Going Back in Style

As summer winds down, area students are partying, worrying about hitting the books again and, most certainly, shopping for the hottest back-to-school fashions.

Some might want to listen to 15-year-old Kelley Chatman to avoid getting off on the wrong foot. However, you parents might want to brace yourselves.

“You gotta have a lot of Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, Perry Ellis . . . big-name stuff,” said Kelley, junior class president at Cleveland High School in Reseda. “You have to make your first impression, because that’s how people will see you for the rest of the school year.”

And mixing designer clothes is definitely a fashion faux pas.

“Nike with Nike. Fila with Fila. You cannot brand-clash. That is a no-no,” she said. “You would probably get clowned if you came to school without the right gear.”

Keeping from being clowned, or teased, is bound to be high on the list of goals for the thousands of students across Los Angeles returning to classes in the next few weeks. Representatives of school-supply stores in the area said kids are snapping up Nike pencil pouches and folders, Looney Tunes backpacks, Five Star notebooks, pens with aliens painted on them and anything colored fluorescent pink, green or yellow.

In addition to all that, child-development specialists said many students are likely to need time--and parental support--to get their heads back into the books.

“They are moving from a very open life to a very restricted life,” said Barbara Polland, a child-development professor at Cal State Northridge and a psychotherapist in private practice. “Their schedule is no longer their own, there are expectations of papers, exams and summer reading . . . the tension mounts.”

Polland said parents should talk to children about how they feel about school and not put too much pressure on them to succeed, especially during the first weeks.

While back-to-school shopping with their mother, Dee Dee Hayford, at Northridge Fashion Center, 14-year-old twins Jennifer and Jessica Hayford of Glendale talked about anxieties over getting good grades and dealing with peer pressure.

“There’s a lot of responsibility that goes with [high school],” said Jessica, who with her sister will begin freshman year at Los Angeles Baptist High School in North Hills.

Though she is bracing for the private-school tuition bill, Dee Dee Hayford said it’s all part of helping her children succeed.

“I am proud that they have goals set in mind for the future and that I can help them to achieve those goals,” she said.

Other students, like Tony Abrams, 16, of Northridge, said their stress levels were low. At least the next couple of weeks would be available to live it up, they said.

“I worked at Carl’s Jr. all summer,” said Tony, eating fries with friends in the food court at the mall. “I’m going to spend the rest of the summer going to parties and shopping for school clothes.”

Aaron Moore, 15, also of Northridge, said he spent most of the summer honing his athletic skills and can’t wait to grab a pass as a wide receiver for the Granada Hills High School football team.

“I’m ready to go back and play ball.”

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SchoolWear

The annual quest for school-age kids to find the hottest back-to-school fashions is daunting andexpensive. Here’s a sampling f attire and accessories that retailers are selling like hot cakes.

Hat: $20

T-shirt: $18

Jeans: $55

Skate shoes: $75

Sunglasses: $100

Tank top: $22

Back-pack: $45

Sweat-shirt: $40

Cargo pants: $40

Platform sneakers: $60