Scarsdale Rocks Back-to-School Fashion

They've been back in the classroom for about a month, and it finally feels like fall. That means it's time to cozy up to beautiful jackets, new boots and a surge of back-to-school fashions. Because warm temperatures during the first few weeks of school tingled with summer's giddiness, back-to-school shopping is experiencing renewed interest in the village these days. According to Rachel Uchitel, owner of Wyatt Lily, "'Back-to-school' started late, but it's really going strong – because it basically just got cold this week. A lot of my customers are coming in now looking for leggings, comfort wear and other really warm and cozy things."

This year, Uchitel is seeing a strong demand for personalization and individuality in clothing. She offers in-store monogramming with glitter letters or monochrome letters so kids can wear their favorite sayings, sport their initials or interject a bit of humor into their looks. Popular personalization among the pre-school crowd includes "King of Time Out" and "I only date models." Older kids have also hooked into the trend. One student running for school government cleverly designed a cute sweatshirt advertising her candidacy and asking for votes.

"Glitter letters for the girls can really spice up simple tops and bottoms to make them special," Uchitel said. Leggings – especially in fun colors, faux leather, or camouflage prints – are the bottoms of choice this season. They're comfortable, cute and can easily be worn with other pieces to create a variety of looks.

Because this season's palette of navy, gold, black and gray expresses a toned-down vibe, Uchitel looks for clothing that has fun embellishments and interesting details. Patches, this year, are especially popular. For ultimate style, she recommends keeping everything a bit sophisticated, rather than childish. "I've got some really great, yummy, slouchy hats with sparkle for colder weather. Everyone loves them. I've also got fur wrist clasps that work like a snapping bracelet. They're so great that parents are buying them for themselves as well as for their kids."

Skull motifs, in sophisticated tones of silver, bronze and gold, are a favorite at Wyatt Lily. Just like the fur bracelets, any accessory embossed with a skull has become popular among all age groups. This season, Uchitel recommends getting the look through key chains, mini purses or backpacks – for young ladies and mommies too.

Phyllis Samuels, a 25-year-long buyer for Neil's Corner Spot, said, "Although back-to-school shopping starts as soon as the buses from sleep away camp return, it continues throughout the fall." Among the most popular items this season are patches and denim, she said. "We're seeing a lot of jeans – skinny jeans, torn jeans and patches everywhere." Patches capture a retro, 1970s-style vibe, but they have become especially user-friendly through pin-on versions and stick-on versions manufactured by a company called "Hipsta." In addition to accessorizing jeans with patches, Samuels recommends using them on sneakers, leggings, backpacks and flannel shirts. She said, "Flannels – worn open over tank tops – continue to be a popular look for girls – as well as grommets and lace-up everything."

Construction details – such as laces, grommets and studs – are wildly popular embellishments within the season's palette of neutrals. "This is not a very colorful season. There's a lot of gray and olive," Samuels said. Black – the uniform color of the 1990s – is also back in style, as evidenced by the wave of students wearing black T-shirts rolling in and out of Scarsdale High School at the beginning and end of each day.

"Back-to-school looks for boys focus on comfort, practicality and, often, a certain sports appeal," Samuels said, "Boys want the same kind of comfort that girls have long enjoyed." She said fuzzy pajama pants and jeans made from French terry with stretch are popular for boys now. College T-shirts, jerseys with draft picks and sports shirts from all the popular New York teams remain favorites too – and Neil's has them all. Flannel shirts are another trend in boys' back-to-school fashion this season. However, unlike girls, boys wear their flannel shirts buttoned-up and un-tucked.

For the high school crowd, most trends trickle down from young pop-culture icons like Kendall Jenner, 20, and Gigi Hadid, 21. According to LF Store stylist Alianna Anselmi, some of this year's biggest back-to-school trends include embroidery on denim, suede and sweaters; camouflage tops and jackets; vintage looks; bomber jackets in every color and fabric; off-the-shoulder, choker tops that zip at the back of the neck; lace tops for layering; and satin slip dresses. The palette is subdued – black, gray and olive – but tempered by the feminine softness of blush pink and plum. "It's like a 90s grunge look but more fun, young and girly," Anselmi said. "Imagine a vintage looking, oversized black band T-shirt paired with a pink skirt ... or a sequined slip dress worn over a casual T-shirt, layered with a denim jacket and boots."

Because of the season's wildly changing temperatures, fall is all about layering. "We do a lot of mixing and matching at LF. This way you can experiment and play with your clothes. You can be inspired by those trends that Kendall and Gigi are wearing, but you can also personalize a look to make it your own. I always tell girls they should never be afraid to try a new trend. They should never be afraid to be the first person to wear something new," Anselmi said.

For a great fall wardrobe, she recommends a mix of fun trend pieces and amazing classics. These include some recommended essentials. "You'll want to start with a really great pair of well-fitting jeans that you can wear with everything, then mix it up with some of this year's ripped styles," Anselmi said. "You'll also want a really good skirt that you can wear all season with tights and tall, thigh-high boots. I'd go for a beautiful suede or leather skirt that you can dress up or down." Other gorgeous pieces include classic leather bomber jackets, pretty bralettes for layering beneath loose dresses and oversized slouchy sweaters, and flannel shirts embellished with mesh panels, contrasting sleeves or hoods.

Chokers – in denim, leather, lace, suede and bejeweled – dominate this season's jewelry trend and "are a great way to give a basic top a totally new look," Anselmi said. Suede baseball caps in army green, black, gray and blush are another hot accessory for back-to-school. Because these caps are both practical and cute, some girls are buying them in every available color. "They look really cool, add definite style to your look – and are great for those days when you're rushing out the door or didn't have time to wash your hair," she advised. Over-the-knee boots, which were trending last fall, have already gone viral in this year's scene. Anselmi said, "Tall boots in beautiful suede are great with short, chunky heels or flat soles. You can wear them with fall's shorter skirts to keep your legs warm, or you can pull them over skinny jeans for a really stylish look. Some versions are coming in with stitched embroidery details or a distressed look, which I think is great because you don't have to worry about the scuffing up the toes when you wear them."