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economist suntribune education thursday aug 22 2002 students look to the past for this years fashion trends getting cool for school avoiding price tag blues by mitchell brown staff writer tired of being compared to damn britney spears shes so pretty that just aint me pink dont let me get me first the good news for par ents who despise their daughters bellybaring ways the britney look is so over at least thats what teens are telling erin latimer research ana lyst for big orbit a toronto market ing firm focused on youth from the sounds of the kids they hate britney spears she said a lot of them just dont like her the guys will say shes hot but they dont find her talented i dont think shes much of a role model any more what this means is teens are dropping ms spears skintight lit tlegirllost style of dress in favour of clothing thats a little less reveal ing a little less flamboyant and a lot more like what their parents used to wear the retro look is coming back she said its totally 70s with the big belts and peasant tops indeed with the kids getting ready to head back to school it seems retro styles like the peasant top that hippieflavoured gauzy garment that comes in a variety of earth tones are becoming the musthave items this fallbut dont just take a marketers word for it like most of her peers 17-year- old nicky macaro notices what peo ple her age are wearing yeah i consider myself some one who is into fashion the aurora highschool student says ive bought a couple of peasant blouses for myself nicole goss a university student from markham has her own theory on why peasant tops fringed bags denim skirts tiedye tshirts and the like are making a comeback i think its you look at the 70s and thats the time when things happened she said there was a real youth culture and we had an activism that we dont have today weve been look ing back to the past for fashion ideas for the past 10 years i dont know why maybe its because we dont really have our own identi ties that may be so but teens today arent just borrowing from the past theyre adding their own touches to old styles beginning with the fold eddown track pants and lowrid ing jeans which ms macaro says are still popular these days with her friends while teens may prefer earth tones on their clothing ms latimer says the top of their heads is anoth er matter another big thing now is pink hair she said with reality tv star kelly osborne singer pink and glen stefani of the rock group no doubt all sporting pink hair a lot of kids think its pretty cool they want to dye their hairs funky colours the buzzwords she says are independence and empower ment todays young women liv ing in an age when theyre con stantly bombarded by images of how the perfect person should look are struggling to find themselves which means in part theyre rein venting old styles but on their own terms as for the boys well darned if ms latimer has any idea what theyre up to i reallydont know about guys she said ive been looking around but i just dont know you can see the retro look for girls in the stores and on the kids but for guys its just some guys just dont care its so diverse there doesnt seem to be any set thing while girls go retro the mantra for boys seems to be go classic or at least sporty a casual survey of shops catering to the younger crowd suggests an emphasis on the basics for boys khaki pants plaid shirts and solid- colour tshirts and turtlenecks all accented with the tastefully under stated watch or necklace athletic gear is another must- have for both sexes with varsity tops sweatshirts rugby shirts and of course the baggy skateboarder- look is still going strong a couple of years ago there was a big rave scene and baggy jeans were a part of that ms latimer said and nothing has really taken its place since then i dont see it as much as i used to but its still there one thing girls and boys do agree on is where their sense of fashion comes from in a recent survey conducted by ms latimers company 22 per cent of teens said their clothing deci sions were influenced by their friends 11 per cent said movie stars 4 per cent said fashion maga zines 2 per cent said their parents and 58 per cent marked in myself staff photosteve somerville club monaco employees marilyn davis left marco maltese rosa marchese and carol salgado strut some of the latest backtoschool fash ions cracking the books shouldnt mean breaking the bank while its tempting for parents to give in to their childrens cries for the latest and newest in clothes and school supplies there are a few things you can do to ensure theres a little left for lunch money come september set a budget and stick to it make a list of what each child needs to begin his school year and build your budget around those items rather than what he wants involve your children children can be tempted by ad campaigns touting the latest musthave stuff for school if you involve them in budgeting theyll see for themselves how much things cost and be likely to shop frugally teens pay for musthaves if your child has earned money from summer jobs then make a deal with them youll pay for the basic supplies if they pay for the expensive musthave items wait if your children can make do with last years backtoschool clothes and backpacks for a little longer then hold off on shopping for a week or two the best time to shop for school supplies is in midseptember when the stores hold clearance sales to make room for new merchandise gadgets a must on every students hip list by mitchell brown staff writer naturally back-to- school shopping isnt all about having the right clothes if anything its about having the right backtoschool stuff to help you leam heres a quick run down of whats cool for school this fall hightech gadgets cellphones digital cam eras mp3 players per sonal digital assistants if its small and digital they want it hightech gadgets are huge status symbols among teens right now with the added bonus it keeps them con stantly in touch with friends hightech accessories for some teens though the sleek grey exterior of a palm pilot or cellphone isnt enough they have things you can hang off your cellphone said erin latimer a research ana lyst for big orbit a toronto marketing firm that focuses on youth theyre little clipons with pictures of friends or movie stars that hang from the bottom of cell phones backpacks older stu dents tend to go for the brandname bags carried by stores such as the gap and roots but theyll tell you its because those bags are more durable and have extra features such as the cellphone compartment on the shoulder strap preteens will follow their lead but look for younger children sporting spiderman harry potter and bob the builder backpacks this fall school supplies pencils geometry sets looseleaf paper the classics never go out of style but that doesnt mean yours have to look the same as everyone elses binders in translucent colours pen cils festooned with smiley faces glitter glue and postit notes shaped like apples and shamrocks are just some of the fun ways retailers have found to perk up their wares annual floor model clearance final 3 pav 4747 hwy 7 east of kennedy unionville 905 4775524 fimnrruimtriors wwwalmiracom monwed 106 pm thursfri 109 pm saturdays 105 pm closed sunday ends sa