Back to school cool

Okay, so school starts in a week! That means back to school clothes---Teen Vogue leads the pack with the editorials (i'm biased. Heh. It's the only teen magazine that i can say i really like). However, with many stores still displaying the summer sale stock, a sizeable part of the Autumn/Winter '07 collections have yet to be made available for sale.

But who cares when the web has so many lovely offers right? Here are some of my favourites.



Dresses! These from Rachel Pally are sold at shopbop.com. 2007 has been the year of the dress, not only in the fashion books, but for me personally. Excluding my school uniform years, I can safely say that I've never worn dresses so often in my life before, and these aforementioned dresses are just great. Simple yet stylish, they make for fuss free fashion in school, with a skimming but not too tight silhouette. I also love the way they are paired with classy-chic ballet flats.



I'm also loving these 2, from C&C California (shopbop.com) and Lux (urbanoutfitters.com) respectively. The C&C piece is demure without being overly girly---more gamine than prissy---yet still age appropriate (you so don't want to look like a young adult dressed in kids clothes). Would look great paired with a swing jacket/cardigan, nice ballet flats or pointy toe kitten heels, a hairband and a fresh face.

The Lux piece is the right mix of pared down (black colour, pan collar details) and snazzy (i'm loving the zipper). For this piece, I think it stands out nicely on its own so no need for fussy accessorising. And please, no biker boots---that's just too predictable.



Then there are these French Connection dresses (fcukbuymail.com). I don't really like the purple one though. Much prefer the black. While they're not exactly very imaginative, I like them for their simplicity and for those days that I'm just too lazy to choose something appropriate. Or when I'm in a rush. Just put this one, pair with pointy toe-d kitten heels (my school staple) and I'm good to go.



Finally there's this Vena Cava piece (revolveclothing.com) that reminds me of those 1920s flapper dresses that I like. This is good for days where I have to rush to a function or dinner straight from school and have no time to change into something dressier. It's pared down enough for school because its black and has a sleek shift shape, but has got enough detailing to make it interesting enough for an event. So yup, this works.

Moving on, there is the other school staple---jeans. Notice how all back-to-school issues (well at least those in American magazines) always feature jeans? Well cos most students live in them, and not without reason too. It is practical, comfy, and with so many cuts and varities out there, you're sure to find the right one for you. I'm currently loving these:



All 3 are from French Connection and I like both the cutting (a flattering bootcut) and the inky washes (very Autumn season). The one on the far right is in a lighter wash, and it's for those rocker tee, jeans and sneaker days.



I'm currently liking ankle jeans/pants too. They make your legs look really slim and have this Audrey Hepburn-esque vibe about them. This pair is from River Island (riverisland.com). Again I'll probably pair this with my pointy toe-d kitten heel mules. I have like 3 pairs for school---2 from Andre Valentino and 1 from Anne Klein---and I always wear them cos they're just so versatile. The small heel and the covered toes make them somewhat formal, while the mule design makes for comfortable wear. Back to the jeans: to be paired with a billowy top, or a polo and vest. Or maybe with just the polo alone. Heh.

For shorts, I'm liking these 2.






These are from Abercrombie (abercrombie.com) and French Connection (fcukbuymail.com) respectively. I'm not really on the lookout for shorts---I've got quite a collection---but these 2 caught my eye. I like the preppy plaids of the Abercrombie one. Would go easily with a plain white short sleeved turtleneck or just with a white tank. As for the French Connection piece, it's nice and slouchy, without being unkempt. I'd pair it with this:



From Lux at Urban Outfitters. I think it will match very well with the shorts colour-wise, and also because it will soften up the shorts.

As for skirts, I've only got this denim mini from Abercrombie listed cos I don't really wear skirts to school and I'm very content with my own denim mini.



Still, this is not too bad---it's got a nice cut and wash.

Then there are the tops.

These are from Topshop and French Connection respectively and I like the edgy colours and the billowy shapes. Would go nicely with the aforementioned jeans, with neutral coloured shorts (black, biege, white) or even with a denim mini. Remember that with billowy tops, keep the bottom part of your outfit streamlined!

I find this piece quite fascinating too. Mainly for the lantern sleeves. French Connection had this in a dress version last season, and now as a top, I think it works very well too. Would look chic with white shorts---I like the monochrome look.

And for a splash of colour, there are these French Connection tees.

Again, I'm not really liking the purple top, but the black one's cool. Very art deco.

Finally there are the shoes. I'm currently into embellished ballet flats, and-guess what-so is Lucky Magazine!

This pair is from Juicy Couture (revolveclothing.com), which I think is getting better and better at design. They're actually producing nice sleek things and not just terry/velour sweat suits.

And finally, these:

Both are from Ferragamo. Gosh, I never thought the day would come when I would actually say I like Ferragamo. I used to associate them with "old" and like frumpy cos most of the pairs I saw were those with chunky heels. But now, quite tellingly, I find them quite cool, especially those mules/pumps with sleeker heels and the workmanship is excellent. But of course. These are chic and elegant---easy to wear for school---and the heel of the latter isn't too high so it's good for walking around.

Photographs from: www.fcukbuymail.com, www.ferragamo.com, www.revolveclothing.com, www.urbanoutfitters.com, www.abercrombie.com, www.shopbop.com, www.riverisland.com, www.topshop.com