AMERICAN GRANDSTAND

The lush yellow light was the clue that at least by the calendar, the time was right for reviving the all-American looks that are coming on so strong this season. At Garfield High School in East L.A. -- yes, the “Stand and Deliver” school -- it was “spirit week,” complete with last-minute marching band practice and flag girl rehearsal before everyone poured onto buses for the most anticipated game of the year: a showdown against rival Roosevelt High.

Of course, this being fall in L.A., it was also 90 degrees, a little too warm for the wool jackets, thick sweaters and layers you see here. Cooler days are appearing, though -- and there’s always something comforting about the way nostalgia and tradition (Go, Bulldogs!) pull us back to wearable, lasting basics and a little further from the vicious cycle of covet/consume/move on.

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Photographed by Jay Clendenin, styled by Melissa Magsaysay, hair by Jeremy Clark at Exclusive Artists, makeup by Annie Ing at Celestine Agency. Models Jerrin at L.A. Models, Marie at Ford Models, Iris at Next Model Management. Fashion Assistant Nicholas Amoroso. Shot on location at Garfield High School, Los Angeles.