Jump to content

Menu

Capsule wardrobe or similar for 11 year old girl?


umsami
 Share

Recommended Posts

Help me help my 11 year old fashionista.  I grew up wearing uniforms....including at summer camp....which always kind of hampered my ability to put together pieces that work well together.

 

What is a reasonable number of items of clothing for her to have for the year....we live in Florida. 

 

Is it best to do a set amount/month, or try and buy a lot in the beginning?

She got accepted to our local arts magnet school for fine art.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would buy enough items to get started and then a little every month or two. That way hopefully she won’t outgrow/wear out everything at the same time. If you give her a budget she might learn how to find bargains or learn to shop at thrift stores sometimes. 

At 11 she might want to stay a little fashionable in order to fit in with peers, but it’s also a good age for her to find her own style. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fashions can change a lot fast at that age—both group idea of what is “in” and also personal sense of fashion and sometimes using fashion to try on identity. 

I would probably start with a budget and go over it with her because it is a learning opportunity. 

Figure out basics you need especially underwear etc. from the point of view of washing frequency. 

I’d probably divide the budget into 3 or 4 parts, with 1/3 or 1/4 at the beginning and the rest for as need or significant want arises during the year.  There likely would be a dress up event at some point also  

Don’t forget shoes and bras which tend to be expensive  and plan for possible frequent size increases in both  

If she is doing sports or having to change for PE she’ll need work out clothes too   Anything that can serve double duty might be good, like shorts acceptable for sports and also hot days school attire  

She could probably get away with 2 outer wear bottoms (skirt, pants) that mixed and matched with 4 or so tops. And a jacket for winter. Fewer if really strapped for money but it’s easy to do the laundry. 

Look together with her at the school rules if any for clothing and at what other kids are wearing and then within budget constraints, and personal values constraints, I’d let her do as much of the choosing as you feel comfortable with. 

As a fashionista she could start gradually finding or making accessories that add to her “look”. My ds ended up with 2 shirts and a few I’m not sure what they are items dyed or batiked or silk screened in art classes. That could conceivably happen for your daughter too.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, Pen said:

She could probably get away with 2 outer wear bottoms (skirt, pants) that mixed and matched with 4 or so tops. And a jacket for winter. Fewer if really strapped for money but it’s easy to do the laundry. 

 

In Florida? Nope. You sweat through everything. Plus, fashion in that age bracket..she'll need more options. At that age wearing the same shirt twice in a week is going to be a fashion fax pas, and rewearing shorts without washing probably won't fly either. 

  • Like 8
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m going to try this with my girls this Fall. This is the capsule wardrobe for last year.

https://getyourprettyon.com/product/fall-2017-girls-back-to-school-capsule-wardrobe/

I bought the spring one this year and I loved it. I was in such a rut. It was nice to have someone else tell me what to buy and how to put together different outfit ideas with the clothing.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

In Florida? Nope. You sweat through everything. Plus, fashion in that age bracket..she'll need more options. At that age wearing the same shirt twice in a week is going to be a fashion fax pas, and rewearing shorts without washing probably won't fly either. 

 

I have to admit I was assuming that California fashion that I have relatives that age in CA for mixed with local could apply to Florida. 

And I thought from the title that Umsami wanted a small number of mix and match items. 

I guess that in our environs the exact same thing, top and bottom, twice in a row is a faux pas. But twice in a week especially if mix and matched differently is fine.  By Friday, what was worn Monday may be forgotten unless it has very memorable aspects 

If one item is jeans and one is a white shirt, unless they are very identifiable, who is to know that the Monday white short sleeve tunic shirt worn outside of Jeans is the same as the Thursday skirt with white short sleeve tunic tucked in  and and a lace batwing (or whatever is an in girl thing at her school) over it, for example?

And nearly everyone I know has some sort of jacket for winter or inclement weather even if just to keep from being drenched. Though I guess maybe there are parts of Florida where it never rains. ???

My mom lives in the Southeast and my sense is that September can be quite rainy and mid winter chilly in the morning even if it hits 75 later on. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ETA. If your school allows and your dd does not mind them, consider a skort or two. The current skirt lengths that are “in” (in the West anyway) are really really short. I personally think a skort would give the look but be easier to manage in. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would think about what you would pack for her if you were going on a 3 week vacation where you had to plan for a couple different types of weather and events, but would also have the opportunity to do laundry.  Pick a couple base colors she likes and that go well together for the staples, and then throw in a few trendy items to keep things fun.  

Maybe something like:

1 nice dress

1 casual dress

2 jeans

2-3 leggings

2-3 shorts

5 t-shirts

5 nicer or trendy shirts

a few bras/camisoles

10 pairs undies

10 pairs socks

1 pair nice shoes

1 pair sandals

1 pair tennis shoes 

also:

1 nice sweater

2 casual sweaters/sweatshirts

1 jacket

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, lovelearnandlive said:

I would think about what you would pack for her if you were going on a 3 week vacation where you had to plan for a couple different types of weather and events, but would also have the opportunity to do laundry.  Pick a couple base colors she likes and that go well together for the staples, and then throw in a few trendy items to keep things fun.  

Maybe something like:

1 nice dress

1 casual dress

2 jeans

2-3 leggings

2-3 shorts

5 t-shirts

5 nicer or trendy shirts

a few bras/camisoles

10 pairs undies

10 pairs socks

1 pair nice shoes

1 pair sandals

1 pair tennis shoes 

also:

1 nice sweater

2 casual sweaters/sweatshirts

1 jacket

That is a lot of clothes! But I guess she has some of her own already.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, kiwik said:

That is a lot of clothes! But I guess she has some of her own already.

 

Yeah, I'm figuring she probably already has some and wouldn't need to buy all of this new. And I was thinking of a wardrobe that covers most types of weather and that wouldn't require her to do laundry more than once a week, rather than a true "capsule" wardrobe, which I think of as good for one season.

FYI my dd11 utilizes a very similar wardrobe and it works pretty well. My 14 year old has more than this but she tends to ask for clothes for birthdays, Christmas, etc.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can she narrow down her likes to either:

bold colors or pastels?

Earth tones or "other" (not sure what term to use here)?

Black as a neutral or brown/khaki as a neutral?

If you can get some basic "rules" for the clothing to hunt for, you'll get stuff that almost all mix-and-matches.  I'd encourage jewelry (cheap or handmade), belts, and scarves as ways to make a fashion statement without requiring a whole new set of clothes.

 

My dd is NOT a fashionista, so her capsule wardrobe is ridiculously simple: leggings and long sleeve Ts in the winter (she hates jeans, unfortunately), shorts/skirts and short sleeve Ts in the summer.  Plus one pair of shoes per season, gym clothes, and outerwear (only two jackets per year- a heavy winter jacket plus a light windbreaker/rain jacket).  In the summer, she also has 2-3 sun dresses.  Her entire wardrobe takes up 3 drawers in a standard ikea dresser.     

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Umsami, is your dd interested in fashion enough that she’d find looking at Donna Karan’s 7 Easy Pieces and other designers capsule wardrobe ideas interesting even though they were for adults?

4 hours ago, lovelearnandlive said:

I would think about what you would pack for her if you were going on a 3 week vacation where you had to plan for a couple different types of weather and events, but would also have the opportunity to do laundry.  Pick a couple base colors she likes and that go well together for the staples, and then throw in a few trendy items to keep things fun.  

 

 

I like your general approach!

Though  I tend to think of a “capsule wardrobe” as fewer main items, like Donna Karan’s 7 Easy Pieces. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem with capsule wardrobes for kids is that kids tend to like things like graphic t-shirts vs a plain solids. So where an adult can switch out a plan tan shell, say with a skirt on monday and under a jacket on Friday, and no one notices, if you wear a shirt with a unicorn wearing sunglasses and glitter all over it on monday, it's going to be pretty obvious it is the same shirt on friday, no matter what you pair it with. 

Now, maybe some kids in some areas are less into that stuff, but here, girls that age tend to wear pretty obvious stuff still. Thankfully, graphic t-shirts and such are way cheaper than work clothes for adults ?

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have hardly ever had to do this. My DD is a recycler. She comes home from friends' houses with hand-me-downs, and just got a huge bag of them from her 18 yo. cousin. She passes on clothes she is bored with/outgrows to friends or her 9 year old aunt. Pretty much all I have to shop for, usually, are socks, undies, and sometimes shoes or a swimsuit.

I will probably spend more on DS for back to school than DD this year, because he is finally outgrowing the last of his toddler clothes, and his 11 year old uncle and 9 year old cousin are still in the same waist size they have been for years.

I do agree to give her as much control within the budget and parameters that ensure the basics are covered as you can.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Make sure you know the school dress code.  Here in Texas, sometimes that means no shorts, no sleeveless, no leggings.  It varies quite a bit.

I would think jeans and t-shirts would be a pretty safe bet initially, if she willingly wears jeans.  Maybe hold off on more than that until she has a sense of how the other kids dress at school.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am basically going along with kgrok here.  I lived for a few years on the island where Cocoa Beach is.  Jeans were rarely worn and then only in winter.  Shorts were the thing then and graphic tees.  That is what I saw the teens wearing who were at Orthodontics clinic and coming from school, etc.  From the look of things then, either there were no dress codes or were very lax because the shorts were extremely short.  Now that was ten years ago but I would definitely check out the school's manual online or school district policy and then just look what kids are wearing.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Generally I think 10 outfits for school, plus workout clothes, anything she needs for sports, 4+ dressy outfits, sandals, flats, 2-4 swimsuits, and tennis shoes should be fine - allows enough outfit rotation that she won't feel stuck wearing the same thing everyday, but not so much it won't fit in a standard bedroom closet. And as much as I like dresses and like girls in them, she should know that picking tops and bottoms (skirts, shorts, jeans, pants) will give her more outfit combinations than just dresses will.  Especially if she picks 2-3 neutral colors and 2-4 bright colors so everything coordinates.

I would buy one - three outfits that she feels put together in, and then after a day or two of school I'd take her shopping again for the rest of the things, with budget and modesty guidelines in mind. Girls that age tend to be very conscientious of status symbol type clothing, and at most schools it's second only to athletic ability in terms of what's likely to make her popular. An art school, however, might be remarkably different, and unless she already has a strong sense of personal style she'll probably want something VERY different after a few days at school. If you take her shopping first she might choose pretty bright sparkly things, then make friends with an all-black clothing crowd and want everything different. Of course if you DON'T want her doing that, you'll have more influence if you do most of the shopping first.  I would hold back a portion of the budget (maybe $100-200) with a status symbol purchase or two in mind.

If you know any teachers or students there, you might call and ask what is popular for kids to wear there. Chances are whatever she is drawn to in stores in malls will be fine, assuming you're okay with it.

Once she knows what she likes you might find really great options at thrift stores so she can maximize the amount of clothes.

In Florida you might find just layering leggings and cardigans and switching sandals for boots is sufficient for winter clothing, without needing seasonal options. Depends on how far South you are. I know there was more than one winter as a kid that I didn't have a real winter coat, and had to buy one to travel.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My fashionista would have considered a capsule wardrobe to be cruel and unusual punishment.  

9 hours ago, kiwik said:

That is a lot of clothes! But I guess she has some of her own already.

 

That's not even a lot of clothes by capsule wardrobe standards - it's 24 main pieces, and the general rec for CW is 37 pieces NOT counting pajamas, workout clothes, or underwear. It sounds like a lot, but, when you break it down, doesn't 5 casual shirts and 5 nicer shirts sound pretty reasonable? 

OP, I wouldn't do much shopping until she actually starts school, so she can learn the rules, get the fashion vibe, and figure out what type of clothes work best for her activities. 

My fashionista is also an artist, so our dds have some things in common. Does your dd have any interest in a capsule wardrobe? Fashion is definitely one of the ways my dd expresses her artistic side, and I can't imagine her using a capsule wardrobe. We don't spend a lot on clothes, because she is fashionable but also quite happy to wear hand-me-downs, thrift store finds, and deep clearance. Yes, her dresser and closet are brimming over, but that's not my problem. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Florida grandkids don’t even own pants. Shorts for everyday wear, dresses for Sunday.  Usually one hoodie to use if they get cold.  But living a few blocks from the beach and going multiple times a week, they each have at least two bathing suits.  It’s pretty casual where they live. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Annie G said:

My Florida grandkids don’t even own pants. Shorts for everyday wear, dresses for Sunday.  Usually one hoodie to use if they get cold.  But living a few blocks from the beach and going multiple times a week, they each have at least two bathing suits.  It’s pretty casual where they live. 

Yup, we buy pants at the first cold snap, lol. They outgrow them by summer, and no one wears them then anyway. Adults and some teens might wear skinny jeans in the summer as a fashion statement, but for most people shorts are the nearly year round staple. I haven't worn jeans in at least a month, and then it was to church with a flowy top and I was SO hot and miserable. I took them off as soon as I got home...well peeled them off as they were sweaty ands sticking to me. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have her buy a few outfits, and then wait to see what the local school fashion is. It can be hyperlocal.  I'd also teach her the power of accessories---necklaces + earrings + shoes can really change outfits up.  What's reasonable really depends on your budget and on her closet space and on the circle you run in.  I tend to buy twice as many tops as bottoms, and I tend to stick to a neutral color palette with a few pops of color.... I change those pops of color every 1-2 years.  Note that if she has a very limited wardrobe that her pieces will wear out faster.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

One last thought--I am also teaching my children how to pick colors that are flattering with their skin tones.  I bought them a pocket seasonal analysis color swatch so that they can color match as they are trying to learn the difference between warm tones and cool tones and as they learn how deep of colors they can wear without looking washed out.

They can choose to wear what they like, but if I'm teaching them how to dress, then looking at color, shape, and drape is important.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...