FashBlog.com

By Christina VanGinkel

When teenagers assemble a wardrobe, it is never a cut and dried occasion. It is a constantly evolving picture. What works on Monday might be old vogue by Tuesday, with no exaggeration of that time frame. Teen fashion is dependant not only on what is fashionable in the magazines and with their favorite teen idols, but also with what their friends are wearing, and what they themselves feel is both good looking and comfortable.

Because of this, shopping for your teen is an ever-evolving fact of life. They may not need anything for weeks on end, even for a month or two, but then they will require an almost total overhaul of their closet's contents. Trying to keep up with this can be a fact of stress that many parents experience or it can be just another day in the life of a parent of a teenager. I try to keep it in the perspective of just another day in the life of having a teenager in the house.

If you are at your wit's end though, talk to your teenager about their wardrobe. Tell them that you understand their need to be fashionable and comfortable, but at the same time, they need to figure out some way to give you warning that their wardrobe is in need of change. You could go the extreme and tell them that ever two weeks, or once a month, on a set day, they can go through their closet and then come to you with their needs and wants.

If cost is a big issue, be sure to discuss this openly with them. If your finances are not something that you share with your kids, still provide them with some guidelines, as to what you deem acceptable for them to spend on clothes. Even if it a small amount, it will still show them what is available. If they need to spend more, maybe it is time they kicked in towards their ever-evolving wardrobe with some money of their own. Even young teens can make money via babysitting or raking leaves and shoveling snow.

If you have a teen that finds it fashionable to shop second hand stores and outlets such as eBay for vintage and retro look clothing, instead of trying to talk them into looking more mainstream, compliment them on their individuality, and say a small prayer for the money you and they might possibly save for their shopping style.

At the same time, tell them that if they are no longer wearing some of their finds, they might want to consider selling some of their clothing in the same manner that they found them in the first place. Even kids whop do dress mainstream may be able to recoup some of the cost of outfits to put towards new. EBay is a great place to sell old clothing that is still like new. Help them by showing them how to photograph what they want to sell, then tell them once they build a listing, you will post them. When items sell, have them pack the items up for shipping, then either have them ship the items too if they are old enough to drive to the post office or shipping store, or if not, you will then have to ship the items for them. Either way, reward them for being responsible enough to sell off some of their unwanted clothing by allowing them to keep the funds made to purchase new items with. By agreeing to cover the costs of the listings and sell fees, it will cost you a few dollars, but not nearly, what it would to provide them with the same amount they have earned towards new pieces.

If you have a teenager that just keeps growing and growing (I happen to have one of those!) you might have to buy clothes when you least expect it. Try to budget a few dollars for those times when you or they realize that all of a sudden, nothing fits! You can budget the money, but guessing when they will have a massive growth spurt is impossible, so prepare however, you can. I had recently thought that there was no way my son would grow another inch at least for a while, when he suddenly shot up just that, another inch, and gained another show size, all in a matter of a few weeks. Considering he grew over four inches in one six-month span of time, you would think that I would be use to this, but every time he surges skyward, I am still amazed!