Do you know what a VSCO girl is? If you are mom to a tween, you need to know! It’s the latest fashion craze among the tween set.

The funny thing is, the term “VSCO” isn’t important. When I first heard it, I figured it was an acronym. It’s not. VSCO (pronounced “visco”) is a photography app from Oakland, California. It’s has lighting presets and is used for editing. The term “VSCO girl” has nothing to do with the company. It has to do with the fashion style of the girls who first posted pics using VSCO.

So back to the original question…do you know what a VSCO girl is???

If you need some guidance on this, feel free to get out your 1988-95 yearbooks, because this is not new.

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Is fashion ever new? Not really.

Find pictures of how you and your friends looked in 1989. Or 1991. Remember what you were wearing while watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air or Beverly Hills 90210? That’s the idea.

It’s basically a beachy California girl, 90s style.

Part of being a middle school girl is looking and acting like everyone else. Now, I’m not saying I think that is a good thing. But it just IS. I remember that feeling in middle school – the feeling that everyone is looking at you and judging you. My tween daughter assures me that everyone IS looking at her and IS judging her – but I’ve told her that everyone else at school is too busy worrying about themselves to worry about her.

Anyway, I’m doing my best to raise a strong, happy, healthy girl. However, you’ve got to pick your battles. And I am not one to battle against a tsunami.

If you are in the same place as me…here are the necessities for your little VSCO girl. If her birthday is coming up…this is what she wants. You’re welcome.

Scrunchies

1990 called, and it wants its scrunchies back. This is the pack of scrunchies that my daughter got this summer. She is thrilled with them, and your daughter will be, too. Oh, and they’re not for her hair. They’re for her wrist, for some reason.

Reusable Straws

Part of the whole VSCO girl thing is environmental activism. Only as far as I can tell, it’s mostly fake and done to be cool, not because they are actually smart enough to actually understand any of the issues. Oh well…that is part of being young. #savetheturtles is one of the things ya gotta say as a VSCO girl. And if you want to give the impression that you are saving the turtles, then you need a reusable straw!

I have already written an article reviewing the best reusable straws, so check it out! Here is the best choice for a tween girl:

If your daughter is an aspiring VSCO girl, here is a useful article for her to learn about sea turtles. We aren’t raising dumb girls, let’s teach them so that they actually know what they’re talking about!

Striped Tops

The two shown above both come in a bunch of color choices. They are women’s sizes. The ones below are girl’s sizes. Because that is yet another hard thing about being a tween – you are growing fast, and you are kind of in-between sizes. Some tweens are tiny, and some look like women.

Cropped Sweatshirts

This is girl-sized:

And these are women’s-sized:

Puka Shell Necklaces

These are cute. I remember them being a thing the boys at my high school wore. Along with their Adidas slides with white socks – I don’t think that trend is back, but maybe next year?

You can buy one at a time, or get them as a set. My daughter got one of the multipacks.

Vans

Vans have been a thing with tweens for years now. And by that, I mean this current generation of tweens has been into Vans for 3-4 years. However, tweens were into them in the 80s, too…so I guess they’ve been a thing for decades. This type is THE ONE for lots of girls. Checkered slides, so amazing:

But the Old Skool Vans are really popular, too. In fact, we just ordered another pair for my daughter yesterday. We picked gray this time. She already has black. Oh yeah, I know what I’m talking about.

Birkenstocks/Crocs

The other footwear choices are Birkenstocks and Crocs. This one cracks me up. Back in the 80s and 90s, when I was a young thing, my friends and I thought Birkenstocks were for old, gross hippies. They were obviously ugly and not totally tubular. Then Crocs were invented back when my kiddos were babies/toddlers, and I thought those were pretty ugly, too. Well, both of these brands are back and they are just the coolest. Sksksksksksk. (That’s the sound of a VSCO girl laughing).

I found this equally ugly pair for a much lower price in case you want to make your little girl happy but don’t want to fork over a ridiculous amount of money:

Thankfully, Crocs are not so expensive.

Hydroflask

Hydroflask water bottles are a necessity for the VSCO girl tween fashion. A water bottle, you might ask? Why would it matter which brand we get, and why would we need such an expensive brand?

What a silly question. You need it because it’s what everyone has, silly. You must be like everyone.

As of now, as I type this, your daughter absolutely needs this one:

The wide mouth 32 oz Hydroflask is the correct type. However, as far as I know, it doesn’t matter which color you get. It’s just the size that matters. I promise I will update if it changes so you don’t screw it up.

Now, if you are like me and you don’t see why you should spend all your money on a water bottle (again, it’s because everyone does and we must be like everyone), then I have a cheat for you. This one looks a lot like a Hydroflask and also comes in the 32 oz size (don’t get the wrong size!)

They cost about half as much, or maybe even less. BUT if you get this one, also get her some cool stickers to hide the fake logo or you will wreck her life.

Stickers

She must have these for her Hydroflask, and if you let her have a computer, she needs them for that, too.

My daughter makes stickers and sells them on Etsy. Check out her shop on Etsy: Caligurlvibes

80s & 90s-style “vintage” t-shirts

There’s a brand called Brandy Melville that makes a bunch of VSCO girl fashion. Almost all the tops are cropped, some of which are big and boxy and others are slim-fitting. These look like the ones I already listed in the striped section above. But vintage graphics is another version of this.

Some of the shirts have brand logos or the names of cities. And for some reason, pictures of things like old-school VW buses and bands that tween girls have probably never listened to – except maybe in their parents’ cars.

Mom Jeans

Ok, this cracks me up, too. I can’t believe “mom jeans” are back. The same high-waisted jeans that I remember them trying to talk us out of during the Oprah show’s makeover episodes…they are back. On tween and teen girls. And they need to be distressed. These two are women’s sizes:

And the same idea for shorts. They need to be high-waisted and distressed:

And these are girl sizes:

Lululemon Shorts

Another pricey item you need to fit into VSCO girl tween fashion is Lululemon shorts. I won’t lie- these are too expensive. However, I have been informed that you absolutely must buy Lululemon shorts because everyone can see the logo on them and will know they are authentic. Sigh. Plus you need the reusable shopping bag they came in to carry your lunch to middle school.

Now I wasn’t about to buy these for my daughter “just because.” But they made a great birthday present for her!

Here are some less expensive options:

Mini-Backpack

To carry around all your scrunchies, your VSCO tween needs a Fjallraven Kraken mini backpack.

This brand is pricey, so I’ve got some look-alikes for you:

Remember, many of our little VSCO girls are VERY picky about brands. So get the okay from her before you buy. I am trying to help you be a cool mom here. Don’t screw it up. This one is a mini Jansport, which is another cool brand:

Other Must-haves for VSCO Girl Tween Fashion

Do you really need a mini backpack just for your scrunchies? Well yes, obviously, but if that seems silly to you, here are some more things to put in the backpack:

Yup, Carmex lip balm is cool. What?!? I don’t know. I don’t make the trends, I just report them. Burt’s Bees is cool, too.

Face spray is also I thing. I’m not sure what it is, but your daughter needs it. And this is the brand she needs.

The trend that I am happiest is back is friendship bracelets. I loved making friendship bracelets as a kid. And with today’s kids’ obsession with social media and technology, I am really happy to have my daughter have a hobby that is calming and quiet.

If you are REALLY cool, then you tie your bracelet to your Hydroflask bottle while you make it. Oh yeah, that’s cool. Sksksksksk.

#savetheturtles

Being a VSCO girl is not just about tween fashion. You may have noticed some odd phrases coming out of your daughter’s mouth lately. I’ve already explained the “save the turtles” thing, but there are more:

• sksksksksksksksk: As far as I can tell, this is basically the sound of a VSCO girl laughing. Or it can be an “OMG.”
• And I oop: Apparently, this is what you say if something embarrassing or surprising happens, or you’re feeling awkward.
• Spill the tea, sis: Tell me the gossip, girlfriend!

So there you have it, fellow tween moms! Hope you’ve enjoyed my in-depth coverage of VSCO girl tween fashion (and culture?)! Good luck to you!!! If you found this amusing, please share and pin!

If you need to do some gift shopping for your tween, please check out my article all about the best gifts for tweens!

If you want to be a hero, buy your daughter a VSCO Mystery Pack. What is a mystery pack, you might ask??? Well, it’s a gift that girls buy for themselves or friends and they are very popular right now. You choose which size you want and pay for it, and then you are sent a surprise gift! My daughter hand makes these in her Etsy shop, Caligurlvibes. She makes stickers and then wraps them up in a box along with barrettes, scrunchies, necklaces, lip balm, etc. Every box is different, and she has gotten some great reviews on her site from other girls. Click here to check it out!

If you feel like you need to do something smart to make up for the past five minutes you’ve been reading this, check out these more intelligent parenting articles:

How to Raise Your Kids with a Growth Mindset

10 Exciting Books for Tweens

How to Deal with Your Tween’s Bad Moods

How to Make a Phone Contract for Your Tween or Teen