The Ins, Outs of Going Back to School : Clothes: Fashion fads rule the preferences of little girls on campus. As for boys, Nike Airs retail at $50 a foot.

Nine-year-old Jennifer Franklin, her nose sprinkled with freckles from the summer sun, has the back-to-school fashion scene all figured out.

“Kids are wearing denim,” she says authoritatively, while on a morning shopping spree in Main Place/Santa Ana with her grandmother.

“They usually wear jeans jackets and clothes like I’m wearing that have holes in them,” the Long Beach resident says, proudly showing off her denim shorts, which look as if they’ve been attacked by killer moths.

To Jennifer and other children soon headed for school, what they’re wearing in the classrooms this fall is no minor matter.

In preparation for that all-important first day of class, youngsters pay close attention to fashion fads. Their parents, meanwhile, pay big bucks on that traditional end-of-summer ritual, the back-to-school shopping spree.

This school year, style-conscious children will dress much like their style-conscious parents--in clothes with warm earth colors or dark-jewel tones made of comfortable cottons, knits and--yes, Jennifer--denim.

Barbara Saliba, manager of Gap Kids in MainPlace, says: “Children want to look like their older brothers and sisters. They’re not so much into cutesy.”

Her store racks are loaded with denim jackets and jeans for boys and girls, as well as colorful cotton knits.

“We’re getting back to basics. The focus is on a classic look, with lots of denim and khaki, and the kids have responded well to it,” she says.

For girls, there are long-sleeved T-shirt dresses with drop waists in solid red, gold, black or turquoise knit for $24, or short-sleeved knit dresses in a blue or hot pink floral print for $26.

“The knits hold up, and they take the richer colors well,” Saliba says.

Gap Kids has bet heavily on rich, deep hues for fall. One line of unisex cotton shirts features a foulard pattern in jewel tones of red, blue or green for $24. The shirts pair well with a denim jacket for $36.

The “heraldic look,” with crests and shields that recall King Arthur’s court, is dominating sweaters, shirts and turtlenecks, Saliba says. One navy cardigan, with red-and-gold ribbed trim and a large embroidered crest on the front, looks like a uniform for a private boys’ school. It sells for $36.

“One kid told me he liked it because it’s different from Bart Simpson and the Ninja Turtles,” she says.

Paisleys appear all over children’s clothes, often embroidered onto sweaters with bright-colored yarn or silk-screened onto tops. For girls, there’s a hot pink paisley knit top with a hood for $26 that can be worn with a denim jacket and a solid pink knit skirt.

Many styles that start out in adult ready-to-wear collections work great when they’re brought down to a child’s size.

Girls can find cotton knit stirrup pants in bright floral and geometric patterns that work perfectly for the playground for $13.99 at Little Folks in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa. They’re baggier than the skintight unitards and leggings made popular for women by Donna Karan, but unlike skirts they won’t fly in your face when you’re playing on the swing set.

“Children’s clothes are really fun this year,” says Peggy Zamberlan, general manager for Bernans in South Coast Plaza. “Stirrup pants, baby dolls, hooded tops and footless leggings with lace trim are all popular.” And they all originated in the women’s department.

At Bernans, there’s even a trendy cat-suit jumper for girls in black cotton knit with a row of large, multicolored rhinestones down the front for $29.

Denim is also big at Bernans, but in addition to the traditional jeans there are funky styles, such as a denim jumper with a white T-shirt, both decorated with colorful plastic buttons, for $57, or a denim jacket with embroidery, beads and tiny mirrors adorning the yoke for $103.

Colors have become much darker in children’s wear, Zamberlan says. For boys, bright neons are fading, replaced by charcoals, purples and greens. They can pair a white shirt with wide stripes in black, turquoise and khaki for $28, with khaki cotton pants for $27.

Hot pink and purple are popular hues for girls. One outfit features pink cotton pants with cuffs in a purple-and-chartreuse ethnic print for $44 and a satin pink and purple baseball jacket for $93.

Having the right accessories has also become important to children. Upon seeing her family leave Gap Kids without buying a coveted green headband, one little girl promptly burst into tears.

Girls are putting scrunchies, bows and wide headbands in their hair, while boys are donning suspenders and even bolo ties.

“The amount of accessories is unbelievable,” Zamberlan says, passing by a wall full of ribbons and bows. “Everyone’s big on them.”

Fanny packs and backpacks, often in bright nylon, have become a school supply as indispensable as the ruler.

Children are asking for high-tech sneakers such as Nike Airs--and parents are buying them for $100 a pair. Suede and leather loafers are also popular. Bernans has a popular black suede lace-up shoe for about $50 for boys and girls that looks like a miniature version of a man’s classic wingtip.

Parents are often amazed to find that even their kindergarten-age children have definite ideas about style. “I don’t like black,” a blond-haired boy of 6 announces to his mother while browsing through Gap Kids.

“Since when?” she asks, wondering where in the course of his short life he could have picked up a distaste for basic black.

Shopping for school clothes often leads to a test of wills.

“We see a lot of conflict between parents and the child,” Saliba says. “Children become so set on putting their own colors together. They want to match the blue paisley with the pink paisley.”

Meghann Callaway, 10, of Logan, Utah, strides purposefully through Gap Kids, intent on selecting her own wardrobe.

“She likes different things than what I like,” says her mother, Robyne. “She tends to go for fads, and I’m more practical.

Another mother argues with her 5-year-old daughter over a red dress. “I don’t like it,” the little girl says.

“Well, I do,” her mother snaps, throwing the dress over her arm.

A few more shopping trips like these, and most parents can’t wait until school starts.