FASHION

Private School Confidential

Gossip Girls Blair and Serena may set the standard at Constance Billard School for Girls, but Manhattan private school teens have their own ideas about fashion. We asked 15-year-old Rebecca, a freshman at an uptown...


blog_highschool_docs.jpg

Gossip Girls Blair and Serena may set the standard at Constance Billard School for Girls, but Manhattan private school teens have their own ideas about fashion. We asked 15-year-old Rebecca, a freshman at an uptown prep school, to tell us what young fashionistas are wearing in the hallways these days.

What are you seeing this year that’s new? Doc Martens are huge right now. You see them in every color—yellow, pink, black—some have a British flag on them. Jackets with big shoulder pads are also really big, and headbands with huge bows. My mom hates mine. It’s got the most obnoxiously big bow you’ve ever seen in your life. I’d also put furry vests, suede fringed jackets and navy and white striped t-shirts on the list. Oh yeah, and off the shoulder sweatshirts—it’s an 80s aerobic instructor look.

Anything else that’s unusual? Yes, pill box hats with a piece of tulle. It looks really over the top. People wear them to school with Doc Martens and schoolboy blazers, or with MC Hammer pants that pouf out.

Where do you get the pillbox hats? Who has pillbox hats anymore? Most get them from their mothers or grandmothers, but you can also get them at a few stores in Soho such as the Hat Shop.

What do your friends carry their stuff to school in? Either Longchamp Tote bags or backpacks. Most have American Apparel backpacks—either the black glittery one or the neon orange one.

How big a fashion influence is Gossip Girl? None of these ideas come from Gossip Girl, considering that most girls who live and go to high school on the Upper East Side do not watch Gossip Girl, because they find it to be extremely pretentious, and exaggerated. The pillbox hat idea predates Gossip Girl. They have been popular since before the show came out.

Is preppy style still going strong? Well Topsiders are big, but now they’re purple with plaid, or yellow or pink patent leather. You also see girls wearing button-down boys shirts, really baggy ones that are belted, with leggings and Keds. Usually red Keds, sometimes white. Plaid flannel shirts are also popular, but in really ridiculous patterns like checked turquoise and purple or pink and black.

What isn’t considered cool anymore? Uggs. You wear them only if it’s really freezing outside or if you’re going to Starbucks. But if you show up to school wearing jeans, a t-shirt and Uggs, that’s considered a big no-no.

What about jeans? How specific do you have to be? Everybody used to wear normal blue jeans, but now, unless your jeans are very cool—either very bell bottomy jeans or super, super tight skinny jeans—they’re considered sweat pants. That’s what people call them. You just look way too comfortable and it looks sloppy.

What about makeup? Bright blue eyeliner, navy nail polish and red lipstick are big. Also two-toned lips: pink on the top and really dark red on the bottom. It sounds ridiculous, but it looks pretty cool, actually.