Every year I sign up to buy a new jacket, hat and gloves for a local child who's family might otherwise not be able to afford it. I really enjoy doing this because I know some young person won't have to suffer on their way to school this winter. I also like to shop.
Two years ago, I picked a 5 year old boy and got some of the coolest small clothes on the planet. Last year, I figured that the teenagers on the list would probably get picked last, so I signed up to buy for a 16 year old girl who wanted a pink jacket in a large size. I figured it couldn't be too hard to find, pink being the new black and all. However after visiting about 10 stores, there weren't any pink jackets outside of the petites department, so I abandon the pink jacket idea and decided to get pink accessories for a jacket of another color. Easier? Wrong. I found a 16 year old girl sales clerk and asked her "Would you wear this?" She replied "If I wanted to be called grandma." Every jacket I picked up she would say things like "Old lady", "Really old lady", "Too ghetto", "Too uptight", etc. After about an hour of this, we landed on a really lovely gray wool coat and some cute pink accessories. Whew.
This year, I signed up to buy for a 16 year old boy who wants a jacket of any color. Easy, right? Wrong again. I have no idea what teenagers wear and there aren't many in my neighborhood that I can observe. Each time I step into an outerwear department, I hear last year's sales clerk in my ear. So, I'm desperate. If any of you have a teenage boy, know a teenage boy, live within a mile of a teenage boy, PLEASE HELP ME. What on earth do teenage boys, who are probably not gay, wear for winter attire?
3 comments:
I've got three teenage nephews who are very picky, and they wear Lands End parka type coats. It's what's under it that is the big deal. That said, I'll ask my sister-in-law, as well.
Around here, if you are REALLY cool- you don't wear a coat at all. I can't tell you the number of cool dudes I see running to the bus or home after school in the winter wearing short sleeve shirts. But, they are totally cool. And the goth chick who lives next door has never worn a coat to the bus in the past four years. She's really cool too. Damn, I wish I could be that cool.
My teenage nephews wear ski parkas or the usual down coat - you know, the 70s kind with the horizontal stitching?? Black seems to be the color of choice. They wear "skull caps" - head hugging with very little or NO insignia. DAKIN is always a good choice. Go to Dick's sporting goods, or REI.
Bless you for doing this. We always get present for the local toy drive and like you I always think about the teens.
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