Clothes Shopping with Petra

We have reached a major bump in the road with Petra and her stubborn fashion choices. She has had a pretty amazing array of clothing passed down to her by my sweet friends which I have mixed into articles I have purchased. Up until recently, she had no problem with the selection. However, in the last few months, she has declared that she does not like any of her clothes and has gone on strike even when given the chance to select her own outfits.

I have entertained the idea of having her choose a week's worth of outfits on a Sunday night. I dream of how lovely they would look hanging in her closet- all set for Monday, no fussing, no fighting:

I will be using this method soon.  I even have the organizer, from Ikea. I am waiting until Petra shops for some new clothes. I want her to have the ability to choose her wardrobe (not all, but a few new pieces) she can then mix into what she already owns. Nothing revolutionary. She needs to take some ownership. I am just scared. The last time I went shopping with her was to Michael's for her birthday craft project supplies. We had a list. A very clear list. But as soon as she saw the rows & rows of various art supplies, all hell broke loose. I get it. It's hard to focus, especially around art supplies, and especially for a 5 year old. 

Here's my plan: I will make a visual list of the items she can buy. Hopefully this will help her see what is available to her. As far as budget goes, I will be taking her to Old Navy and H&M. I think everything there is priced very reasonably. I will avoid the Crewcuts and Ralph Lauren store in town for now. Here is her list:

Here are the items I will not allow her to buy (this time around). I know I seem like a dud for eliminating these choices, but to make her outfits pair together for her easier, this will help:

sorry, Petra. 

In case you are wondering what my consequence is if we have another episode like the Michael's incident…I will explain, prior to this trip, that if any tantrums or fighting erupt, we will put everything back and leave with nothing. Zero. I will stick to it. Once the dusts settles, I figured I could go online and select all the possible clothing choices in her size. I will put them in the shopping cart, or many have wish lists. She can then look in that cart and select her set amount of clothes. Am I a control freak? Yes and no. It will buy me some time until she is a bit older & can handle the overwhelming in-store experience and narrow her choices. Here is a 'wish list' I started on the H&M site:

My hopes are high, as I imagined going shopping for clothes with my daughter should be a delightful experience where everyone goes home happy & satisfied. (I know I'm dreaming). As a teen, I remember shopping with my mom. I may not have always gotten everything I wanted, but the memories of laughing our butts off in the dressing rooms stands out as some of my favorite times with her. We may have even been asked to leave some stores. I can dream. I'll let you know how it goes.