This is for personal, noncommercial use only.
Today's Front Page
Gas Buddy
See it on TV, wear it to school
The stylish students are inspired this year by the stars of their favorite shows
Print this Article- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
The first day of school is still weeks away, but Destiny Morgan is already planning what she will be wearing when she hits her new fifth-grade classroom at the Herma Simmons Elementary School in Clayton, Gloucester County.
The 10-year-old hopes those wardrobe options will include some of the items worn by the characters on some of her favorite Nickelodeon shows.
"I started to get her some school clothes," said Morgan's mother, Tina Gillam, as she shopped at the Walmart department store in Vineland recently. "But she told me she wants these jackets and clothes she saw on Teenick (Nickelodeon's programming network for teens)."
Why? According to Morgan, the clothes worn by such Nickelodeon stars as Miranda Cosgrove and Keke Palmer are "cute and stylish," essential elements for any fifth-grade wardrobe these days.
With the back-to-school shopping season in full swing, both girls and guys are looking to their favorite celebrities, films and TV shows for fashion inspiration. Spend an hour flipping through the Disney Channel lineup or paging through Teen People magazine and you'll have a fairly good indication of what students will be wearing while roaming the halls in this fall.
The change in celebrity media has helped the process along. In the past, fans only saw their favorite stars at Hollywood red-carpet events dressed in high fashion couture. Now, thanks to the paparazzi, you can see what Selena Gomez and Robert Pattinson are wearing during their morning trips to Starbucks.
"Before it was like, 'Oh look at these beautiful dresses at the Academy Awards, but I don't ever have a need to wear that in my life,'" says Lilliana Vazquez, style correspondent for NBC and founder of the Web site cheapchicas.com. "Now here's Vanessa Hudgens shopping with mom at Barney's wearing super cute leggings and a shrunken leather jacket, which is something a 14-year-old could wear."
Department stores are responding by stocking up on styles featured in the likes of "Gossip Girl" and "Twilight." Expect to see lots of leggings and tunics for girls and collections of skinny leg jeans, vintage T-shirts and blazers for guys.
"The thing for guys that's really big is the whole Zac Efron look - the fitted shirts with the blazer," Vazquez says. "The Jonas Brothers do it too. They call it a 'sporty-chic' look."
Along with these understated references to popular celebrity styles, many department stores are stocking new lines designed and promoted by celebrities. For Walmart, the hot new addition is a line for juniors designed by Miley Cyrus and Max Azria that features slick leggings, rocker print T-shirts and high-waisted skirts and shorts.
Kohl's has also joined the party with juniors lines designed by Avril Levigne and Tony Hawk. And a Disney line based on the show "Wizards of Waverly Place" is selling at J.C. Penney, Kmart, Sears, Walmart and Target.
Morgan counts "iCarly" among her favorite shows and is inspired by the show's star, Cosgrove. The 10-year-old's wardrobe is full of leggings, skirts and dressy tops similar to what Cosgrove wears on the show.
"She'll wear anything like that," says Gillam. "As long as it's dressy."
Elsewhere in the Walmart juniors department, Kristin Bailey, of Vineland, flipped through clothing racks in the Max and Miley collection. This will be Bailey's first year attending Landis Middle School. As a former private school attendee, it's also the first year she gets to wear street clothes to class, and Bailey's already gotten some ideas for her wardrobe.
"I love leggings," the 11-year-old said. "I won't wear a skirt without them on."
Bailey also selected a plaid shirt from L.E.I., a line currently endorsed by country singer Taylor Swift.
"New clothes, new shoes, new styles," said Bailey's mother, Mary, who drives a school bus for the Vineland school district. "They all have to have something new for the first day of school."
This interest in celebrity style hasn't gone unnoticed on the sets of some of today's hottest films and TV shows.
Mandi Line, costume designer for the ABC Family show "Greek," strives to make her characters' looks relatable for fans of the series about college sorority and fraternity life. A college girl on a budget isn't going to be able to afford outfits from Ralph Lauren or Calvin Klein that are worn in shows such as "Gossip Girl."
So in "Greek," Line chooses to dress main character Casey Cartwright in pieces from stylish, but still affordable, lines such as Lucky and Free People.
"'Gossip Girl' is a fantasy. It's awesome in itself, but the clothes are adult," Line says. "With 'Greek' you have Casey and her price points are completely manageable."
To help save a little cash, Vazquez recommends investigating the racks at TJ Maxx or Marshall's for wardrobe ideas that cost less than they would at department stores. But she adds that it's never a bad idea to splurge on one or two items.
"I think it's OK to buy one expensive piece that they're going to wear multiple times," Vazquez said. "If your daughter wants a leather jacket, see if you can build outfits around the one item so you can make the most out of that one purchase."
E-mail Courtney McCann:
Celebrities and their clothes
"JONAS": A line inspired by the Disney show featuring the Jonas Brothers. It mixes prep school styles with a rocker twist.
"Wizards of Waverly Place": A clothing line based on the show by the same name. The collection includes a lot of tunic-length tops with print scarves and miniskirts such as those worn by Selena Gomez's character.
"Mad Style by True Jackson": Designed by Jane Siskin, best known for her work on 7 for All Mankind's famously fitting jeans. The "Mad Style" clothes draw from Nickelodeon's popular tween show "True Jackson, VP."
Anna Sui for Target: A new line of clothes for girls inspired by "Gossip Girl." Expect to see a mix of high fashion and boho chic styles such as those commonly seen on Blake Lively and Leighton Meester.
"Twilight" at Nordstrom: - In October, Nordstrom will debut a line inspired by "Twilight: New Moon." Pieces will include "Team Edward" T-shirts and a Cullen family-crest necklace.
Posted in Life on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 4:30 am Updated: 6:43 am.
No comments have been posted. Be the first poster!
Click here to report a comment as abusive.