5 Ways to Find Modest, Affordable Clothing for Girls!
Out of our five children, four are girls. With a heart for modesty and a modest clothing budget to match, I’ve had to be a bit creative from time to time when it comes to finding modest and affordable clothing for our girls.Â
Retail stores generally offer limited options when it comes to modest apparel, and the price is usually prohibitive to a family of seven with one major source of income anyway. Rather than rely on the department store or shopping mall to cloth my little girlies, I depend on these five faithful ways to dress my daughters modestly.
Second-Hand
This one is a given, but a necessity! When it comes to clothing my girls modestly and on a budget, I simply adore thrift stores, consignment shops, and hand-me-downs.
Thrift store shopping (and garage sale-ing) requires time and attention to detail, but these stores can be a treasure trove of inexpensive clothing! I have found that some thrift stores tend to have a greater selection of modest attire than others. When I find one that has a consistent supply of longer skirts and dresses, I make a mental note to frequent that store often.
Consignment shops have the benefit of carrying higher-quality items, though they are more expensive than thrift stores. If I’m choosing an item for a special occasion or need better clothes for church, photographs, and outings, it makes sense to spend a few dollars more at a consignment store.
Hand-me-downs are a major win because they are free! When someone offers us girls’ clothes, I gladly accept, sort through them to choose what we need, and Goodwill or pass on the rest. Our basement stores bins and boxes of girls’ clothing that will be passed down to another daughter in the near future.
The jumper and shirt were both free hand-me-downs from friends. When it comes to a messy toddler, free clothes is a major win!
Online
Online shopping can be a great convenience, especially when I know that I have to take my crew of littles with me when I go shopping.
One of the first tabs I always check out on any store’s website is the “clearance” tab. Sometimes there are great finds, other times, not so much when compared with second-hand pricing. I always like to keep that comparison in mind.
My favorite online places to look for modest girls’ clothing are also online second-hand or consignment-type sites. You can usually find online “garage sale” groups for your local area on Facebook, too!
Repurposing & Making Our Own
I’m far from a serious seamstress, but I’ve learned enough to contribute to our daughters’ wardrobes. With my very basic skills, I’ve been able to
- Turn pants and shorts into skirts,
- Turn adult skirts and dresses into girls’ skirts,
- Turn a child’s tee and old skirt of mine into a dress for my daughter, and
- Sew a very simple tiered skirt without a pattern.
When I come across a good internet tutorial on a basic sewing project like these ideas, I make sure to add them to my I Can Make That Pinterest board.
This is an example of a skirt I made from a pair of pants. The shirt came from a thrift store, of course!
Size Up
It’s usually a challenge to find skirts for girls as long as our family prefers. One trick I use often is to buy up one, two, or even three or more sizes, and then quickly alter the skirt to fit the waist.
This obviously works better on some styles than others, but can be quite doable. Elastic can be shortened, waistbands can be pleated, and drawstrings can be added.
Dresses can usually be easily sized up if they have a tie back, though the underarm area may need altered if the size is far too large. The dress my oldest daughter is wearing in the title image was actually found in the women’s section of our local Goodwill, but it fit her perfectly with the tie!
Wish Lists for Gifts
Certain items are just really hard to find second-hand or online at a bargain price. A below-the-knee jean skirt is one item that comes to mind.
Things that are easier to just buy new are items that I tend to put on wish lists for Christmas and birthdays. For example, my oldest daughter recently outgrew or wore out all of her jean skirts; so for Christmas, I requested a ruffle dark denim jean skirt from Deborah & Co. It’s now one of her favorites!
Armed with these five ideas, I can be confident that I’m keeping our family’s spending down while not compromising on the standards that are important to my husband and me.
What other tips would you add for finding affordable and modest clothing for girls?
Kristen Smith is a Christian, wife to her best friend and high school sweetheart, and mother to a growing brood of sweet little people. She and her family enjoy rural life in northeast Ohio. Her days are spent keeping the home, homeschooling, making real food, gardening, blogging, studying herbalism, working from home as a Lilla Rose consultant, and doing what she can to live a more natural and God-honoring life. Connect with her on her blog, Smithspirations, where she writes on topics relating to faith, family, and natural living. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and Google+.
Hey Kristen! I read this, and then noticed at the bottom that it was not Caroline, but you! I am under a “pen name”, but I’m the LR consultant who lives very near you who was due the same day as your last baby was. 🙂
I really like the pink skirt. You did a good job! I’ve seen a You Tube video about turning pants into a skirt, but haven’t tried it yet. I should have one of my older daughters try it.
Well hello, Cecilia! 😉 How fun!
I’ve been making skirts out of pants for quite a few years now. I never really learned how other than by trial and error. I feel like I do alright now! It’s really quite easy. Ripping out the inner seam on the pants takes the longest.
So glad you commented!
We’ll have to try it. 🙂 You do know about the local “Skirt Shoppe” that is held every few months, right?
I can’t believe you forgot Ebay! There are two brands that I always check for, Bonnie Jean and Rare Editions. They usually come in longer lengths, and many styles have sleeves or can be layered over a t-shirt. The quality is amazing, they machine wash and dry, and I’ve passed them down to many friends in nearly new condition.
The best time to shop is a few weeks after Christmas and Easter, because they’re usually only worn for family pictures or church, and then put up for sale again. My daughter wears them to synagogue every week and then goes out to play in them, and they hold up to a lot of wear.
Well, I didn’t really forget eBay when I wrote it. I just kind of lumped them in with buying second-hand online but didn’t name them. But they are definitely worth a mention, especially looking for solid brand names! Bonnie Jean dresses are always a great find when you can get them on sale or second-hand! I love the Land’s End dresses, too. They are great for every day wear.
Your Christmas and Easter tips are right on, too! That’s a great time to shop!
So glad you shared your tips! Thank you!
Great ideas! I’ve used all of your suggestions in the past. Another alternative would be organizing a clothing swap with several families. A clothing swap makes for a fun afternoon of fellowship for the moms, play for the kids, and scores lots of “new” stuff for each family. You could even include women’s clothing and gently used toys in the swap.
Great idea on the clothing swap, Candy! I did one once in college but never for children’s clothes. I like your thinking!