'party shoes' and bows in my hair everyday. Now? I haven't had a pair of heels on in years, my only dress is a T-shirt dress and my hair has been short since 11th grade.

Jenn

(My mom looks good all the time. She hates shopping so my dad buys her all of her clothes. He orders entire ensembles from Needless Markups and she's done. My dad took over the walk-in closet a LONG time ago. He was Metrosexual before anyone knew what it was.)

I went through this "black stage" as my Mom likes to call it. It nearly killed my proper mother. :>

We call it my "misunderstood years".