Clothes encounters

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Aug 23, 2004 | by Susan Whitney Deseret Morning News

Tweeds, pinstripes, Oxford shirts and pleats. That's what the grown-ups who own the stores are predicting teens will be wearing this fall. But will they be wearing these bankerish items along with the heretofore-requisite metal accents and bared bellies? Some experts in the fashion industry say yes. Others say the conservative look will replace the current look.

Rochelle Williams, spokeswoman for Sears, is one who says the conservative look will only go so far. Teens are going to buy at least one conservative piece, and "then make it their own," she predicts.

She says young women might buy a great tweed jacket (possibly in pink) but then put their favorite funky pin with it and wear it over a camisole -- which might be worn over a T-shirt. "They'll really be customizing," she predicts, "layering style over style over style."

The Deseret Morning News asked a few teens if they plan to dress up more this year. We also asked them their favorite new item of clothing and how much it cost.

Alison Bennett, who will be a junior at Timpview High School in Orem, said she is dressing more formally than she did before. She likes to wear khaki pants and polo shirts more often than she used to. Her favorite new purchase is a pair of capris with drawstrings on the legs. She got them for $29 at American Eagle.

Christin Walker, who will be a senior at Bingham High School, is planning on buying high-heel pumps to wear with jeans. She thinks she wants them in black and she thinks she'll spend about $30, although she's been pricing high heels and has seen some she likes for as much as $80. And yes, she says, "My style is becoming more sophisticated. I want to dress dressier." Last year she wore a dress to school only once.

But Dana Frankovich tried the conservative ("preppy" she called it) look last year and didn't like it. "It just wasn't me." This year, "I guess you could say I'm going toward emo-punk." ("Emo" being short for "emotional.") Frankovich will be a junior at Jordan High School. Last year, as a preppy, she had a tiny bit of trouble with the dress code. She hesitates to predict what will happen this year, although even as she speaks to the Deseret Morning News on the telephone, her mother can be heard in the background -- lobbying for modesty.

Frankovich's two fashion favorites so far are her new pink mesh top from Wet Seal ($7) and a black-and-pink dickey shirt that she got at Dillard's, or perhaps Hot Topic, for around $21.

Emo-punk is not to say that Frankovich can't be conservative when the occasion demands. She has a job interview outfit that consists of a simple top, black pants and flat shoes.

Hannah Lockhart plans to dress up more because she's going into high school. She'll be a freshman at Timpview. Her favorite new buy is a pair of bright pink flats from Payless ($15), which she intends to wear with a new flowered skirt ($25, Urban Trends). Some days she'll still dress casually, though, she predicts.

Caitlin Snider, who will be in eighth grade at Farmington Junior High School, says her favorite buys are a T-shirt and jeans. She got a pink Fox Riders Co. shirt for around $10 and a pair of dark blue jeans for around $34 at Pac Sun. She likes the jeans because they are soft.

As for Kylee Suliafu, who will be a sophomore at Skyline, she likes to shop for vintage clothes. She finds something she loves every time she goes to Thrift Town or The Bag Lady Boutique. Her latest buy, a pleated skirt with mesh trim on the hem, is from Grunts and Postures.

The young men we spoke to considered themselves to be conservative and fairly dressed up already. Sam Bostwick, a junior at Bingham, said he hadn't shopped yet but he planned to wear the same button-up shirts he wore last year. He has never worn his jeans super baggy. As he gets older he finds he likes to wear khakis more often and "look a little bit more professional," he says. He has never come close to violating the school dress code.

Derek Murray, a senior at Bingham, uses the word "calm" to describe his look. He never wears anything that Tiger Woods wouldn't, he says. This year he found some great buys at the Van Heusen outlet store: polo shirts for $9.99 and $12.99.

Cameron Stelter, a senior at Copper Hills High School, says he'll be wearing what he's always worn, i.e."normal clothes." He likes bargains. He just bought a pair of Reeboks (plain white) for $50. He also favors pants with pockets big enough for his cell phone. And finally, Jesica Latham, who will be a senior at Juab High School, can't wait to wear her new brown corduroy jacket with pink seams and big buttons. She got the jacket at Rue 21 and says she knows it is popular because she got the last one. It cost $24.

When she was a freshman, she wore T-shirts with logos. Now her closet is full of Oxford shirts and sweaters. "I've realized I love sweaters," she says. She doesn't live to layer, but occasionally she will layer her clothes, maybe with a plain black T-shirt over the top of a long-sleeved white sweater.

If there is one thing she considers her signature piece, it is her headbands. A few years ago her parents went on a Caribbean cruise and her mother brought home a dozen bright and unusual bandanas. Latham folds them into thin strips and ties them around her hair.