"Juniors" Depts.

[MidwesternGal]

Okay, this is inspired by the Chico's thread.

If you are over, say, 35/40, do you shop in the junior's department at stores, or in stores geared at mostly teens/young twenty-somethings?

I know some women are very tiny, like say, size 0-4, and that juniors sizing may fit better than misses sizes. But if you're more average, say, size 6-12 or bigger, why do you shop in that department?

I am only 26 but think a lot of the clothes are poorly made and overpriced (marketed to teens with money burning a hole!) and look really high-schoolish/overly "trendy" on me--even the dressier clothes. So I'm just curious as to why women older than me who obviously could find a nicer/classier cut and probably better fit in the misses dept. would choose to shop in the jr. dept.

(I'm talking about those who do their main shopping in the junior dept. Not about the occasional times that you happened to be passing by and saw a cute top that would fit.)

[ysolde]

I am a Petite (4'11"), and shop in the Petites departments.

[sea74]

I'm 33 and every so often I shop in a "juniors" department. Mostly if I'm looking for something trendy and not wanting to spend a ton of money on it. I'm a size 4 so sometimes is works out.

[bellaprincess]

I am 29 and I shop in the Juniors dept.

[tlew12778]

I think a lot of the clothes are poorly made and overpriced (marketed to teens with money burning a hole!) and look really high-schoolish/overly "trendy" on me--even the dressier clothes. I agree. I never shop there.

[Medako]

I don't even bother looking through the junior section because I feel like anything I would find there would make me look like I was trying to look too young. I'm 28 and just can't pull off that young trendy look (and haven't for several years).

[mkredhead]

I never shop in the juniors department. For one, I am nearly 6' tall. The shorts wouldn't cover my tush. If I'm looking for something trendy, I can find an equivilent in the misses/sportswear department of any given store.

I've decided that I am too cheap to buy cheap things. I am willing to pay more for clothing that fits and wears well.

[MLA]

I steer clear of the juniors dep't for the most part, but I'll buy t-shirts from them. They tend to be cut less boxy than in the regular women's departments.

[jmvan74]

I rarely even look in the Jr. dept. The clothes don't fit properly.

[JamBray]

I'm 36 and shop mostly in the juniors department, since it's the one most likely to have my size.

[tenofcups]

I'm 43 and probably shop in the junior's department about 1/2 the time. I'm in that category of smaller women you mentioned -- five feet tall, about 100-105 pounds, and usually wear a size 0 or 2. If I'm looking for jeans, shorts, or capris, I have far better luck in the junior department than anywhere else. For tops, it's hit or miss -- depends on what the current styles are, though I tend more to the women's department for most tops, nicer slacks, dresses, etc. And I'll pop into stores like Aeropostale, where I got a lot of cute and inexpensive casual summer clothes a few years ago (shorts, tanks, etc.).

[am_81]

I'm not in the group youre asking about (only in my mid-20s), but I do 99% of my shopping in the juniors department. Not because I'm trying to look young or trendy, buts its just what fits my body. I have a fairly large chest, but the rest of me is lacking in the "womanly curves" department. I find that most of the pants/capris/etc. in the womens/misses department bulge in odd ways and are just all around unflattering.

FWIW, my mom (who is 50) is shaped about the same way and she still buys jeans out of the juniors section fairly often.

[petdoc08]

I am 26 and have never been able to shop in the juniors section. I swear I was born with hips and had big boobies very early on (5th grade or so). I did shop at forever 21 in college for club clothes, but that was a short lived phase.

My MIL shops the junior sections at 52 years old. She is NOT the body type you described and should really be on "What Not to Wear"

[trestlegirl]

I'm 32. I shop at Forever 21 and the juniors section of Nordstrom for inexpensive, trendy pieces that I'll be sick of in a few months. It is indeed crapily made, but by the time it falls apart it's usually out of style anyway!

[amew]

I am 29 and generally don't shop in juniors, but I have bought a few tops there since getting pregnant. :o Apparently, maternity clothes manufacturers assume all pregnant women have huge chests, and I so don't (as in still an A-cup in the third trimester), so maternity tops just don't seem to fit me right. Juniors departments, OTOH, seem to be full of long, empire-waisted tops for flat-chested people--perfect maternity wear for me. Plus, whereas I would normally want better quality clothes, during pregnancy, cheap clothes I can wear a few months and then trash are fine. So, yup, I'm the 30 year old pregnant woman hitting up the junior department...

[kalogrias]

I shop in the Juniors department sometimes. ITA with MLA that their T's fit better and are less boxy than the ones in the Misses dep'ts. Also, the Nordies BP area sometimes has really cute casual stuff. I wouldn't say most of my wardrobe is from there, but maybe 1/4 of it is (or from places like Pacific Sunwear). I don't buy anything there that is short or cleavage baring though.

FWIW, I'm 27, almost 28.

[Darlene&Scott]

I shop in juniors most of the time because all the 'petite' stores I've been to in the mall look really matronly to me (like all nautical theme attire, neutral/boring colors). I always look like a kid dressing in her mom's clothes there so I avoid them all. I have yet to find anything in those stores. Plus it's hard to wear endless jackets and two piece this and that in Florida. It's too hot!

Also I'm 5'0" and I hate going to get my pants chopped half off in order to be a decent length that I get in miss departments, only to have the pants look like skater pants at the bottom. The junior pants are proportioned and shorter in length most of the time. I usually get the less 'trendy' stuff in juniors. I just like colors and cuts that do not remind me of my mom and MIL.

[MidwesternGal]

Thanks for answering, ladies! I was just really curious. Sounds like most of you are pretty small, though. Minus petdoc's MIL, LOL.

[mrselle]

Last week I bought some capris and a shirt for work from the Junior's Dept. First time I bought something out of the Junior's Dept. in YEARS. I'm only 5'2" and I don't have any real curves to speak of, but a lot of their clothes don't fit me well and the quality sucks. I'll be 32 next month.:)

[chefker]

When I was super tiny (like size 0/2), I would shop there. The pants fit me better than anything from the misses department. (I hate the term 'misses' dept, sounds so old! :))

Of course, post-pregnancy, I am no longer a size 0/2, so I haven't set foot in the junior's department in years. Mostly I shop at places like Old Navy or Gap, that don't have separate departments anyway.

[Sophia]

I'm 4'11" and 37yo and can wear juniors clothing, but the styles are too young and look ridiculous on me. I shop at stores like AT and Loft (petites).

[karlatta]

I steer clear of the juniors dep't for the most part, but I'll buy t-shirts from them. They tend to be cut less boxy than in the regular women's departments.

I agree. They are often longer too, which I like.

[greenbunny]

I also like junior's pants/jeans because the length is more appropriate for me. I've tried petites, and the proportions are weird. The rise is too short and the inseam is still too long.

[Missy2U]

I'm 41, and I shop in the Juniors Dept.

Jeans in a size 8 or size 10 don't fit me right - they never have. Only Jr. sized jeans fit me waist and hips wise (9).

[Hello Kitty]

Sometimes - I'm not opposed to going to forever 21 if I'm looking for a going-out top. I also like the t-shirts at Target because of how they are cut.

But pants? LOL, no way. I'm not a big person or anything, but I do have thighs and hips, which the teen pants don't.

[Sophia]

Oh, I do get T shirts at Target. All their departments merge into each other and I usually can't tell if I'm in "misses" or "juniors."

[yby1]

I'll shop in the Junior's dept sometimes. I don't get anything super cutesy trendy, but if it fits me right, I'll buy it.

[ysolde]

I'm 4'11" and 37yo and can wear juniors clothing, but the styles are too young and look ridiculous on me. I shop at stores like AT and Loft (petites).


Ah, a fellow 4'11" lady! Hi, there!

[mimieliza]

No way. Juniors department scares me - too trendy, clingy and revealing. And, since having my daughter, there's no way anything could fit. I'm definitely in the mommy jeans demographic now (although I try to make sure they are stylish, well-fitting mommy jeans). :)

[wendalah]

For trendy things, sometimes. I'm 36, 5'6" and 115 pounds (that is, pre-pregnancy).

I tend to like more basic pieces to mix with my weirder stuff so I get my pants from places like Banana Republic, where they have a lot of very plain bottoms.

[mindy75]

No way! I'm 31 (32 in July) and I hung up the Junior's department a few years ago. Pre-dd I would occasionally buy jeans but that's it. I don't shop at any big stores. The Juniors seems a little too trendy for me and the misses/petites feels a little too old for me. I shop mainly at BR, AT, Gap, and Old Navy and Target for cheap trendy/casual stuff. Oh...I'm 5 feet tall and about 107lbs, size 2/4.

[TracyDP]

I am 29 and generally don't shop in juniors, but I have bought a few tops there since getting pregnant. :o Apparently, maternity clothes manufacturers assume all pregnant women have huge chests, and I so don't (as in still an A-cup in the third trimester), so maternity tops just don't seem to fit me right. Juniors departments, OTOH, seem to be full of long, empire-waisted tops for flat-chested people--perfect maternity wear for me. Plus, whereas I would normally want better quality clothes, during pregnancy, cheap clothes I can wear a few months and then trash are fine. So, yup, I'm the 30 year old pregnant woman hitting up the junior department...

That's too funny, I've done exactly the same thing! I have 4 shirts from the Juniors department that I'm wearing and I'm 24 weeks pregnant (apparently designers think there is going to be a boom in teenage prenancy judging by the maternity style clothes they are selling these days). My chest is a little on the larger side, but if I get a Juniors XL in certain styles they fit great. I have several rib-knit tank tops and V neck t-shirts from them that I layer over my maternity pants and the t-shirt bunched up a little around the middle looks cute and hides the pants maternity band from showing through. I tried on some actual maternity t-shirts from Motherhood Maternity and they were essentially the same cut only 3 times more expensive ($15 each vs. 2 for $10 in Juniors at JC Penney)!! I also found some really cute empire waist/A line shirts and tanks at Old Navy that have been fantastic maternity shirts for a fraction of the price. By the way, I'm 35 a size 12-14 (M-L tops L bottoms) and 34DD chest. I pretty much only get shirts in the Juniors as the pants/jeans don't come close to fitting me (even pre-pregnancy).