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This is 12-year-old Maude. Looking fantastic! Maude looks good in everything and she loves experimenting with clothes so it’s nothing but joy when we put together outfits for her.
This year, she did quite a bit of shopping from Ralph’s closet. Trashed jeans (we’re calling them boyfriend jeans), flannel trousers that happen to fit wonderfully at the waist, a necktie for a belt, a chambray button down and a heather grey polo — all items Ralph had outgrown and Maude adopted.
What do you think? Would your daughters like these clothes for middle school? Are these as Euro as Ralph’s looks? Find the whole series here.
Sources:
– Tee with tan stripes, teal scarf, silver flats, ankle boots from Okaidi.
– Suede sneakers by Eram.
– Grey cableknit tights from Target (last year).
– Brown silk dress, black tights, navy blue jeans, grey sweater with white stripes, red polka-dot scarf from Zara Kids. Tweed shorts from Zara Kids (last year).
– Floral print cotton blouse and army green ankle zipper pants from H&M Kids.
– Navy ruffle dress (worn under grey polo shirt) and cream cardigan by GapKids (from last Christmas).
– Scarf with tan edging from Girl’s Camp.
– Black ruffle edge turtleneck from Old Navy (two Christmas’s ago).
– Red stripey tights from amazon (for this Halloween costume).
– legwarmers from my closet. Don’t know the brand – my Jennifer gave them to me a few years ago.
From Ralph’s closet:
– wool v-neck sweater by Benetton.
– chambray button-down by Lands’ End.
– heather grey polo shirt by Lacoste.
– flannel pants by Children’s Place.
– necktie (skinnified) by Ralph Lauren.
– boyfriend jeans by Abercrombie.
Why wasn’t I that cool in 7th grade? WHYYYY?
Forget 7th grade. I’m 36 and still not that cool. :-) Maude, you look awesome.
right?! bravo maude!
So absolutely darling! There’s certainly an extra sense of flair and chic in Ralph & Maude’s fashion choices this year. I love that Maude was shopping in Ralph’s closet too… really, having an older brother can make for awesome hand-me-downs at this age!
Many many thanks to your fashionable Middle Schoolers for sharing their euro style. It makes me want to get out and style it up!
I think this is the first year Maude has taken clothes from Ralph. Loving it!
You’re a doll, Maude. Cute outfits, but YOU could make ANYTHING look good. Love you millions. Grandma in China.
I loved seeing Ralph’s and Maude’s school attire. They look very French to me. And, oh SO cute.
I love these! I use to shop my older (and younger) brother’s closets too, I once hit my Dad’s and pulled out what I thought was an oversized waffle shirt only to be told later in the day it was…an under garment. But dressing can be so much fun!
And she looks very natural in herself in those clothes, and that is beautiful
What clever outfits you two put together. First of all, Maude looks just like her Mom and love her long locks. Loved all the outfits, but the outfit with the necktie was very fashonista and I loved the outfit with the red and white stripes. You two Rock!
My faves as well! Those flannel trousers are amazing and the tie – perfect! I too love the peekaboo tights – reminds me of the 90’s cut (and bleached:) jeans I wore with tights underneath…memories! Question – are the ripped/worn jeans allowed in schools there? Our school dress code doesn’t permit these…
Hmmm. Good question, Tasha. Not sure. I haven’t seen a printed dress code, so I guess we’ll just find out. : )
Seriously? The stylishness is to-die-for.
Whoa, Maude has more style in her pinky than I do in my whole being. It’s ok for a 32-year-old to steal looks from a 7th grader, right?
Your kids are WAY more stylish than I was in 7th grade. That first look with the plaid trouser shorts & tights is too adorable. Totally wearing that myself this fall!
Utterly smashing! :)
TOO CUTE!
Not only are these outfits stylish, it looks like your family has so much fun pulling them together. What a difference from all the “I hate back-to-school shopping!” going on right now.
So chic! I am getting ideas for my own outfits, I must admit. ;)
The stripey tights under boyfriend jeans? Genius.
Favorite looks of this young lady –
– bf jeans and red striped tights! I used to rock this same look but with b/w tights , china doll flats and MY big bro’s jeans!( oh some 20 years ago, bah!) What a great flashback.
– I lurv the tweed shorts and knit tights look.
– Brown linen(?) ruffle top/dress with bell sleeves. (I love when younger folk choose to wear finer fabrics suck as tweed, linen, silk, (cashmere if you can!), etc instead of only stretchy t-shirt knits. I also like when more structured or tailored dress items are mixed in to everyday wear. Tres chic!)
Maude, you & your siblings are terribly stylish!
Wow, she is so pretty! I love her outfits, but especially the brownish (orangish?) tunic/dress..whatever it is, I obviously don’t know, it’s so pretty. She’s so stylish! Your kids are so lucky to live in France in their childhoods, so their stylishness can go with them for the rest of their lives. Love these outfits.
Also, could your kids wear this stuff in middle school in the US? Would they get teased, or would people try to copy them? I dressed very preppy in middle school–penny loafers, button down shirts, etc.–and got teased mercilessly. Just curious if people with middle schoolers think these styles would transfer. Because they SHOULD. She looks fantastic.
I wonder the same thing, Emily! Not sure how much of this year’s wardrobe would translate to a US school. It’s fun for me to see the difference between this year’s and last year’s What to Wear posts.
Maude can come dress ME anyday! Great outfits! My daughter would wear those when she’s older and a version of some of them now at almost 4. Great taste Maude!
I’ll second (or third or fourth) the comments above – if only I were this stylish NOW, forget about when I was twelve. So sophisticated and yet adorable! I’m not sure what most 12 year olds are wearing, but it looks very French to me.
She is too cool for school. My favorite is the gray sweater with white stripes and red scarf. I want it (at least 10 sizes up)
Maude looks great! (so does Ralph) It’s wonderful that you’re in France and they can try more edgy fashions than the average American 7th grader. Sadly, I have taught middle school for 6 years, and I don’t know that these looks would be very ‘in’ with American students (well, the ones who feel peer pressure to be ‘in’). Everyone wears their ‘uniform’ of Vans/skinny jeans/ t-shirts or short dress/flats. I’m curious- were your kids concerned about making sure their looks were French-ish? I remember last year, you posted that Ralph had wanted to dress a bit differently so as not to stand out as much from teh French kids. Especially the fact that these wardrobes have lots of neutral colors instead of bright ones- is that how French middle schoolers dress?
I do see lots of neutrals and greys here. For sure.
Wow, your kids are way more stylish than I can ever hope to be!
She is so fantastically fashionable, not to mention beautiful!!
So beautiful! Such confidence and grace! And yes, very Euro…and I must admit I would love to wear half these items myself! :) xo Laura
WOW! Does she look like you or what?! Super stylish and very cute. It’s fun to have girls that are a little daring with their styles.
I want all of her clothes!! Please! ESP those tights. I wish it were cold enough in Florida to pull off those under pants. Love. Love love.
Maude looks like a model! Wow!
love love LOVE the red and white striped tights under the boyfriend jeans! So cute Maude!
fashionista in the making! she has fabulous taste.
Oh my goodness she looks so grown up! So stylish; I think you have a fashionista on your hands! How fun!!
Maude, you look great!
WOW. Striped tights under the “boyfriend” jeans is especially genius.
Bravo! I am totally going to steal some looks too! I’m loving this resurgence of the shorts over tights trend…at 32 I think it is still as appropriate as it was when I was 14. I would LOVE to show these pictures to my middle school kids and say, “see!”
OK where to begin with all this FABULOUS??
1) Maude looks JUST LIKE HER PRETTY MAMA!
2) Those red and white socks? Utter fab.
3) Ditto the leg warmers.
4) J’ADORE the grey vest over the floral shirt.
The outfit combining here is just on a whole other level! Jenna Lyons over at J. Crew couldn’t do any better here! What a lovely young girl dressed in some darling outfits. I love that she is wearing the clothes, as opposed to the clothes wearing her. DIVINE!
What beautiful clothing…and children! Where are her sneakers from? They look like a pair of ultrasuede (or maybe microfiber?) ones my daughter has from Lands End. I loved Ralph’s clothes, too. Unfortunately, my son can’t wear scarves to middle school. Against the dress code. So weird!
I love Maude’s ankle boots! I recently purchased a pair but was surprised that my skinny jeans do not fit well in them–they bulge out at the tops. Do Maude’s jeans fit snugly around her ankles, which allows an easy slide into the boot? She has great style!
Hmmm. Good question. I’ll have to examine Maude’s jean/boot relationship and see what’s up.
I second all of the people who moaned that they were nowhere near as stylish as Maude in the 7th grade. Seriously, I think that I remember wearing tan nylons with a pair of fluorescent shorts (you know, so that I would look tan). Yikes. In any case, both kids look great. Do they feel more conscious of their style now that they are living in France where kids definitely dress less casually, or have they always been stylish?
SO SMART to put together all the outfits and not just randomly shop for things! A BIG thank you to your children for modeling for us readers!
soooo delightful charming & sumptuous ! love the riche colors and textures. i miss beautiful madue!
sorry miss maude – i miss beautiful maude!
Mais c’est fantastique! I loved them all–especially the boyfriend jeans, striped red and white tights and black shirt. Can a femme d’un certain age pull off that sort of look? Tell Maude she’s totally inspired me to re-evaluate my closet.
Love this post. What a proud mama you must be. Such a natural beauty. When all your kids are done with those red/white socks or tights, I’d be interested in the hand me downs. I’ll be 60+ by then but I love them. :) Blessings.
So elegant and so natural! I like her comfy with style look. Maude has a great taste. And she’s really… simply beautiful. And she can wear scarfs and trash jeans with the same class! Amazing
Looking back through your blog to June, I see your daughter sitting in bed with her MacBook (♥♥♥). You ought to get her a coolpad to sit that on so the laptop does not overheat. It is especially bad if she has it sitting down in the blankets where they can block the air vents.
Nice blog, by the way!
She’s like a modern-day Annie Hall, except more interesting and lovely. Goooo, Maude!
I remember my Mom introducing me to Annie Hall when I told her I wanted to wear a tie to school. : )
You guys say the nicest things! Maude hasn’t seen this post yet, but I know she’ll be delighted with your kind words.
Maude is way more stylish than I’ll ever be – but it gives me something to aspire to :) Love her outfit choices!
Beautiful girl. Beautiful clothes.
In the last pic, I’d be cautious with the V sign. In the UK and Ireland it is an insult when the palm of the hand is towards you – not unlike giving someone the middle finger! Churchill’s famous V for victory sign has the palm out. I don’t know about it in France though…
Good to know, Therese!
My daughter is also 12 yrs old. Isn’t it amazing to see them cross over from pretty little girls to beautiful young ladies? Maude looks tres chic!
oh so very cute indeed. once again–classy job at dressing your children!
Maude is fabulous! Tres chic! She is such a natural beauty and I love her sense of style. She has wonderful eyes….her personality really radiates through her expressions. I’m inspired by both Ralph and Maude’s back-to-school shopping and crafting of outfits. I have two little boys and I’m constantly hunting for well-made stylish clothes for them and to encourage their own sense of style. Maude has inspired me to dig into my closet for fall and determine a few items that can boost my wardrobe, as well as to pair different items together that I already own. Lovely, thank you for sharing.