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Dress Code: A Parent's Primer on Back-to-School
Fashion Trends for Teens
"The real challenge for a parent is deciding where to draw the line as to what is appropriate while still supporting their teen's personal expression"
Press release from Cotton Incorporated. Photo courtesy of Alloy.
NEW YORK, July 17, 2001 /PRNewswire/ -- Teens will be the first to say they don't need their parents to tell them what styles are "in" and what's "out."
But most parents will remember the role that clothes play in fitting into a peer group during those tender years. If you've forgotten, rent the movie "Never Been Kissed" with Drew Barrymore, suggests Kathryn Novakovic, a fashion trend analyst for Cotton Incorporated.
While asserting too much control can backfire, there are ways parents can positively influence their teen's fashion decisions -- and without breaking the bank, says Novakovic. Shopping for back-to-school can even turn out to be a bonding experience.
The savviest teens catch on that they don't have to buy into all the trends that bombard them at every turn. "The back-to-school push is really an opportunity for teens to learn to zero in on the trends that reflect their emerging personalities and sense of style," says Novakovic.
But the fast approaching back-to-school shopping season doesn't mean that kids should throw out all of last year's duds for fashion's sake.
"We purposely offer trendy items that can be mixed with items teens already have in their wardrobe, so they can create their own distinctive style," says Sharon Pommer, vice president/merchandise manager at Alloy, a teen-focused media company and direct marketer.
"For example, they can update basic jeans by wearing it with one of the new glitter gel screen T-shirts and personalize it by choosing one with 'attitude words' that typifies her personality."
Before you go shopping with your teen, familiarize yourself with what they already have in their wardrobe. That way you'll be able to make a strong case for or against how that new item will or will not work with what they already have.
The real challenge for a parent is deciding where to draw the line as to what is appropriate while still supporting their teen's personal expression. School dress codes and uniforms do help parents skirt the issue, up to a point, but since everyone knows rules tend to be broken, they usually aren't enough.
Jamie Delaney, mother of three and design director of the junior label Rocket898, suggests, "Help them understand what is appropriate and inappropriate for school by using your dress code for work as an example. This will help them accept your no's to those styles you feel are too risque or flashy."
And Nicole Salmasi, a mother of a teen and founder of BeeTrendy, a web site which integrates trends with self-confidence, says: "The average teen wants to copy the teen sex symbols they see in music videos. It's a hard battle for parents to ask their teen to ignore the hype, but there is a compromise.
"I try to teach my daughter not to be a slave to fashion and to create her own sense of style. She can only follow a trend as long as it is not sexy and revealing."
That's okay with Hope, a 14-year-old from Kentucky, who wrote on a fashion bulletin board at the teen site studentcenter.org, "My parents have a say in what I wear, but they let me pick out everything. They won't let me buy something that looks indecent, which I think is a good thing."
Sometimes a teen will learn this lesson the hard way. One New York City mother recalled the time she lost a clothes battle and her daughter stomped out of their apartment wearing hot pants, a scarf tied like a halter-top and platform shoes -- all against her mother's wishes. The 15-year-old returned twenty minutes later to change after she couldn't stand all the unwanted attention and catcalls in the street.
Salmasi recommends that parents point to more positive cultural images for instruction. But it has to be done with subtlety. More show -- less tell.
"I recently took my 14-year-old daughter to the 'Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to study the First Lady's sense of style, so she could see how feminine and glamorous she was without being vulgar and trashy looking," Salmasi says.
Now that the back-to-school fall fashion issues of magazines such as Seventeen and YM are on the newsstand, parents may want to hit the books too. Delaney says, "Get in touch with your daughter's likes and dislikes by flipping through the magazines and catalogs with them. Have fun and talk fashion."
Need a leg up on what's hot for back-to-school? Following is Cotton Incorporated's "cheat sheet" on the latest teen trends:
Striking a Cord: If your teen loves wearing their denim jean jacket, they won't have any trouble making room in their wardrobe for one made of corduroy. Corduroy jean jackets can be found in either the lightweight pinwale or the warmer wide-wale and come in a range of rich fall colors, such as deep reds and browns. Cords are also turning up in fitted shirts, jeans, pleated skirts and even fedora-style hats.
Singing the Blues: Low-rise, no-waist jeans are the hottest style among teens, but be warned: some schools may have a ban on the provocative navel-baring jean, which tends to be worn with a shrunken T. If your daughter insists on this style, keep her under wraps with a cool denim duster or sweater coat. You can also turn her attention to great new jean looks such as boot-cut jeans with a little Western stitch detail and jeans with "whiskering," a distressing technique applied to look as if they have been worn while riding horses.
Knit Wits: Forget blouses. (Who has time to iron?) This season, sweaters are taking center stage. Teen fashionistas will not be content with boring basics, so shop for loose-fitting, 80s-inspired boyfriend sweaters to chunky, marled cowlnecks. Look for knits in neutrals and muted tones such as rich browns, deep reds, military greens, indigo blue -- and a welcome back to black.
80s Revival: There's a lot of references out there to 80s culture, but that doesn't mean your child has to look like a punk rocker. Keith Haring-style graffiti print jeans is a fun nod to the trend. David Greenberg, president of New York-based junior firm Squeeze, says graffiti is "about individualism and everyone wants to look different." And, don't worry about what messages are on display. Squeeze's graffiti offerings feature aspirational phrases, such as "Follow your heart." BCBG's junior line, To The Max, includes phrases such as "A world needs Peace" -- a parent or a teacher, for that matter, can't argue with that.
... In the Details: If there's one way to give into your teen's desire to be trendy, it's with accessories. For example, camouflage is "in," but who knows for how long? So, instead of investing in camo-print pants, tops and jackets, why not settle on just a belt? Both Alloy and BeeTrendy offer the coolest camouflage belts made of cotton canvas and a crystal encrusted buckle. From felt hats to corduroy messenger bags, the head-to-toe choices are truly endless. The hottest sneaker trend is a classic you'll recognize: the Converse "Chuck Taylor" All-Star low-top sneaker, which is now available in an array of colors including burnt orange, red and pink, and is worn by both sexes.
Photo courtesy of Alloy
SOURCE Cotton Incorporated
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