Students are heading back to school this fall with an updated fashion curriculum.
Plaid jumpers and red corduroy pants forever favored by moms no longer line the halls. Instead, students with a sense of style are choosing from a varied crop of clothes: weathered denim, electric-colored mini-skirts, even wool sportcoats.
”It`s important to look upbeat and fashionable,” says Ahmad Boyer, 19, of Chicago, ”because in school, just like everywhere else, people judge you by the way you dress.”
Today`s students–even kindergarteners–take their dressing for academic success seriously: They hit the stores almost as frequently as they hit the books and choose styles that project their own special image.
”My friends and I follow the trends and like to copy the newest avant-garde looks–like those from designers Stephen Sprouse and Jean-Paul Gaultier,” says Amy Steele, 16, of Park Ridge.
We selected five Chicago area students, asked them to choose a store and then to coordinate an outfit that represents their individual taste–and ability to stand out in their class. —
Name: Joy-Denise Moore
School: Kate Starr Kellogg,
Chicago
Grade: 4th
Interests: Gymnastics, math
Ambition: Banker
Quote: ”I`ve picked out all my own school clothes ever since I was 5.”
Clothes: Giacca down jacket, $75; Youth Park turtleneck, $7; Knitwaves striped sweater, $29; Little Lady fleece mini-skirt, $16; bow, $4; all from Carson Pirie Scott & Co.
Name: Amy Steele
School: Maine South High School, Park Ridge
Grade: Senior
Interests: Yearbook editor, French Club
Ambition: International journalist
Quote: ”I like to wear mostly black. It looks best with my red hair, and my hair is my trademark.”
Clothes: CP Shades cotton knit pullover, $66, skirt, $58, and striped shirt, $66; earrings, $52; all from Sugar Magnolia, 2130 N. Halsted St. and 110 E. Oak St.
Name: Drew Johnson
School: Walker School, Clarendon Hills
Grade: Kindergarten
Interests: Baseball, toy guns, piano
Ambition: Motorcycle driver or Rambo
Quote: ”I picked this jacket and jeans because all the other clothes made me look too young.”
Clothes: Choozie denim jacket, $54, and cuffed jeans, $26; from Lord & Taylor.
Name: Wendy Trees
School: Lake Forest Country Day School
Grade: 7th
Interests: Student government, tennis
Ambition: Teacher or journalist
Quote: ”I take fashion pretty seriously. In fact, figuring out what to wear and fixing my hair are probably the two hardest things I do every day.”
Clothes: Striped acrylic sweater with oversized crest, $59, and cotton knit skirt, $23, by LizKids; from Marshall Field & Co.
Name: Ahmad Boyer
School: Ray College of Design, Chicago
Grade: Freshman
Interests: Painting murals
Ambition: Fashion merchandiser
Quote: ”I`ve always dressed up to stand out in a crowd–I even wore ties in grammar school.”
Clothes: Hugo Boss wool sportcoat, $395; Nani Bow wool turtleneck sweater, $175; Jhane Barnes corduroy trousers, $105; Talbot silk pocket square, $22.50; all from Bigsby & Kruthers.
