Tween Magazine
Fashion Advice for Tweenage Girls
by ‘this guy’
Summer is just around the corner. We all know what that means: warm weather and no school; but more importantly no school dress-codes or worse yet school uniforms. Summer is the time of year when tweenage girls get the opportunity to show the world how beautiful and grown up they’ve become. But, as we all know: opportunity is a double edged sword. With that in mind we at Tween Magazine have asked our fashion consultant, P. Ed O’Phile to jot down some words of wisdom. Following his advice should help you avoid some of the pitfalls that come with the many fashion opportunities summer presents.
As usual, we’ll start from the top and work our way down…literally.
What do we find at the very top? One of those critically important assets to the tweenage girl: hair.
There is that one piece of advice when it comes to hair that always applies: the longer the better. Unfortunately long hair can hold in the heat, if it’s dry. Keeping your hair damp will help you look hot…while keeping you cool. If you’re still too warm: try pulling your hair back in a pony-tail. Long hair pulled back in a pony-tail can give you a very nice grown-up look… the true beauty of summer, when it comes to hair, is color. That’s right; summer is the one time of year when a tweenage girl can have green, pink, orange, yellow…even white hair. While it is true that you won’t look so grown-up if your hair is a bright and wild color, you will attract much more attention from guys…
On to the face; and makeup.
Again there is one piece of advice that always applies: don’t use too much makeup, or you’ll look like a clown. Of course during the summer looking like a clown could actually make you some money performing at parties for little kids. All joking aside: makeup shouldn’t be thought of as paint. It’s a subtle tool used to accentuate your face’s physical beauty. As usual lipstick is essential. While they can be difficult to get: the old-fashion cadmium and lead based ones are the best for the hot summer months as their less likely to run or smudge. Glossy, “wet-look” lipsticks are also perfect for summer. Remember this is summer: so the same rules for hair color apply for lip color.
What about sunglasses: don’t wear them. The small ones will give you tan-lines on your face (yuck); the big ones will not only give you tan-lines on your face but will also make you look like a cheap hooker…
Moving down; everyday clothing. In the heat of summer there’s one rule you must follow: less is best.
Tops: avoid sleeves; they’ll make you feel warmer, hide your beautiful skin and can lead to unwanted tan-lines. Shoulder-straps should be thin (or better yet non-existent), but this is one place where comfort is key… go with what feels right to you. Backless is good, but be prepared for a bit of pain if you get into a car that’s been sitting in the sun for hours. Midriff shirts (ones that expose your flat tummy) are a sure winner in the summer. Don’t ignore mesh or lace fabrics: they look hot and will help keep you nice and cool. And for you gutsy tweenage girls who’ve got extra-long hair (waist length or longer), try going topless. You’ll have to wear your hair “down” in-front of your shoulders to cover your blatantly budding boobies… but you’ll feel nice and cool and have the attention of every guy who sees you.
Bottoms: shorter is better; after-all long pants hold in the heat and hide your beautiful tweenage legs. Short-shorts or hot pants that expose your beautiful bottom are ideal, as are miniskirts (or better still: microskirts).
Don’t be afraid to mix and match colors, patterns, materials… Hell, a bikini top can go well with short-shorts; a bikini bottom can go well with a long mesh sleeveless shirt… Try different things: you won’t believe what you can come up with.
What about underwear: it’s an extra layer that’ll hold in the heat…go without if you can. If (for whatever reason) you can’t go without, wear the smallest you can find…your body will thank you.
"But I like to wear dresses": there’s no reason you can’t. There are lots of great tube-dresses, mini-dresses, and micro-dresses out there. Dresses actually have a big advantage over a top and a bottom: the back and sides can be open all the way down to the waistband. And if you want to be a bit more casual, you can even wear a long shirt as a dress (see the top left photo on the opposite page).
Bathing suits: its summer, you gotta have at least one. As we’ve said before: the less material the better. A standard two-piece is better than a standard one-piece. A bikini is even better… Of course there are bathing suits with even less material (see the top right photo in the opposite page) for when you really want to let the world see how beautiful you tweenage body is…
On a purely practical note: be sure what you’re wearing either has a pocket, or carry a bag (purse, or small backpack) so you have someplace to put your keys, and what not.
Now, what to wear on your feet? In the hot summer months you should never put on socks: they’ll just make you warmer, hide you beautiful skin, and give you nasty tan-lines. You’ve gotta have a pair of sandals to wear with your bathing suit. While standard flip-flops are okay, their soles are too thin to actually look good. Go for something with either a thick platform sole or a heel (2-inches in a bare minimum): not only will your feet will thank you, you’ll look more grown-up. When you’re not sporting your bathing suit wear a pair of dressy shoes (again with a thick platform sole or heel). Finally, surprising as it may seem, spike-heel knee-boots go very well with mini-skirts and micro-skirts.
Whatever you choose to wear, don’t forget: the most important things are to survive the heat of the summer, look good, and to make sure all the guys notice how beautiful and grown up you are. One final thing: be sure to get a nice suntan…the darker the better. Be sure to spend at least four hours a day out in the sun, don’t use sunscreen: it’ll just make it take longer to get a good tan. Avoid tan lines by discreetly unfastening your top or even tanning in the nude! To turn your skin a stunning bronze tone quickly try applying baby-oil or butter to your skin before going outside.
For inspiration, just look at the photos on the opposite page.
Top left photo, caption reads:
Nine-year-old Katie rocks an over-sized neon-pink logo deep-v neck t-shirt (Monto Barino “Harder”, $79.95) with sleeve pocket, paired with 3-inch-soled dark-black slide sandals (Kulture Kiks “Mega-Slide”, $99.99). Her waist length naturally auburn hair has been bleached white. Her extra-glossy lipstick (Highlite “October Orange”, $64.50) matches the nail polish on her toes (Blis-Brite “Orange Moon”, $17.99); while her finger nails are in a contrasting (Blis-Brite “Electric Blu”, $17.99). The (practical) beauty of this ensemble is that the over-sized t-shirt is long enough (extending a few inches down her thigh) to eliminate the need for a bottom; while still showing off plenty of her soft–supple soon to be very-tan skin.
Top right photo, caption reads:
Thirteen-year-old Heather is set for a day at the beach with her body entwined in this bright-red all-string one-piece bathing suit (Svetlana Heertlov “Crimson Cords”, $200), paired with silver 2-inch stiletto double-strap sandals (SaraAnn “DoubleStrap”, $124.95). Her mid-back length naturally chestnut hair dyed green (Coiffeur Colors “Emerald”, $29.99) pulled-back in a high-pony-tail. Clear gloss lipstick (Supa-Shine “Clear Supa-Gloss”, $44.99) accentuates her naturally red lips. Finger and toe nails sparkle with bright red metallic nail polish (Blis-Brite “Metallic Red Flame”, $24.99). Don’t miss the silver bracelet tattoo (Peel & Stick Ink “Silver Chain”, $9.99) adorning her left wrist.
Center photo, caption reads:
Eleven-year-old Kim can be forgiven for betraying her Chinese ancestry as she pays homage to the world’s first fashionista: Fistula Spazio* (on this the 500th anniversary of her birth in Venice) with a halter-top of green Venetian lace (Sebastiano Pannabianca “500th halter”, $500), a tie-around miniskirt of white Venetian lace (Sebastiano Pannabianca “500th mini-wraparound”, $500), mated with red 14-inch platform slides (Sebastiano Pannabianca “35CM Venetian Slide”, $375). Her naturally black knee-length hair is died in the colors of the Italian flag…creating a three-color braid. Her lips practically disappear thanks to cream lipstick (Kissme “Pale Skin”, $34.99). Earrings (Sebastiano Pannabianca “500th platinum, twin crystal teardrops”, $2100) and necklace (Sebastiano Pannabianca “500th platinum, crystal bead”, $4,500) are Venetian crystal; completing the Venetian homage. Stunningly beautiful as this look is, it borders on cost prohibitive…and the shoes require lots of practice to walk in.
Bottom left photo, caption reads:
Dance the night away with twelve-year-old Lisa. Her silver and sheer-black backless micro-dress (Tiny Tease Clothing “Lightningbolt’s of Zeus Micro”, $99.99) and open-toe 4-inch stilettos (Clive Creations “Bruce Clive no. 403”, $149.95) will keep the energy flowing all night. Her hair, in its natural blonde color, will stay wet looking (Hydro Hair “Clear WetLook Oil”, $75) all night. Metallic silver lipstick (Kissme “Shimmering Silver”, $39.99) and dark-black nail polish (dark minds “pure black” $9.99) mirror her dress. The ensemble isn’t complete without lightning bolt jewelry (Cadmium Craft of China “High Chromium 6 Lightningbolts Set”, three easy payments of $9.99): two earrings, necklace, bracelet, ring, and ankle bracelet.
Bottom right photo, caption reads:
Nine-year-old Keisha is cooling off by celebrating Kwanza in July. White tube-top and short-shorts trimmed in faux-fur from the Tween Closet (tube-top, $24.99) and (short-shorts, $24.99). White leatherette 3-inch block-heel knee-boots with faux fur lining (Tween Shoes “Artic Blast Knee-boot”, $39.99). Just looking at her pale blue lips (Makeup Hut “Antarctic Blue Lip-paint”, $6.75) and fingernails (Makeup Hut “Antarctic Blue Nail-paint”, $8.25) will make you shiver with delight…
Another article from Tween Magazine, I can’t Believe They Actually MADE That!
*Author’s note: this guy (the author) made up this name using actual Renaissance Italian (Venetian dialect) words taken from a book originally published in 1570. The actual meaning of these words: fistula, pipe; spazio, distance.
