Brand names do still matter to school kids

The Cincinnati Post

Prairie skirts. Cargo pants. Worn jeans.

Sound like something you might find in your own closet?

Actually, it's just some of what kids might be asking their parents to buy as part of their back-to-school wardrobes.

More than ever these days, kids wear is mimicking adult fashion - both old and new. Girls have fitted jackets and tunics. Boys want baggy pants and Vans shoes.

"I feel like they want to dress like the people they look up to the most," said Andrea Lui, a spokeswoman at Old Navy.

Parents this year are expected to spend $13.4 billion on school supplies - about $443.77 a family, according to an annual back-to-school survey by the National Retail Federation. More than half of that family budget will be spent on new clothes and shoes, mostly at department stores and discount chains, the survey said.

But it wouldn't be back-to-school shopping without a slew of big brand names that kids are determined to have. Names this year include Vans, Sperry Top-Sider, Candie's and Guess.

Sound like an '80s flashback?

In a way it is. The brands are back, and so are the styles, especially the '80s preppy look. At Macy's, one of the hottest looks for boys is Lacoste polo shirts, Guess jeans and Top-Sider boat shoes. At Dillard's, girls are picking out pale pink button-downs, bright pink sweater vests and plaid blue-and-green skirts.

Probably even stronger than the preppy return is the bohemian return.

Stores are stocking up on tiered prairie skirts and cowboy boots for girls. And big, baggy cargo pants are in for boys.

And both are expected to want front-zip, mock turtleneck track suit jackets (no hood please, mom). They're easy to find. Get them in blue, gray, black or green at Old Navy. The Children's Place has them in blue, green or white.

"It's very vintage-looking," said Laura McDowell, fashion spokeswoman at T.J. Maxx. "It's all part of the bohemian trend."

By far the biggest must-have this year is jeans. For girls, they are embellished with rhinestones, embroidery and patchwork. The younger the girl, the girlier the embellishment. For boys, it's jeans that are torn, distressed - even dirty-looking. And the older the boys get, the more ratty the jeans they want, McDowell said.

She said it's too early to tell how well that will go over with local schools.

But schools and parents will like another new trend: covering up instead of showing off skin.

"Girls are going to be a little bit dressier now and more covered up," McDowell said. "Boys are going to be more comfortable and relaxed."