Where To Find Career Wear (Final Part)

Last but not least is territory where tweeners, particularly those on a budget, fear to tread: department stores.

About two years ago, things were not so good for those falling in between 14 and 18, with fashion being aimed more at the skinny and the stuff in bigger sizes looking old and matronly. That's if they even had it in stock.

Things are a little better now and most of your favorite department stores have decent workwear from their private labels or from nationally-known designers. For the sake of this post, I'm going to cover the national chains, not regional ones like Dillard's.

Macy's--Macy's probably has more variety for tweeners than any other national chain. Its INC label is available in misses and plus sizes. INC is not dirt cheap but it is not terribly expensive up-to-date wear appropriate for the office. There are also national brands like Dana Buchman, Liz Claiborne, Lauren for Ralph Lauren and DKNY available.

Bloomingdale's--Bloomies has really stepped it up with careerwear for tweeners. Solid well-made stuff from Ellen Tracy, Ralph Lauren, Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, and Tory Burch among other big ticket labels are there for the taking, with plenty of 12s, 14s, and even some 16s available. Sure a lot of it, even the diffusion lines, is expensive. But I have found some deals when they've had sales. For example, I found a great AK by Anne Klein shirtdress last year on clearance for $30.