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The Other Side of Back-to-School
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18445 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
9 / 1990 |
1,223 Words |
| Author
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Wendi Winters
Wendi Winters is the fashion writer for Manhattan's West Side
Spirit as well as a special correspondent for the Antelope
Valley Press. She has written several fashion articles for THE
WORLD & I. |
The turning leaves are signaling the end of the lazy days of summer. Almost gone are the days spent by the pool, at summer camp, or by the shore. It's the time of year most children and teens both anticipate and loathe: Back-to-School. And while many can't wait to return to the musty old halls - either to see old friends or to renew cafeteria food fights, they all view the annual trek to the store or stores to buy new school clothes with dread.
To a kid, a shopping trip is about as much fun as winter sunbathing in Siberia. First comes the battle over what will or will not be worn. (Have you noticed how Mom's first choice is always something “nobody” at school would be caught dead wearing?) Then comes the debate over the budget. (Parents will explain how twelve dollars bought all of their elementary school clothes budget should equal the national debt. Of course, no one had shoes back when Mom and Dad went to school.) All this precedes the realities: the stressed-out sales help (if they're visible at all) and the long checkout lines.
Fashions for children are meant to be fun. Lighthearted. Something you put on them and enjoy looking at - and something they can toss on and forget about. But increasingly, kids' insistence on wearing what they want to wear is setting off alarm bells across the country.
Conspicuous Ostentation
One phenomenon of recent years has been the universal popularity of athletic shoes among children and teens. Originally developed during the seventies for jogging plain old sneakers didn't cut the mustard for running on hard surfaces, sports footwear is now specifically designed for nearly every kind of athletic activity.
But it hasn't stopped there. The clunky looking running shoe, once banned by nearly every school as inappropriate footwear, is now worn practically everywhere - to school, proms, and even weddings. Last year, the athletic footwear industry, dominated by names such as Reebok, Converse, Nike, Adidas, and British Knight, sold more than $8 billion worth of shoes.
Unlike the lowly sneaker, which was cheap, the newest and most coveted athletic shoes feature built-in “air bladders” for a custom fit and command prices that begin at $175. Who's buying them? That's right - your kids.
Teen idols like Magic Johnson
...
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