Daughters grow up fast, and in a blink of an eye, dress up and imaginative play aren’t fun anymore. Your daughter interests will change and by the time she becomes a teenager, she will be probably the most fashion-conscious human on earth you know. Fashion and image go hand in hand and both have a large impact on a teenager’s lifestyle. To them, fashion is a way of telling the world who they are or who they want to be.

Like adults, different teenagers have different personalities and for this reason, there are clothes in different styles, colours, sizes and fabrics available on the market. This means that shopping for the perfect dress for your teenager daughter to wear this Christmas may require driving to more than one mall, more than one dress shop and maybe more than one town in order to find the “perfect dress”. And if you prefer online shopping, this may also take hours sitting in from of the computer searching websites that offer dresses for teenagers. To help you make this shopping experience less stressful and more joyful for both of you, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Have a Stance on Style

Dress style for teenagers

As you may have noticed, clothing styles (in general) have changed quite a bit from when you were a teen. It seems like there is no line between what adults wear and what teenagers wear anymore. Very often, the girl dresses you see in the junior department closely resemble the clothing you can find in the women’s department, including the sexy styles too. While you may haven’t talked with your daughter about wearing provocative styles yet, you may find the need to when she starts expressing her preferences.

Set a Budget

This will help your daughter understand what she can buy (hopefully). By setting financial rules, you’ll be teaching money-management skills to your daughter as well as how to “shop smart”. And if you’re on a tight budget, don’t go to stores that are notorious for high prices. Start with the more budget-friendly stores and work your way up through the department store ranks. That way you’ll prevent spending more than you’ve planned on your daughter’s perfect dress. If the dress is an expensive one but she simply “must have it”, arrange for her to pay for that extra cost from her allowance or with her own earnings.

Consider the Versatility of the Dress

Versatility of a dress

Besides for Christmas, you want to choose a dress that she can wear on other casual occasions as well. Just like other pieces of clothing, dresses can also be casual. In fact, when it comes to how to dress casual for teenage girl, a dress is one of the easiest options. You’ll find casual dresses for teenagers in a range of fabrics and designs. Casual dresses can be worn over jeans or footless leggings in the colder seasons or barelegged in the summer. For more formal occasions, wearing a special dress is a big part of the fun. So, what should you look for when it comes to buying that special occasion dress? Think bold colours like orange, hot pink, turquoise, vibrant purples and watercolour prints. Strapless and one-shoulder styles are always trendy and voluminous skirts are now everywhere.

Make Sure It Fits Right

Dress style according body type

There are a few things to consider when choosing the right dress style for your daughter’s body type. For example, if she has a thick waist or a large bottom, a long style dress may fit better. Avoid low plunging necklines that can put emphasis on the lower half of her body. To trim her tummy, she can try wearing an empire waist dress that will give her a slimmer look. Stay away from anything bearing horizontal stripes because the stripes will make her middle look wider. While a black dress is always an excellent choice, it is not the only one. Teenagers like to look slimmer, and for that, instead of only black, deep blues, greens and purples also have the power to slim a person’s figure as well.

Shop Wisely

When shopping online, make sure the company you’re considering buying from is reputable. They should have a customer service phone number where they can be reached and a reasonable return policy, just in case your daughter’s dress happens to be the wrong fit or colour. Also, make sure to check the store’s sizing chart to find the perfect fit.

Enjoy the Moment

Teenager dress

After several hours of combing through the plethora of dresses and holding back your judgment about some of the styles your daughter adores and arguing over cost (regardless of the fact you clearly expressed the budget), chances are she will finally say “yes to the dress”. The image of seeing her in the full-length mirror in the fitting room or in your living room will be a memory you will treasure for years to come. Your baby girl is all grown up!