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Back to school classics

Valerie McPhail  

(9/2017) September invites a new timeline. Out of sight and mind are the beach bum days, jaded by the summer sunshine; they are disrupted by a new season counting time by holidays and an academic calendar. This schedule sees time ticking quickly, gaining pace by imprudent fashion trends and growing shopping lists. Despite the fact, one shopping list sets the tone, and that is: back to school shopping

A laundry list of spiraled notebooks, blue pens and three-ringed binders requires a trip to Target for a cart filled with every necessity in the classroom. The same perspective can be applied to back-to-school fashion statements. As such practical items consume our radar, recent reports suggest a void on news concerning children’s fashion.

Despite the lack, a reoccurring theme that accompanies the excitement of September fashion is back-to-school shopping. Backpacks, poppin pencils and scented highlighters are exciting accessories accompanying the classic pieces of fashion: navy polos, jean jackets and that perfect fitting white tee. These are the items that make getting dressed in the morning a joy, rather than a task for such classic pieces are easy to mix and match, and therefore, never go out of style.

Polos: Fred Perry

An alternative to the posh perspective defining athleticism in the 1990s, Fred Perry has become a match for a preppy look. The brand carries modern understanding to what Lacoste meant to sport’s fashion in the early 2000’s. Offering a color palette of darker shades, burgundy, navy and black, the direction of it’s style moves away from the upbeat sporty sensibility introduced by Lacoste, when polos were bubblegum pink, sunshine yellow, and green as fresh cut grass.

Rather, the British brand has supported the athletic field of fashion with designs that understand the tennis culture in another light. That is, polos featuring solid colors more often than not. Other designs sport a solid colored band decorating the front of the shirt. Made of cotton pique, the brand has created staple pieces, including the Fred Perry Shirt, a style that reflects a brand imagined by a Wimbledon titleholder, Mr. Perry to champion the court and street style fashion.

White t-shirt: Karla x Hanes

The hunt for the perfect white t-shirt has consumed fashion for seasons.

Karla Welch, renowned fashion stylist partners with Hanes Cotton Company to launch a t-shirt collaboration that marks the treasure pot. A partnership named Karla x Hanes, a variety of baby tee, sleeveless, crop and tank set the tone for a collection of standard styles and fits for every need.

Karla Welch, a figure of style, and notoriety for dressing celebrities such as Justin Beiber during his World wide "Purpose Tour" and supermodels in editorial shoots for magazines and advertising campaigns, is a natural avid t-shirt collector and aficionado for a solid white tee. Welch brings this passion to her recent collaboration with strong intention behind what looks like a simple design. She has disclosed in press interviews strong thought in creating a coarse fabric that softens over time and wear. Iconic supply brand Hanes proves the best support in this mission as it’s price point of $30 a-piece markets the collection on a larger scale. Karla x Hanes resolves a high fashion hunt with simplicity – what better way to set a statement of style.

Denim Jacket: Gucci

Flashback to 2010 when children’s fashion became a trend among high fashion labels such as Gucci and Stella McCartney, two outspoken brands about their newly launched children’s lines. Since the inception, children’s clothing design has become a reflection of the fashions showcased in the mother lines.

One design of the Gucci children’s embroidered denim jacket, bedazzled with patches of butterflys, bushels of roses and a sewn kitten patch is a premature version of the cropped jacket trending in both men’s and women’s fashion. The genesis of its style came into popularity as a summer favorite in cropped form, and remains a trending style moving into fall.

As mature style speaks of love at the writing of the phrase "L ‘Aveugle Par MAour," blind for love, found on the back of the jacket. The children’s design inhabits the same sense of adventure through illustrations of colorful wildlife and mystical characters available on the brand’s website. In light of its higher price point, Gucci reflects a brand supplying fashion statements for children.

Culottes: Zara

Defined by the dramatic statement of its design: culottes are the wide leg pant found in different materials such as polyester, and cotton. When I was in Junior High School, the popular styles were made of spandex and lycra mix, offering a style equivalent to a yoga pant, now fashion has it’s sights on denim designs.

As new styles of denim hold a standard title place on the back-to-school shopping list each season, it is fitting to find Culottes as a comeback style through denim. As denim experiments with style and design – the culottes support its innovations. Zara, a Northern Spanish retail fast fashion distributor, relates the current denim trend to children’s fashion through designing culottes for children. Culottes have made a comeback, not as a practical piece of clothing, conceived for the function of breathability and ease, but now finds these characteristics for the purpose of style and drama in the name of fashion.

Sneakers: Converse All Star High Tops

A solid black and white, monochromatic canvas sneaker, accented with an iconic star has set territory in homes of many generations, starting as early as grade school. The minimalist style carries an earnest sense of practicality built in it’s design tracing back to 1908, a product launched as a rubber shoe, later as an athletic shoe for basketball players sporting the "All Star" style in 1920.

The characteristics that have created this staple Nike brand line have also streamlined its appeal to the fashion industry. Durability and Simplicity has defined its longevity, and without a doubt it has remained in the school ground courts and expanded beyond, into interests of fashion editors and collaborations with high fashion brands. The charm behind the All Star design is its ability to support universal functions and great perspectives on style. With a sharp, distinct style, it provides expression without losing function.

Classic fashion brings a solitude perspective in the haste of pace found at this time of year. As fashion attends to the exotic styles leading the world of design, there is humility in finding fashion within the pieces that can never go out of style. Just like the practical items needed for school each September – a backpack, calculator and pack of pencils – in the same way there is value placed on the solid white t-shirt, sporty polo denim culottes found in the malls and available online shopping. Despite the lack of news, reporting on the current trends in children’s fashion, the richness of its field design is found in timeless pieces, providing stability in the ever-changing, developmental period of a child’s life. The reports on children’s fashion rest on the constant fashion styles provided at this time.

As the pressure propels, preparation is key, and prompts dressing for success. This finds expression in fashion that will create the picture perfect outfit for the school’s yearbook, and standard styles adhering to a school’s expected dress code — reasons other than attention-seeking styles of the moment. The level of investment relies on practicality. Offered by timeless pieces, these are a fashion statement that cannot be beat.

Read other articles by Valerie McPhail