Girls Who Don't Like Dresses
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Anonymous
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My 6yo DD has pegged herself as a "tomboy" (I personally dislike this word, but whatever). We generally shop in the boy department for her & at the moment she prefers "boy" t-shirts (superheros, sports, dark colors, etc), basketball shorts or comfortable leggings, etc. In general, this is totally fine with me, although frustrating that the boy clothes are larger/harder to "fit" and when you shop for this kind of stuff in the "girl" department, the options are all pink & purple. (Frustrating that clothes manufacturers seem to think that all girls want to wear sparkly pink and purple and hearts/rainbows/unicorns, but that's a separate discussion for another day).
The problem is, I am unsure of what to do with her in a situation where we "have" to dress up (weddings, funerals, etc). She really hates skirts/dresses, and I totally understand. For her Kindergarten Graduation, I avoided the situation by buying her a "Straight Outta Kindergarten" T-shirt instead of making her dress up. But we have other things, like an awards banquet, coming up where we have to dress nice. What other options are there for little girls, beyond dresses/skirts? Are there other options??? I'd welcome any ideas. |
Anonymous
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Why not a dressy shirt and pants? Or maybe a shirt, sweater and black pants?
I don't think little girls have to wear dresses and skirts. Have you seen all the awesome dresses out there for girls though? My DD loves the ones with rocket ships, dinosaurs and things like that. |
Anonymous
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What about a romper? I find Old Navy often has colors that are not pink and purple, though the girl styles are probably pretty feminine.
Otherwise, I'd get her a well fitting polo and dark pants. Get her some nicer shoes, they can tie with laces, but not sneakers. I'd also ask her to help pick it out. Buy a few things that would work of different styles and colors she generally accepts and let her choose. |
Anonymous
Yes, I'm not sure what a dressy shirt and pants would be exactly? I love all the cool rocket, dinosaur, etc. dresses out there, but she absolutely DOES NOT! 
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Anonymous
A romper/jumpsuit is a good idea I hadn't thought of. Maybe that would work. I'm sure she'd prefer the polo/pants idea though. Thanks. |
Anonymous
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OP, I have a girl like that, and here's some good news for you - by the time kids are in 3rd grade very few girls, if any, wear dresses. Not 'cool', for whatever reason.
However, we still keep one dress for dress-up occasions (I will insist the child doesn't wear shorts to a funeral!). DD got to pick it herself, reluctantly, but oh, well. So far she's only worn it twice in two years, it's gotten a big short, so we'll be looking for a replacement soon. Just my 2 cents. |
Anonymous
| Check out primary.com. Most of their stuff is unisex and comes in a variety of colors -- no designs, no gender stereotyping. They have some dresses that are super comfortable (organic cotton, not fancy), and I can convince even my dress-hating DD to wear one when necessary. |
Anonymous
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A suit?
I just got my dd one, she loved it! You can pair a blazer with leggings or wear the whole deal. |
Anonymous
This! |
Anonymous
Anonymous
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Lands end is also a good source for stuff that is a little more gender neutral. Agree black pants (the lands end kids yoga bootcut pants are really good and comfy) with a nicer top would be fine. Rompers also seem like an obvious answer and there at some more fancy ones.
One question might be what she doesn’t like about dresses—it might be something like the fact that she associates them with being uncomfortable or wearing uncomfortable shoes so if you did something like a plain cotton T-shirt dress with those sandals that fit like sneakers, she would be happy with it. Or if she doesn’t like frilly stuff, a plain solid color dress might be fine with her. |
Anonymous
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Can she wear a dressy tunic over nice leggings? Or a dressy skort and nice top?
I sympathize OP as I was that kid too. Hated dresses, cut the lace off my socks, hated the patent leather dressy shoes (80s). My parents required that I wear a dress for synagogue and other dressy events but compromised by letting me have input into picking it -- and not complaining if I picked something plain, like red and black stripes instead of pink with frills and lace. If you can, find out why she hates dresses so much. For me it was because I felt self-conscious in them. Even at 6 I thought I was fat (I wasn't, but I wasn't as skinny as my super-skinny sister, which in my mind translated to fat). Getting to pick the dress helped because I could choose colors I liked. I don't think there is anything wrong with saying "look, there is a dress code; when it's a dressy event, girls wear a dress or a skirt and boys wear nice pants and a polo shirt. You have to wear a dress or skirt to be appropriately dressed, just like you don't wear shorts in the winter or a scarf in the summer. But you can help pick the dress or skirt." |
Anonymous
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Romper/jumpsuit
Dressy tunic and leggings with dressy looking flats or sparkly maryjanes Dress pants or khakis and buttondown or polo shirt - maybe add a tie or bowtie Girls' pantsuit |
Anonymous
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Lots of options:
Black pants (a ponte knit would be comfortable but look nice) and a nicer top Khakis and a nicer top Leggings and a dressier tunic A jumpsuit Also--my daughter loves dresses but doesn't like pink, and I don't have a hard time finding girl's clothing in colors other than pink or purple. Check out Lands End and Primary, for example. |
Anonymous
This is adorable: 
I'm a woman who wears trousers, blazers, and fun shoes most days of the week. I don't hate dresses or skirts, but those clothes are what I find most comfortable. |