A Back To School Shopping Guide for Parents

BY STEPHANIE GATES

The most obvious indication that school is coming back to session are the ads for back to school sales in retail stores and on television. In fact, Rockland County School district begins in a less than ___ weeks [whenever you run this] and we know parents are beginning to budget for freshening up their student’s closets. While sales and advertisements are a great place to start for back to school shopping, we at the Rockland County Times wanted to do our own research to see what students really want in their wardrobes this fall.

After interviewing local high school and middle school students we found that many teens stick to very classic looks, which is a great thing for your wallet. These are many items your high schooler might recycle from last season or even earlier years and older siblings.

Girls are still wearing high waisted shorts and pants paired with Converse tennis shoes that have been in style for years. White high-tops are the most popular style and can be matched with just about any outfit to create a fresh and clean look. Jean jackets came back into style about a year ago and are perfect to match with just about anything, even dresses and skirts. Ugg-style boots are something to look out for in anticipation of colder weather.

Boys are all about the shoes; Nikes, Jordans, and Adidas are great for a cool sporty look and make for a quick transition onto the basketball court for pick up games after school.

Skinny jeans, logo sweatshirts, baseball hats, and baseball tees are classic trends that are still very popular this season for both girls and boys. Although if your boys are recycling skinny jeans from previous years, they might want to invest in a belt because boys this season will wear their pants at their waist instead of their knees.

Other items that never go out of style are tank tops, jeans, flip flops, and cardigans; all of which can be bought at the chosen favorite store by both genders, American Eagle Outfitters. American Eagle is known for their quality denim and is having a buy one, get one 50% off sale on jeans, pants and shorts for back to school. An alternative store that seems to always be having a sale is Aeropostale with jeans that are usually around $20.

With a new season always comes new trends and this year’s might surprise you.

New styles for boys are mostly in trousers. The skinny cut is still very much in style, but now they are cropped or ripped as well. Another non-denim style are pants called joggers, which are a little more baggy and have an elastic band at the ankle. These can be purchased at Aeropostale or Kohl’s for less than $20. A new pattern for shirts and pants is a bleached wash.
The boys said visors are a new alternative to baseball hats; retro styles found in your boxed up closets from the 90’s would work well.

Girls jeans are also evolving to the cropped and ripped styles. They might be matched with a sharp pair of white Adidas, instead of Converse. Girls are also wearing more fitted baseball hats and headbands. Lululemon is a new athleticwear brand meant for yoga and other sports but girls are wearing their headbands and leggings as everyday accessories.

Colors for this season are similar to last fall and winter. For both girls and boys, maroon, army green, grey, and nudes are in this fall.

Ways to save money: We mentioned quite a few name brand shoes and clothing brands for accessories but you can easily find imitation items at stores like Aeropostale, H&M, Target, and Forever 21 for a fraction of the cost. We would recommend this if your student is not certain about a new trend and only wants to try it out.

The high school boys we spoke to said that they enjoy making their own bleached t-shirts by doing DIY tie-dye with a simple black t-shirt you can buy at Michael’s Crafts for $3. Consider this as a fun back to school activity for friends or family to make fashionable shirts while saving money.

With colors, black and white never go out of style; investing in clothes in these neutral shades will always leave your student looking sharp and up to date and save you money in the long run.

A final back to school trend is a clothing swap party. Get your kids together with their friends and bring the clothes they don’t wear to swap with friends and create the feeling of a fresh wardrobe for no cost. This is a fun way to bring the group together and get hyped for the new school year.