3 Smart Fashion Purchases When Shopping for Your Teen

Gone are the days when a doll or a toy truck could make your child, grandchild, nephew or niece smile. These days, all you get out of them is they want "money" when you ask what to buy for a birthday, holiday or graduation. But you’re not interested in handing them cash. There’s something more meaningful about a gift they have to open in front of you, a gift you know they’ll enjoy using for years to come.

Of course, that’s the hard part – you don’t know what they’d enjoy. You’d like to buy them clothes because that’s both useful and appealing to teens, but you don’t know the latest fashion trends for young adults. You’re also not sure if today’s hot pair of pants is going to wind up in the back of your teen’s closet next month because something else is in style. If your teen’s lips are sealed when it comes to her tastes, a little observation of what she wears when she heads out the door could go a long way. Of course, you might not see him often enough to guess what he likes to wear. You can’t go wrong, though, with some hip fashion trends with longevity.

Colorful Sneakers

Every teen loves sneakers. Whether he’s an athlete who spends more time on the court than off or she simply likes to kick off her dressy shoes when she gets home from school and go for a walk outside, there’s an occasion for sneakers in every teen’s life. Although brands and colors may come and go, sneakers will never go out of style. Bright colors are en vogue with young adults, so go wild with a hot blue, red, purple or pink. If your teen dresses in bold colors, bright sneakers will complete the outfit. If your teen loves to dress in simple, subdued colors, the brightly-colored sneakers will act as the fun focal point of an outfit.

Hooded Sweatshirts

Hooded sweatshirts look fabulous on both young men and young women, and they’re warm enough to keep coat-adverse teens snuggly on colder days. They’re quite functional, as they’re easy to remove after an intense workout on during those spring and fall days when the temperature seems to swing to both hot and cold extremes. You could choose a plain colored one, but your teen is more likely to appreciate one with a funky, bold pattern or one that shows off his love for pop culture. Don’t get pigeon-holed into the basic hooded sweatshirt design, either. Sleeveless hooded sweatshirts, pullover designs and fake-fur-lined options take casual wear one step up from simple to stylish.

Jeans

Jeans are a staple of teen wear that have never gone out of style. Ripped designs show off your teen’s punk side, while denim jogger pants allow your teen to be both fashionable and comfortable while he plays sports. Tight jeans pair especially well with baggy sweaters or sweatshirts, and even "jeggings," leggings made to look like denim, are trendy among young women. Young men are especially fond of baggy jeans, but don’t get jeans that sag too much. Dark, light, distressed, patterned or even mixed with khaki colors – it’s hard to go wrong buying a teen jeans.

If you’re unsure about your teen’s size, you can shop around the hottest clothing store for other fun gifts, like vinyl pop culture figures or purses, wallets and bags. The best young adult clothing stores have it all. As long as you know where to shop, your teen is likely to be happy.

About the Author: Sabaa DuPriest is a young adult issues blogger and a fashion consultant. She recommends parents, grandparents and other adults purchase new clothing here when shopping for teens.

John Davis recently underwent surgery for DVT.