Don't girls older than 7 wear dresses anymore?

[All4one]

I'm having a really hard time finding pretty dresses for my almost 7 dd to wear to church. The choices are either dresses inappropriate for her age or flowergirl dresses. I did a search for modest dresses but they look really frumpy. I really need suggestions on where to look.

 

Sumee

[Ottakee]

Check LL Bean and Lands End for some simple dresses. I have the best luck at quality consignment shops. They tend to have very nice quality dresses reasonably priced.

[Karen in CO]

They can be pricey, but the clothes are pretty and well made and they have great sales.

 

Hanna

Mini Boden

 

The mini boden spring stuff isn't as good, but their fall and winter dresses are great.

[Lolly]

At least that is where I could find them when my girls were little. That was pretty much the only place. Little privately owned boutiques for children. My sil is very happy that I made these purchases. Her dd is SET for life!:D

[RenJac1501]

LL Bean would be a great place,

[Lady Katherine]

Been there, done that. Department stores, or sew them yourself.

[Sunflower]

We have had luck at Talbots. A few times at the local department stores but it is very hit and miss. Otherwise, it is mostly Land's End.

[Tarheel Heather]

Kohls has had some cute dresses, JC Penney, Target, that's all I can of.

[Daisy]

I buy all of DD's dresses at Lands End. She practically lives in those dresses. :) They go on sale and I snatch them up.

[Sue G in PA]

Yes, difficult to find. My dd is 11 and the dresses in her size range are out of this world! I've had luck though at Kohl's, Target, other department stores and discount chains like Marshall's or TJMaxx. Oh, TCP has some cute dresses as well!

[WTMCassandra]

:mad:I had to learn to sew to combat this problem. I. Hate. Sewing.

 

But we can often make "t-shirt dresses" for everyday wear, and they work well for us. You can make them for warm or cold weather depending on what shirt you use. We've used t-shirts, collared shirts, blouses, nice sweatshirts, long-sleeved t-shirts, etc. You basically cut off the shirt a little above the waist and sew on a gathered skirt.

 

Since a bodice is most of the work on a dress, you save time. Also, you usually don't need to fool with buttons, zipper, etc.

 

The gathered skirt is of a coordinating fabric, light or heavy, patterned or plain, depending on your needs/taste. It's easy--and remember, I really hate to sew, so I mean it.

 

For nicer dresses, we watch the thrift shops. But that's getting tougher . . . :(

 

Hope this helps.

[All4one]

Thanks all. I hadn't noticed this problem before because dd is petite and there are lots of pretty dresses up to size 6. In the last few months she went through a major growth spurt and all her skirts and dresses are above her knees. She asked for new dresses when my brother asked her what she wanted for her birthday. So I get to shop with someone else' money:). Dd and I went to Marshall's, Target, Gap, and OldNavy on the weekend and it was very disappointing. I hate mall shopping so I'm trying to avoid that if at all possible. I'm going to search the sites mentioned.

 

Sumee

[Brenda in FL]

Grandma sews all of my dd 7's dresses - so I don't have that problem. But I have noticed that Burlington Coat Factory does seem to have a nice collection of dresses.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I have tried to find my 11yodd dresses for winter, but had almost no luck. I just couldn't find anything that didn't have spaghetti straps and wasn't made from clingy chiffon fabric. Yuk, and Brrrr! All I was able to find was a red velvet dress from Lands End. Then, I sat down and made a dress for her. I think it's the first dress I've ever made for her, poor thing. She feels very special in her sparkly velvet, long sleeve top (with a tied shrug), and her silk-like polyester twirly skirt. And, Mom's pleased. :o)

 

The pattern was McCall's, #5038. I lengthened the sleeves, and changed the skirt slightly to suit my dd, but it was super easy. You can see it here:

 

http://www.mccallpattern.com/item/M5038.htm?search=5038&page=1

[melissel]

Check LL Bean and Lands End for some simple dresses. I have the best luck at quality consignment shops. They tend to have very nice quality dresses reasonably priced.

 

Yep, we love these. Both girls could live in them. I watch eBay for them and buy them in lots for $13-$14 per dress. I stock up in future sizes too!

[angela in ohio]

Apparently, from the stores' selection, they only wear dresses that I as a grown woman would be ashamed to wear. ;) One trick a friend taught me is to but a pretty white sweater and then they can wear some of the sleevelss and spaghetti strap dresses, but they are covered up. We hit the racks (at Kohls especially) before Christmas, as that is the only time we can find pretty dresses.

[Tracey in TX]

Even girlie-girls leave dresses behind by 8y/o. My girls will voluntarily wear sun dresses in summer, but have to grovel to get them to wear any other style. (They consider most of the pp's mentioned styles to be too old fashioned, and it's not worth gray hair!)

[elizam]

I shop at Belk and Dillards. Hamricks is good (or used to be--I haven't been there in forever). I also like LL Bean and Land's End.

[blessedmom5k]

Old Navy clearance I've surprisingly found some simple and modest dresses. I wouldn't have expected to but I have, quite often. Mostly for under $10. Find the clearance section and roll up your sleeves and dig. Fortunately a lot of the modest stuff is there because unfortunately no one else wants it. lol

[Jenny in Florida]

My daughter lived in these for about three years. We made them for every season and occasion, from summer-time outdoor play to dress-up for the holidays. She was never big into girly stuff, but for a while, she simply hated wearing pants or anything tight around her waist. So, it was all dresses, all the time. To keep her warm, we start with long-sleeved, heavy shirts and use flannel for the skirts, then add a pair of matching tights. By making them ourselves, we could do skirts long enough to keep her decent while running around to play. Also, she got to really enjoy playing designer by picking out the shirts and fabrics.

 

They really are very easy to make, requiring nothing more complicated than a straight and zig-zag stitch. And, if you buy the shirts on sale and stick to the bargain fabrics, they end up costing no more than $7-10 each.

 

--Jenny

[Mogster]

http://www.hannaandersson.com/home.asp?rs=1&cm_mmc=Google-_-Brand-_-Hanna%20Andersson-_-hannaandersson&cchkrd=y

[Helen in OH]

Have you tried looking in the petite section of the women's clothing department. A friend of mine bought clothes for her daughter by skipping the misses section. She was able to find some conservative clothes.

 

HTH,

 

HElen in OH

[Margaret in GA]

I have to second another poster's advice to shop your local stores. I think these are great resources for church dresses. Having said that, though, my dd really didn't want to do dresses past 7 or 8. I think you should consider switching to a ruffly skirt and shirt or sweater. These are just as dressy as a dress and more "big girl". Not to mention you'll have a better selection.

 

margaret in ga

[Sixmeadows]

we still find some cute ones at Gymboree and you can try Cornelloki. I have seen these on Ebay for really great prices.

 

Cheri

[cin]

I am making most of my dd's. The classic jumper is pretty easy to make, and you can ALMOST always find turtlenecks for them to wear. If I find some decent ones at the consignment stores, I snatch them up. But I'm not even finding decent ones there, anymore!!