Now that the weather is warmer and my children have proven they’ve grown just enough over the winter to no longer fit in last summer’s clothing, it’s time for my annual disgust at clothing for girls. And really, it focuses on just one item: shorts.
I’ll begin by saying my girls are not the dainty flowers who never show a drop of sweat. Oh no, they’re hot, sweaty creatures who come home from summer camp each day with their sweaty hair matted to their heads. So shorts are kind of a necessary item to help keep them cool.
My problem with girls’ shorts is in the length. Nearly all shorts for girls have an inseam somewhere between barely reaching the top of the thigh and indecent. Those that are slightly longer often have leg openings so wide that they might as well be loose mini-skirts, or are skin-tight bike shorts.
Cordy and Mira are seven and nearly-five. (Mira won’t let me forget her birthday is coming up in a few weeks.) They are not lady-like in any way. When they wear dresses, we must pair them with bike shorts or leggings, and probably will continue doing so until they’re older. Like maybe eighteen.
I don’t want people seeing my children’s underwear. I want them to have shorts of a reasonable length that they can play in comfortably without fear of someone seeing a flash of Disney Princesses or Dora underneath. Is that really so much to ask for?
Apparently it is. In my search for shorts this season, I’ve come across very few options. When I do find “bermuda” shorts (which fit the length requirements, even though some manufacturers apparently go too far and make these nearly capris), they’re often out-of-stock so quickly that I missed out on the sizes we need. I guess I’m not the only parent looking for longer shorts.
Target had some great longer shorts last year and I bought as many as I could at the time, even buying a few a size up for Cordy. We’re using the larger size shorts now, but we still need more thanks to a kid who is hard on clothing. They have a new bermuda design this year, but the fabric is even heavier and the waistband is very thick – I bought a couple of them to try, but the fit isn’t nearly as good as the previous ones.
All I’m asking for is a reasonably priced pair of knit shorts with an elastic waist (Cordy can’t work zippers or buttons, and yes, we’re working on it.) with a length that falls somewhere mid-thigh with a straight leg or slightly tapered shape to them.
Maybe it’s time to start shopping in the boys’ section?
This is an issue even in baby sizes. I can’t believe some of the hoocie mamma stuff that is out there for infants and toddlers. It is really too much to want our kids to dress modestly at such a young age?
What I want is an inexpensive mid-thigh denim short. My daughter doesn’t like Bermudas, as they get kind of hot when they’re denim, and I can’t STAND short-shorts. She’s also very tweeny now, which… don’t get me started.
I just got her a pair of denim shorts at Justice, which was way more than I wanted to spend even with a coupon for 40% off. She’s been wearing the Old Navy Active Mesh Shorts, which, while not denim, are long enough for me and short enough for her.
If anybody has ANY suggestions for less expensive denim shorts, I would love to hear it.
Children’s Place skorts. They come with shorts underneath whoch should have sizing up to Mira, at least. I’m not above buying from the boy’s section in Target and in garanimals….problem is that she wants everything in pink. Had good luck last year at Kohls- maybe check out the store brand, Sonoma, there for Cordy?
PREACH. We have this same issue every year. We usually end up with Gymboree skorts instead (they’re only like $8ish right now). Another quality option, though pricier, are Hanna Anderssen bike shorts. They’re not the skin-tight kind, so they’ve worked out great for us. My daughter wears size 5, which is 110 in HA sizing. Good luck!
My daughter is tall and has this same problem. I found many shirts that she loved and I loved the price. The problem is that the shirts were longer than the shorts. So digusted with girls clothes.
Old Navy had a bike short in girls, but they sold out almost immediately. Same with the bike shorts from Children’s Place. They never have enough in the right size, and I always seem to miss them when they come out.
I will say that the trend towards a “Bermuda” short is one I like. We do lightweight capris (Carters goes up to a 6X) dresses with bike shorts, and Bermudas when I find ones I like.
Don’t get me started on the baby. She crawls, dresses and short shorts are out completely or she would have poor skinned knees. Not to mention, daycare if freezing in summer. Capris that are lightweight and comfy for crawling are hard to find.
You would think with the fact that the styles that we are looking for when available sell out right away would be a gigantic hint to the retailers, but no.
I’ve had the same problem with N. Even more so because she’s the height/size of someone 2-3 years older. We still have her wear shorts under her skirts and dresses too, because she loves wearing them all the time, and playing with her cousins outside too! This past year denim has become a lost cause for her – nothing fits right, even boys. She’s not a skinny leg kinda gal and likely never will be – not our genome. Stretch fabrics and leggings have been our friends. I was able to grab some of those Target Bermudas before they sold out. That’s our plan for summer 🙂
I could not BELIEVE the shorts my 12 year old sister and her friends were wearing last summer. Ugh. And it sucks that part of the reason they wear them is because that is just what’s available at the stores they like.
My daughter is tall for her age as well, and now she’s slimming down so we’re in a place where she’s too tall for last year’s clothing, and the waists on a lot of things for this year are large (luckily if need be my MIL will take them in). Like you, we need bike shorts under dresses and I’m not a fan of her looking older than her age….. In addition to which, she has a plethora of clothing issues.
That all being said we did very well at kohls, in terms of light bermuda shorts – in a lot of different colors – and old navy (.com – they never have them IN the store) for capris and bike shorts.
Have you tried Land’s End? I have only boys, so I haven’t explored their girls’ section too much, but their clothes seem more kid-like (dare I say modest?) than the chain stores’ stuff. And if you shop their overstocks section, you can get some killer deals. My older boy is rough on clothes, and a lot of what he’s outgrown is still OK for my little one to wear, so their quality is great. And if what you order doesn’t work out, you can return it to Sears. Good luck finding stuff that works for you and your girls!
Check out Crazy8.com it is a lower priced version on gymboree. their clothing is really nice and they have a nice selection of bermuda shorts this year for girls.
Wow, you all know what it’s like to be in my shoes. Not only do I struggle to find shorts in an appropriate length (dress code), but my daughter is also very sensitive to how her clothes feel. We’ve been shopping everywhere, even online, and we aren’t finding much that suits her. We’ve checked out a soft clothing site for autistic children, although she isn’t, and many of the clothes are made for younger children only. I’m sure someone out there has an idea where I could go…or not. Anyway, I feel better, thanks for reading…and for this blog 🙂 Sincerely, Jen B.
http://www.softclothing.net
This is the soft clothing site that I mentioned in my previous comment.
Jen B.