Tween Trends: An Inside Look At Back-to-School

Selling to Kids, Sept 6, 2000

We've heard all the back-to-school trends from magazine editors and industry pundits. Now that school's officially back in session, we asked someone with the real inside scoop - our tween guest columnist Courtney. She took a look around her seventh grade classroom for us and scoped out the latest in fashion, accessories and supplies. Here are a few of her picks for this fall's big trends:

Fashion

According to Courtney, shoes make the kid. "Stacked shoes, shoes with heels, stacked loafers and tied shoes like Doc Martens are in. Skechers are still very popular." Fashion don'ts? "Any shoe that's totally flat."

Accessories

This year's answer to the butterfly clip is an old standby - the bobby pin. But tweens have updated the look: "Clips and pins with beads and rhinestone stuff are in. Anything sparkly."

School Supplies

Tweens want cool designs and colors on their school stuff, but they also expect utility. One of the hottest items in Courtney's class is a pencil case with see-through compartments - one with netting and another with a clear plastic cover. On the other hand, some supplies are just for fun. "Gel pens - different colored pens with gel-like ink that write on dark paper - are really cool and everyone has them."