My 13 year old is leaving middle school this year and wants to wear a suit rather than a dress to her prom. Any suggestions?
Posted by debbi74@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 41 comments
Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look to get one? She likes the steam punk look, the androgynous look. The high street shops just don’t have options for her. Please help.
destria@reddit
Hello, I was this 13 year old once (back then I was called an "emo"). Have a look on Disturbia, Attitude Clothing and Killstar. They're more goth leaning but there might some pieces that suit an androgynous steampunk look.
Iamtir3dtoday@reddit
Yes to all of these but check Vinted for the brands first!
itsfourinthemornin@reddit
ebay too. There's always a lot of Killstar and Disturbia on Vinted and eBay!
SamVimesBootTheory@reddit
This also tbh the quality of killstar and disturbua can be pretty variable and doesn't always match the price they charge new
Iamtir3dtoday@reddit
Yup, I’d never buy Disturbia new in particular, the quality is not great for what they charge
AlternativePack7239@reddit
i have a really nice waistcoat suit from nobody’s child!
Evening-Cicada-1675@reddit
I think you could start with a high street suit in a dark red or dark green and have it tailored or accessorised to feel more her. Velvet is always a great choice.
M&S, Next, Moss bros, ASOS, Boohoo Man all have decent and affordable options.
I’d maybe gently encourage her to go subtle on the steampunk theme? She may love it now, but will likely feel differently in a few years. It would be a shame to not enjoy looking back on the photos!
My partner had a steampunk phase and it makes them cringe now, can’t look at any of the photos and wiped it all from social media!!
Sixforsilver7for@reddit
Play her black tie by Grace Petrie while you're looking for outfits.
naughty_yorick@reddit
If you're close, Camden is always a good shout for goth stuff - especially if she's into something a bit more over the top. Great for accessories too! As others have mentioned, charity shops/vinted (and then possibly getting tailoring) might be a good idea as well.
Twisted Tailor have some great suits, but they can be pricey, which is a downside. Asos often has some cool suit jackets if you want a statement piece. And then ebay/etsy for steampunk accessories! I wore a miniature tophat to my prom, back when I was a babybat.
roysustang@reddit
when i was 16 i went fully goth for prom and ended up going to one of the goth shops in whitby (the great goth specifically) when i was up in yorkshire visiting family. i got a skirt and top combo rather than a suit, but they had a good range of more androgynous suits and lots of steampunk things! might be a bit of a trek depending on where you are but whitby is great for alternative clothes shops (with the bonus of being able to actually try them on) and there are likely also more alternative in-person shops around the country (afflecks palace in manchester for example)!
txteva@reddit
I wore a white pinstripe suit to my prom (16) with a bright top underneath. Loved it! I'm not antidress, but plus sized girl had limited dress options.
I went to Debenhams but you might find a wedding suit shop - page boys etc size suits. A standard suit can be jazzed up with accessories and wearing something non-shirt like under.
Particular_Pickle465@reddit
Middle school? Vinted might have something she’d like though, or charity shops.
External-Praline-451@reddit
My middle-aged husband went to "middle school" - it's been a thing for decades in some areas. Maybe more a northern thing? It surprised me when I found out.
fernofry@reddit
Since when do we have middle schools or proms for 13 yr olds?
Badgerfest@reddit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_middle_schools_in_England
debbi74@reddit (OP)
Our area has a middle school system years 5-8 which I know is quite rare. The prom shite has come over because of the American tv shows. Basically a school leaving do
Username___5@reddit
Middle school? Prom? Uk? Im confused
BoopingBurrito@reddit
I'm so confused at why folk are responding to this like its a serious request. Since when did the UK have middle schools?
Badgerfest@reddit
Since forever:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_middle_schools_in_England
Curious-Term9483@reddit
Lots of areas of the UK have middle schools. And what we used to call a school disco is called a prom now. Which is crazy to me too but things change over time and we have to accept that or we just end up yelling at clouds 🤣
Username___5@reddit
Tbh even in america I thought prom was just a thing for 12th graders/year 11s. I thought when middle ends you just leave
Gullible_fool_99@reddit
Look on vinted for a selection of different clothes and put together an outfit for her.
Connie--Lingus@reddit
There's a really lovely small business I recently came across called 'Queer suits you' and they make gorgeous suits and have lots of colourful options and different shapes.
https://www.queersuitsyou.com/
Swimming-Lie5369@reddit
I just had a look through the gallery and I absolutely adore some of those photos
sailingdownstairs@reddit
Ooh thank you for this, my wife is looking for a tailor to make her a suit!
_Hoping_For_Better_@reddit
Some really lovely suits there and £700 sounds very reasonable for a bespoke suit.
VeryAwkwardCake@reddit
The problem being that she's too small for womens' suits, and they don't make childrens suits for girls?
debbi74@reddit (OP)
No she is a tall girl. 5’6” adult size 12/14. As I am an old mum my go to is M&S but she doesn’t want velvet and truth be known she doesn’t want anything too feminine. I am thinking secondhand/vintage/charity shop. Hoping someone knows of some boutique / alternative places I could look
RhubarbImmediate7007@reddit
Go for a charity shop suit in a nice fabric that they like and then get it tailored so it looks good? The tailoring will cost a lot more than the suit, but that’s the part that makes it look great rather than a mess
Neither_Process_7847@reddit
This - cheaper suit but tailoring is what will make all the difference. And if its actually a good one from a charity shop - result!
JazzieJJ@reddit
Honestly Marks and Sparks ankle grazer trousers, or anything tapered at the bottom women’s wise. Then an Oxford style women’s shirt white or whatever colour and then find a women’s suit jacket. Vinted would be good, don’t look for like a matching 3 piece never works in women’s, so pick a colour same fabric and run with it! I got a really nice Women’s dress suit shirt from Mango (just a white shirt) but had masculine like cuffs!
LiliWenFach@reddit
Have a look at Joe Brown's- they have dozens of women's waistcoats in a variety of fabrics and colours. They are pretty true to size. Some have matching jackets or skirts/trousers.
VeryAwkwardCake@reddit
hm I remember seeing some white tie tailcoats (as in black tailcoats) on Vinted in womens sizes, might look there
Abouts1x@reddit
I had a steampunk wedding. Worth having a look at dressage clothing that horse riders wear. Jackets come with tails and you can get some nice second hand. If you fancy a shopping trip to London, Camden is the place to go.
MrCrystalMighty@reddit
When I was at school me and my friends hired suits for our equivalent of a prom from the local theatre’s costume department, the benefit of it was that everything had been made to fit someone so there was a lot more variety of sizes than just getting things off the peg, plus they had quite a lot of interesting stuff and it was a lot of fun going through it all. Might be worth looking to see if you have something like that close to where you are
Junkoftheheartss@reddit
Could be a worth going to charity shops for a suit set or finding elements that go and then paying to have them tailored?
WeeBo2804@reddit
On the back of this- try vinted. There’s loads of suits in small ladies sizes which I think would do a 13yr old. Some vintage, quirky stuff that you’d struggle to find elsewhere.
Forgetful8nine@reddit
I'll just tag the wife, hopefully she sees it and comes along.
She is quite into her Steampunk and will probably have some ideas or advice...
Ohhh Wifey, u/dolallycla80 - Steampunk advice needed...
Ok_Aioli3897@reddit
https://www.rococlothing.co.uk/girls/suits/
This site came up but like anything I would do your research on it before buying
chonk-chonk-chonk@reddit
As someone with a lot of friends that like that style, itll be antiques / vintage shops and a good tailor for an authentic look, unless you get something off of shein (dont recommend. itlll be tat)
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