Lessons in Style

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When Erik Soderstrom, a seventh-grader at Inman Middle School in Atlanta, did his back-to-school shopping last month, there were three sartorial imperatives on his list: a pair of black baggy jeans, all-white sneakers and Nike wristbands. "I wear them around my wrists for sports," says the basketball-and football-loving 13-year-old. "But during the school day I wear them close to my elbow."

Sweatbands are just part of an athletic-wear invasion that is one of this year's biggest themes in back-to-school fashion. "Music stars 50 Cent, Blink 182 and Avril Lavigne contributed to this trend," says bicoastal fashion stylist Darshan Gress, whose clients include wristband-sporting rockers Lillix and Good Charlotte. The popularity of dance-hall reggae artists like Sean Paul has added another dimension to the look: Rasta colors (yellow, red and green). Gwen Stefani of No Doubt is a fan of the tricolor bands.

Other athletically driven looks for early fall include hip-hop-influenced tracksuits and girls' teeny-tiny Soffe brand shorts, which have sporting words like CHEER, SOCCER and SOFTBALL printed across the rear. "They're always worn with the waistband turned down," explains Jennifer Bruder, owner of New York City's Berkley Girl, a tween and teen boutique. In fact, girls often roll them down twice, testing school dress-code limits on short shorts. The must-have shoe to wear with the shorts: equally sporty old-school-styled kicks, especially the groovy retro-looking Puma Mostros New Mesh sneakers ($90).

An alternative to the athletic trend, though not necessarily one that will thrill parents, is the biker look. Teen stores are stocking up on lapel-less motorcycle-style jackets, an alternative to last year's omnipresent blazer. "It's a reinvented classic," says Gress. "Designers have played with the colors and fabrics so that the look is more accessible and affordable." DKNY Jeans, which now has a Juniors line for teens, offers a denim version with grommets for $89.

As for fads that may not make it past midterms, check out those extra-wide, low-slung belts. They're worn over belt loops, instead of threaded through, and buckled to the side. Fashion doesn't have to make sense, especially in high school, as long as it looks cool.

--By Isabel C. Gonzalez