Ok, you girls asked for it, so I am going to do it. Here, I was trying to be judicious and polite by not including the WORST shopping sites and brands for Teens/Tweens because, well, some of the emails I was getting from Moms on the 2010 Best and Worst write up that included Old Navy, Target and WalMart.
So, when you scroll down to the bottom.. .you will see that I have indeed, included: The WORST Tween (and Teen) Shopping Sites of 2013
Every year I set out to find the best stores and shopping websites for tween/teen clothing. Many brands offer toddler girls clothing in a range of sizes that goes all the way up to tween. And while a lot of it is cute, many tween girls are not having it. They prefer to wear the mini version of what the teens and young adults are wearing these days. My picks are based on quality and selection first but I also take into consideration the pricing structure as well. There are many, many beautiful designer collections out there, but cost can play a big factor in whether or not it is a sensible option for a Top 10 List for the average consumer.
So, without further adieu, here is my current list of top 10 BEST stores (PLUS the WORST) and websites for Tween Clothing of 2013:
1. Forever21 Girls is still top on my list for a wide array of selection, sales that are out of this world and trendy clothing for girls that isn’t “toddler girl”.
2. United Colors of Benetton Kids Today, Benetton Group is one of the best known fashion brands in the world. Benetton has an identity comprised of color, authentic fashion, quality at democratic prices and passion for its work
3. J Crew If you have a little more to spend, J Crew offers a beautiful selection of sophisticated tween girl clothing that is classic!
4. Aeropostale Variety! Great place for jeans, shorts and colorful tops (budget friendly, too!)
5. Zara Kids One of my favorites by far! Zara offers beautiful, feminine and sophisticated styles!
6. Ella Moss Girl and Splendid Kids offers adorable and simple knit tops, dresses, bottoms and swimwear. Both lines are owned by VF Corp and although they are not a cheap lines, they are made with quality fabrics and offer great fits. Plus, they offer free shipping and returns on all orders
7. Desigual Kids is characterized by its optimistic and colorful designs. The collection is bright and creative, designed to bring magic and color to the world.
8. H&M Hands down, H&M is just super trendy, FUN and amazingly affordable
9. Old Navy (and Gap) is wonderful for it’s prices and selections. The designers are always on top of trends and execute the styles quite perfectly.
10. Pacific Sunwear (also known as PacSun) is becoming a pretty big deal. More and more girls (and guys) are telling me that this is their preferred place to shop. Looking on their website and visiting the store, I can see why. It has a variety of options and currently has a Kendall and Kylie line. The clothes are kind of cute and boho. Also, check out their new collection of Activewear!
OK, now for the WORST tween shopping sites of 2013 
Walmart – Save Money. Live Better? Not only are the options totally cheeseball but the overall quality is downright crap. I needn’t say much more than this. You’re better off shopping at Goodwill. At least there, you’re likely to score something fabulous for $3, like a brand new pair of American Eagle jeans or if you’re really lucky, something barely worn from JCrew or Anthropologie (which, I have) . No, thanks, Walmart. You can keep your $5 Jordache jeans with pocket bling detail.
SEARS – Have you seen the clothing here lately?? It’s a half step up from Walmart and a few steps down from JCPenney. Not OK. Although they are trying, the styles leave much to be desired. Most are unimaginative and just boring.
Stella Industries – Tweens Everything about these dresses (for 14 years olds??) Is not OK. Clearly they are out of touch with what a 14 year old girl wears or where they shop. Just my opinion. The last time I checked, girls quit wearing ruffle baby-doll dresses at about age 5.
Girls Tween Fashion | The Best Teen Tween Blog for Fashion, Trends, Tween Brands, Teen Fashion News 
FINALLY A STORE I SHOP AT IS ON THE LIST!!!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
i think there is a different person doing this because this is my fashion relief and some of these stores are like childrens place (not that its bad just kiddish) if that made sense
LikeLike
Unimpressed. I loved your 10 best and 5 worst list, but this one doesn’t live up to my standards.
LikeLike
Hi Sophie! I’d love to hear your top picks! Please share 🙂
LikeLike
I have to say Forever21 styles are UGH I cant even say. There so dull, and its like EVERYTHING demin!!!!! AT least KidCuteTure has color, even though there styles are hideous…….
LikeLike
Hi Marissa!
You’re right, F21 is very denim heavy at the moment because 1. It sells and 2. We are coming up on Back to School. I did take a moment to look over their current girls collection and for the price it’s a pretty good balance between denim and soft dresses. However, that being said, there isn’t much in the way of soft pants. What I found were mostly leggings and denim bottoms. I thought these were cute alternatives to the denim jean: Girls Mandala Print Jogger Pant and the Girls collection at HM.com has some cute stuff if you want to shop somewhere different.
You may want to check out the current Girls collection of GAP Kids for a little wider selection of soft pants. 🙂
LikeLike
the 2010 one gives a real opinion this is obviously just complementing everything
LikeLike
Liked the past article better but happy you mentioned H&M on this one. JcPenney is def stepping up. Love Macy’s too. I have been so clueless with fashion even for myself, am so happy to wake up and pay attention as I was thinking my tween was still my little girl I put bows on. You missed Abercrombie on this one which we like better than Aeropstle. My daughter also loves Wish site she has found some really cute(and cheap) outfits, very trendy ones.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never heard of any of these stores, except for forever21, maybe you should try putting in pictures so people can see what they look like
LikeLike
Thanks, Stephanie! I will do that! 🙂
LikeLike
Hmm I do think that Walmart is a very good place to shop. It depends on the walmart you are going to, the one I shop at has very cute trendy styles for Tweens. I think your other list was better though.
LikeLike
Yes, Walmart is fine if you don’t mind paying for clothing that a kid in an impoverished village overseas probably sewed for .80 cents (or less)
LikeLike
Where do you shop? It seems that you are just judging how popular the store is rather then judging it by the actual clothing itself. Not everyone can shop at Abercrombie and Fitch you know.
LikeLike
I shop at second hand and thrift stores a lot. When I have the extra income, I like Anthropologie and Free People. Mostly, it’s vintage and second hand.
LikeLike
Love your website!!!
LikeLike
I stumbled on this useful info for my tween. If you have enough patience to search through racks in the store you can get some nice ones at KOHLS
LikeLike
No offense or anything but I don’t think J Crew is really that great of a store! The clothes are WAY expensive and if the girl is shopping by with friends then she has no chance of getting anything there. Also from what I’ve seen at my school it isn’t the most popular store. I do think its cool that you put stores that are cheap but in style on here like aeropostal and h&m but i would take j crew out.
LikeLike
WTF. WHAT IS WRONG WITH WALMART. 1) THEY ARE NOT MADE BY A KID IN POVERTY.2) NOT EVERYONE CAN AFORD THIS STUFF AND HALF OF THEM I HAVE NOT EVEN HEARD OF.3) WALMART IS ACTUALLY BETTER THAN HALF THE STORES ON THE LIST. I DONT NO WHAT WALMART YOU SHOP AT BUT MINE SELLS SOME PRETTY DECENT CLOTHING.
LikeLike
how about justice.
LikeLike
Hey Ava! I love your lists. Can you make a list of brands for “Street Style”? Like, with a description for the types of styles to get, what to watch out for, and what the overall style is like within each store description? That would be brilliant. Also helpful would be a list of trends, like bomber jackets, light wash denim, overall dresses, etc.
I do suggest Nico Nico (made in USA), Everlane, Mini and Maximus (made in USA), Junkfood, and American Apparel (made in USA) for a few indie picks. I really love their stuff and buy a shirt or two from those places whenever I get birthday money or something. They are not super cheap (although well-priced overall in terms of quality and style). I also like Nununu and COS but both need to have more variety for their tween line.
For dressing up I like Topshop, Zara, Mango, and Anais & I. Anais & I is really a designer store but you have to watch out for their mega sales. I once got a pair of pants there for $12 and two adorable shirts for $14 each! Mango is really nice, but sometimes everything there is so trendy that it doesn’t go together. However, by sticking to the more sophisticated and playful items, you’ll do just fine, and likewise for Topshop, which has yet to have kids clothing! Not enough size XS clothing! (grrr)
For the budget picks & basics I like Zara, Old Navy, H&M, Lands’ End and Primary (which really needs a teen-clothing update!). Old Navy is pretty good if you try to stick to greys, whites, blacks, and blues. Lands’ End just doesn’t get fashion but their coats and basics are pure gold. With H&M I only buy Conscious clothing, lol. Primary has realllllly soft fabrics and I looooove their promotional video – but sometimes it gets a little babyish. And as always, there is ZARA – for comfort, quality, value, and most definitely STYLE.
I really think you should check out Hanna Andersson’s Very Gud line. It’s a lot better in terms of style than the other stuff since I know you don’t really like it….
Yay – I’ve just stopped ranting! Heh heh heh.
LikeLike
Thank you SO MUCH for the info, Ada! I love receiving comments like this! 🙂 Good news! I will be adding a street style section for fashion and outfits very soon! We will be taking submissions from our readers as well as getting out there and photographing awesome looks we find.
We are already beginning to feature looks of the day on Instagram, so head over there and see what we’re up to. http://www.instagram.com/girlstweenfashion
I will look into the brands you mentioned (Primary, Everlane and COS), as I am less familiar with those. I did look at Hannah Andersson recently and I do like what they’re doing now as opposed to what they were doing in 2009 and 2013.
If you have any other comments, please feel free to share. Thank you!!!
LikeLike
The tweens in the large metro area where we live are in love with Justice. I’m surprised it’s not on the list. And while Walmart is (understandably) on “the worst” list, Target is extremely popular here as well.
LikeLike