Back To School Never Looked So Cool

So what's cool for back to school?

According to a Gap spokesperson, mixing it all up is essential for back to school. Cords, denim and leather keep kids stylishly active and smartly dressed.

"I can't wait to go back to school because I'm going to look good," Cassidy Caseres, 12, said with attitude.

Caseres pulled out a pair of flared cords in sky blue with a baby T. Then she pointed out that she can't wait to put this with her polar fleece from last winter that is "totally in for this school year."

Caseres' mother, Cathy, knows how important it is to let her child look good for back to school, but also worries about how much of a dent their little shopping spree will put in her wallet.

"I try to buy key pieces that she can wear into winter and that will still be around in the spring," Cathy Caseres said. "It's all about layering. We set a limit for her and when she reaches it, that's it."

That's exactly what the nonprofit financial solutions organization Myvesta.org suggests parents do when getting ready for the new school year. A survey by Myvesta.org and Capital One Financial Corp. found that back-to-school shoppers will spend an average of $5,423 on everything from computers and transportation to sporting equipment and clothing.

Between coats, shoes, backpacks and accessories, consumers will spend an average of $540 on clothing, and about 25 percent of shoppers will make at least one purchase online.

According to Capital One, shopping online with a credit card is safe and convenient. It also offers shoppers an easy way to manage their back-to-school purchases. Plus, the Internet offers consumers access to hundreds of sites for comparison shopping.

"I bought my youngest son's backpack and school uniform online," Rochelle Lee said. "It was easy, convenient and fast. Plus, I didn't have to hit the malls and fight the crowds."

Lee also got to find out what was in this season for her teenage daughter, Lisa. They planned out what stores they wanted to seek out and what Lisa might like to wear for back to school.

Gordon offers this advice to parents: Buy essential pieces.

"Save up for that one suede or leather jacket and then keep adding to the wardrobe," Gordon said.

Leather or suede jackets, pants and skirts will set parents back about $100, but pleather is an alternative that will be seen in schoolyards and college campuses across the country. Many of today's fashions are taken from adult culture, which means it's not surprising that parents and their children will find graphic Ts, flared pants, flat-front chinos, plaids, the preppy look, dark denim and lots of accessories in overabundance throughout department stores and specialty shops.

According to Malcolm Drummond, design director for Greendog merchandise, which can be found at The Bon Marche, Burdines, Goldsmith's, Lazarus, Rich's and Macy's stores, the goal is to be "edgy and extreme."

So they offer tots to tweens retro looks from the 1960s, such as ponchos, homespun pieces and items with embroidery. They're also offering what they call the "semi-sweet" look, which blends lace with sweet, wistful designs.

Utility rules for boys. Durability is the key to looking fashionable and contemporary for guys and men, which is why they'll find inline pants with stripes, bungee cords and side zipper pockets, corduroy pants -- the new denim -- and reversible vests on showroom floors.

But no matter what, there are plenty of options if you're a kid, teenager or college student.

"To me, (this year's fashions) seem more casual for the guys, and for the girls it seems there's more options," Gordon said. "I think casual for teens may be dark denim jeans with a T. The teen girls can be casual, but they have more options to have a more pulled-together look in a more fashionable way."

Casual or fashionable doesn't matter to a group of teenagers who were walking out of the Abercrombie & Fitch store one weekend before heading back to school.

"I think everyone should invest in cords this year," Christy Garcia, 17, said. "They're comfortable and cool. I can wear them in the fall and winter with this new striped sweater I got, or my down vest that I have. And I can wear them with my stacked boots or sneakers and still look trendy."

Her friend Adam White, 16, agrees.

"I wear mostly jeans, but there's a lot of different kinds of denim out there this year, so I don't have to buy the same old thing," White said. "I've also gotten into wearing khakis more with button-downs and my trail runners. Now if they'd only let me wear a baseball hat to school, I'd be set for school."

But Julia Cramer summed it up best.

"It doesn't really matter what I wear to school," Cramer said. "I get a few new things every year, like a kilt and a jean jacket this year and add it to what I already have. If I feel good, then it's bound to look good, and that's all that matters."