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.

-- Melissa Magsaysay