Fashion resources for your 13 going on 30 year old

August 2, 2022 4:46 PM

My 13 year old wants to learn how to dress fashionably (or, as she expressed it “in a way that makes sense”) and style her hair. What are some resources I can point her towards?

I get the sense that my 13 year old wants to develop a coherent personal style for clothes and learn technical skills for doing her hair, rather than keep up with latest trends. Books would be great, websites good as well, YouTube channels maybe? She is not on Instagram, so no Instagram recommendations please. She doesn’t tend to enjoy material pitched specifically to teens.

posted by Wavelet to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

Best answer: I like Anuschka Rees! How to Develop a Sense of Style from Scratch - Total Beginner Edition

She also has a book out called The Curated Closet and her second is on feminism and beauty culture. I really started developing my style around 11-12 and I feel her advice is the only one I've read that really makes sense with how I've taught myself for my process.
posted by yueliang at 6:29 PM on August 2, 2022

The way I, as a 40 year old woman, have developed my sense of style in the past few years is to make some Pinterest boards and then just search for some code words to start, something that inspires me. Then I scroll. Then I save things I like. Then I click through for other things I like. Over a period of time I start to see patterns in what I like « oh wow, I keep saving these pics of women wearing button up shirts and pearls and doc martens ». Over time this can help me see the kinds of things that make me feel inspired, even if not all of it is necessarily wearable on a daily basis.
posted by andreapandrea at 10:15 PM on August 2, 2022

Pinterest is great - all the hair tutorials we use were found there - but the algorithm will suggest a LOT of diet and 'natural beauty' (more pernicious to me than make-up that looks like fun make-up, as it suggests your own natural self is flawed) pins. I go through my kid's pinterest and tell the algorithm not interested in those pins and unfollow beauty influencers.

We've had blunt discussions about photoshopping, the pink tax, beauty standards that are racist and sexist, fatphobia etc. It's feminist propaganda vs the giant multibillion fashion industry's propaganda, so start getting those ideas in now!

Buzzfeed has a lot of body positivity articles/videos and a good range of models, although they can get racier than I would want a kid reading and are full of shopping links.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 12:38 AM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]

How about fashion-history YouTube? Here are some excellent educators who have helped me understand how the current fashion industry came into being and how it fits in a historical context. I'm going to link to a particular video for each channel, but please do check out their other content too.

Here is Nicole Rudolph talking about why ready-made clothing sizes are so terrible. She has many videos focused on 18th and 19th century clothing and how it relates to modern issues. She also makes impeccable clothes and historical shoes.

Bernadette Banner talking about how Victorians altered photos to fit their beauty standards. She makes beautiful videos about sewing historical clothes using historical methods.

Karolina Żebrowska on impossible beauty standards. She has a more memey in-your-face style and directly addresses more modern issues than the others I've mentioned.

Maria designs capsule wardrobes based on historical periods (Scottish Edwardian, 1890s, Vikings) talking in detail about the function of each piece, how it fits with the others, how it works for the wearer's lifestyle.
posted by Mournful Bagel Song at 2:31 AM on August 3, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: This book by a celebrity stylist helped me a lot. The emphasis there is very much on "find the stuff that works for your specific unique body" rather than on trends; the thing that caught my eye was that she suggested trying a thing on and then looking at YOU in the mirror, rather than the THING in the mirror. You're looking for clothing pieces that make YOU look good, and even if it looks great on the rack it could somehow make YOU look dumb and if so you shouldn't get it. There's some stuff in the beginning about figuring out what body shape you are, with advice about how to dress that shape; that part includes plus-size shapes as well, with no judgement.

The focus is very much on "figure out what works for YOU" rather than prescribing a specific look.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:33 AM on August 3, 2022 [3 favorites]