Top Back to School Trends for Teens

By Chris Frey
August 18, 2011

"What are the kids wearing these days?" is a question any woman past the age of 30 with a passing interest in fashion has wondered about. After all, according to a new (and much-buzzed-about) study in the Journal of Consumer Behavior, teenage daughters are much more likely to influence their mom's style than the other way around. Further, though the typical high school girl wants to dress nothing like a "mom," mothers tend to buy the same clothes as their daughters (or else just borrow what's in their girls' closets) as a way to look and feel younger.

Teen fashion trends have always been something to marvel at, but these days, it's more influential than ever.

With back to school shopping season in full force, we turned to fashion editors on both coasts who we've spoken with before: Kristina Dechter, Editor In Chief of Los Angeles-based surf culture magazine, Foam, and Gina Kelly, Fashion Director at Seventeen in New York, to find what out what back-to-school fashion for teens looks like for Fall. With today’s teens demanding increasingly sophisticated fashion, we anticipated there would be runway fashion trends as relevant to them as they are to those of us who are fretting over an upcoming high school reunion. And while it's true that animal prints, knit dresses and platforms are a few of the enduring trends that unify us with them, baseball jackets, animal necklaces and creepers feel decidedly teen and completely now.

What we also know about teens is that they are looking to each other and celebrities are way more important to them than what marches down the catwalk. So we asked the always current Kelly and Dechter who their readers are looking to for inspiration today. Both editors gave us their top five fashion trends for the season and we found “grown-up” options that will keep your inner sweet 16 quietly burning inside.

Gina Kelly, Fashion Director at Seventeen, Top 5 Teen Trends

Gina Kelly

According to Seventeen magazine Fashion Director Gina Kelly, extreme platforms, like these by Christian Dior (photo by Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images) and baseball jackets, like these by Rag & Bone (photo by Karl Prouse/Catwalking/Getty Images) are hot with teens for the back to school season.

Extreme Platforms: "I know, it’s not the most practical shoe for school. But if you're going to do a heel, at least you can still walk in them!"

Baseball Jackets: "The ones out now are cute and colorful and have a tailored fit."

Knit Dresses: "This is a more subtle way to wear the whole body-con trend. A little knit dress will show your shape and you can still feel girly."

Animal Necklaces: "Last year, it was robots. This year, it’s animals: owls, deer, frogs, foxes.."

Skinny Boyfriend Jeans: Girls don't want to drown in their jeans, so this gives them a more relaxed fit while still giving them shape.

Seventeen's "It Girls" of the Moment:

Ashley Benson (L) and Lucy Hale ("Pretty Little Liars", photo by Isaac Brekken/WireImage), Diana Agron ("Glee," photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage), actress Zoe Kravitz (photo by Gary Gershoff/WireImage), actress Chloe Moretz (photo by Nick Harvey/WireImage)

Kristina Dechter, Editor-in-Chief at Foam, Top 5 Teen Trends

Kristina Dechter

Creepers, as seen at Sonia Rykiel (photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) and leather shorts, as seen at Guy Laroche (photo by Victor VIRGILE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) are among the trends Foam's Kristina Dechter identifies as top for teens this fall.

Crossbody Bags: Goodbye huge, scoliosis-inducing carryall! The crossbody bags are a little bit schoolgirl, but totally refined. And a pop of color (no boring browns or blacks) adds punch to your look.

Buttoned up-to-there oxfords: My favorite fashion trend for fall is actually more of a styling trick: buttoned-up-to-there oxford shirts. I love how such a simple idea can transform an ordinary piece from your closet and somehow feel both conservative and fresh.

Creepers: I have a major crush on creepers right now. It actually might be more of an obsession. In fact, I'm stalking creeper, and I want them so bad it hurts.

Leather Shorts: Add tights, lace-up booties and a knit sweater, and you've got a cute go-anywhere outfit that's still a little bit sexy.

Animal Prints: I love the idea of wearing animal prints casually and not reserving them for a statement piece for nighttime. For example, there are tons of printed denim options and accessories that can look 'just thrown on' and not too fancy.

Foam's "It Girls" of the Moment:

Model Coco Rocha (photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage for Hugo Boss), actress Brit Marling (ahoto by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images), actress Isabel Lucas (photo by Gabriel Bouys BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images), actress Rooney Mara ("The Social Network", photo by Michael Kovac/FilmMagic)