3 Smart Fashion Purchases When Shopping for Your Teen By Sabaa DuPriest

Gift cards and cash never fail to impress, but wearing something fashionable that Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa or Aunt or Uncle picked out will make a young adult think more fondly of you more often. The next time you go to buy the teen in your life a present, consider shopping online for trendy clothing instead. Clothes are both useful and desirable among teens, making them a win-win choice for both the adult doing the shopping and the teen getting the present.

Navigating the trends among today’s teenagers can seem like an impossible quest for many adults, especially if they don’t live with the teen and aren’t able to observe what the teen most likes to wear. However, it’s a simple matter of knowing where to shop. Any clothing store with bold, funky and bright designs appeals to young adults, and you can’t go wrong with what these stores sell. Enlist another teen’s opinion if you feel the need to make sure you’re buying the right thing, or you might even contact the customer service department of the best online clothing retailers for ideas. If there’s a store location near you, you can ask assistance from the people staffing the store.

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.