Teens - what not to wear

Photo: Lawrence Smith

Dress for shape, not fashion: Teenage girls push the boundaries.

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Think your teenage daughter dresses too provocatively and shouldn't be allowed out of the house until she is 32?

You're not alone. Across the country thousands of parents are tearing their hair out over whether they should let their teenage girls out in public in bum-hugging shorts and skimpy tank-tops that show off their newly formed cleavage.

So where do you draw the line? When do you put your foot down and order your wayward teen back to her room till she learns to dress properly?

It's an age-old problem, says leading stylist Stephanie Rumble, who says she is constantly approached by parents concerned about how their daughters dress.

So last Wednesday, Rumble broadcast her "rules" for dressing teenage girls to a wider audience when she presided over a fundraising advice session at Christchurch Girls' High School, following an approach from the school.

"As a parent you feel very protective of your teenage daughter at that stage of their lives because often they look older than they are," Rumble told the Star-Times.

In recent years there has been a string of reports about parents concerned about provocative clothing targeted at teens and younger children.

Early in 2008, the clothing store Jay Jays marketed T-shirts with suggestive slogans across the chest and pictures of cartoon-style characters including "Miss Bitch" and "Mr Well-Hung". Socially conservative lobby group Family First New Zealand took issue with the T-shirts which they felt were exposing young children to adult concepts too young. The issue isn't constrained to New Zealand – in the US, Abercrombie and Fitch has come fire for introducing a range of g-string underwear for girls as young as seven, carrying slogans such as "eye candy" and "wink wink".

Christchurch mother Natalie Smith said she had some terrible battles with her 14-year-old daughter over what she should wear. "Some of the stuff in the stores these days is very suggestive. There are some things I just refuse to buy and that doesn't always make me popular – but I don't want my daughter going out looking like a tart."

So is it OK for your 14-year-old daughter to show cleavage?

No, says Rumble. But there are fashionable ways to keep it under wraps. "The answer is to layer. When they've got a low top on, just pop a singlet underneath to lift the neckline. At that age it's best to keep things hidden."

Rumble, who regularly passes on her style tips on TV3's Sunrise programme, is also against teenage girls showing too much leg: "Their legs may be lovely and shapely but some of their dresses are just way too short," the 37-year-old says. Skirts that are too short, she says, look tarty and should only be worn with leggings underneath.

But Rumble's advice isn't solely focused on how to preserve a teen's modesty. Other rules are important too, such as dressing for your age and for your body shape. "Teenagers all want to wear skinny jeans because they are in fashion, but if you've got heavy legs they can look terrible. You have to pick the fashions that suit your body type.

"It's a rule that everyone should remember – don't dress for fashion, dress for shape."

And makeup? "Stay away from the heavy makeup," she advises. "Use a tinted moisturiser or light foundation if you must wear one. And mascara and lip gloss are fine to play up your features."

STYLE TIPS

Problem: Too much cleavage.

Solution: Layering. If you are wearing a low cut top, wear a singlet underneath to lift the neckline.

Problem: Dresses and skirts that are too short.

Solution: Wear leggings underneath.

Problem: The "Muffin Top"

Solution: Buy clothes that fit you.

Problem: Skinny jeans worn with short tops on heavy legs:

Solution: Wear a longer-length top or tunic so you are covering up the heavier part of the thigh.

- © Fairfax NZ News