Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 13, 1993 TAG: 9309150360
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: NF-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WENDI GIBSON RICHERT NEWSFUN WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Wait a minute. Get dressed?!
"Oh my," you gasp. "What to wear?"
Fear not, for this back-to-school fashion section will attempt to tell you.
In a nutshell, almost anything goes.
That includes new and old clothes.
The big look for fall is leftover from last year, says Valerie Giddings. She is an extension clothing and textile (cloth) specialist at Virginia Tech.
The look is called grunge.
The grunge look includes baggy, oversized clothes that look sloppy - on purpose.
Doris Mack, who sells children's clothes at Montgomery Ward in Roanoke, said big flannel shirts are popular this fall.
"A lot of the stuff has hoods this year," Mack noted. That includes sweat shirts and button-ups. These are mostly for boys, she said.
These big shirts are worn unbuttoned over T-shirts or turtlenecks.
Another grunge look is shorts worn over long underwear. Pants a couple sizes too big also fit the look. The right shoe for grunge is a comfortable pair of sneakers or work boots. The right hat for guys is a baseball cap. For girls, it's a floppy one or a beret.
Giddings said girls who don't care for the messy grunge look are wearing long floral dresses. Mack added that they are buying poets' blouses, too.
Kids buying their clothes at Toad'ly Kids in Roanoke like silk this year, said June Burgess, who sells clothes at the store.
Silk used to cost a lot of money, but these days, it can be found in discount stores as well as department and clothing stores, she said.
Burgess said vests, oversized sweaters (which look great over stirrup pants), and open-weave vests and sweaters are big sellers this fall. The colors to look for are forest green and burgundy.
Anything denim is hot, too - from shirts to skirts to jackets and jeans. Mack said denim in different colors is popular.
The basic piece of clothing for girls, said Burgess, is walking shorts. "Girls like their walking shorts because they can wear them now, and when it gets cold, they can wear them with their hose and their tights."
For boys, the basic piece is a pair of blue jeans. "There's not too much for boys to reach out for," Burgess said.
As for what's on the way out this year, Giddings said only one thing: the polo shirt.
"It's more of the T-shirt look," she said. You can wear old ones or new ones. T-shirts that say something you like are also in.
The good news about this year's back-to-school fashions is they don't have to be brand new. "If [kids] have an older brother or sister, try to wear their pants for the oversized look, or their flannel shirts," Giddings suggested.
If you don't have an older brother or sister, check out used clothes stores or antique stores for inexpensive clothing you might like.
"You don't have to be rich to be in style today," Giddings said.
She also said, "It's important for them to have some say in what is going to be worn to school."
Otherwise, you may wind up wearing clothes you hate. And that could make you uncomfortable at school and with your friends.
Perhaps most importantly, said Giddings, while you may want to be in style, you don't have to look like everyone else. "Kids can mix and match and still have their own individual look."
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