"'I ask her, 'What do you need these for?' said her mother, Jane Cohen of Bel-Air, who shops mostly at vintage stores and garage sales..."
...in order to pander to her daughter's WANTS, not NEEDS.
My kid went through his "designer" phase when he was in Junior High. I understand all about the "fitting in" stuff because when I was a teen, our brand of jeans were very important to us, too.
I would buy name-brand stuff if I found it at Goodwill, and he was given a clothing allowance, BUT if all of it was spent on one pair of jeans, he knew he was out of luck for anything else he needed that season.
What a marvelous teaching opportunity for parents to use, but when you have numbskulls like this Mom, it's a lost concept. I mean, I'm sure a monthly clothing allowance in Bel Aire is equal to a mortgage payment for us. *Rolleyes*
This little girl is going to make a great Ex-Wife for some unlucky future guy, LOL!
how sadly true
This year we put my daughters in private school.
Last year they were in public school, and they hated it.
Besides all of the standard benefits of private school, my kids have gotten a lot more thankful about material things at home.
We can't afford to do as much or have as much now that the girls are in private school. My kids don't ask to go to the movies, they ask if they can rent movies. If I say I can't afford to buy something for them, they don't whine about it.
I'm not even worried about the designer thing. I don't think my kids care if their clothes are from Target or Old Navy.