You remember that feeling. It\u2019s the night before the start of a new school year. The notebooks are stacked, the haircut is crisp and, most importantly, the outfit is laid out.<\/p>\n
This week, as schools across New York City and New Jersey welcomed students back, Gothamist hit the streets to see what high schoolers chose to rock for the first day of classes \u2013 and wound up getting a crash course in Gen Z drip.<\/p>\n
Lesson 1: It\u2019s all about the footwear<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
The classics are still classic. Jordans, Asics, Timberlands and Adidas Sambas were some of the most popular shoes Gothamist spotted on high schoolers\u2019 feet, but there were quite a few designer shoes in the mix, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to have designer [shoes], you can have one pair of designer and then regular Jordans, Asics,\u201d said Ibrahim Bah, a junior at Broome Street Academy who sported a pair of blue and white Bottega sneakers to accompany a well-coordinated fit of blue denim shorts, a light blue school uniform tee and a sleek blue Lululemon summer jacket.<\/p>\n
Lesson 2: Baggy jeans are in<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
The dream of the 90\u2019s is alive at the Beacon School. When it comes to denim, it\u2019s all about comfort these days, according to these high school juniors who also pointed out that jorts (loose-fitting jean shorts) have made a comeback. <\/p>\n
And it\u2019s not just the guys who resurrected the baggy jean trend. For Alison Rivera, 14, these thrifted baggy pants were a must for her first day of ninth grade at the Beacon School.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn middle school, I used to wear a uniform, so I didn\u2019t get to express myself,\u201d she said. \u201cBut now I can dress how I want to dress.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesson 3: Some of the best clothing pieces can be found overseas<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
High school senior Alimzan Begulov (left) got his pants in Japan. So did freshman Dylan Tan (right).<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is my first time wearing something like this to school,\u201d said Tan.<\/p>\n
Lesson 4: You need a good purse<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
Backpacks are out (for the most part), and purses are in. The bigger the better.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only thing I\u2019ll say is invest in purses,\u201d said Leah, 16, a junior at the Beacon School who carried an oversized Marc Jacobs tote to match her black and white Nike Dunks.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d Leah\u2019s friend, Ciranni, also a junior, said as she showed off her Sprayground purse to compliment her red and white Nike Dunks. \u201cCute totes. But they do hurt your shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesson 5: Check your mom\u2019s closet<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where high school senior Vanesa Bisha found her oversized bag and cowboy boots. \u201cShoutout mom,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s great because teens, what we do is revitalize,\u201d Bisha explained. \u201cWe put some life into worn or old pieces in other people\u2019s closets, whether it\u2019s thrifting or with our own families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesson 6: Don\u2019t let a uniform cramp your style<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
There are plenty of ways to jazz up a uniform, according to Broome Street Academy juniors Brianna McClean (left), Brianna Lownds (center) and their friend Janiyah (right), who said it\u2019s all about the accessories.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccessories matter, especially when you have a uniform,\u201d they said. \u201cRings, bracelets, necklace, the bag. You gotta have something. And you gotta have your hair done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesson 7: Incorporate fun pieces into special moments<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist and Patricia Lozano<\/p>\n
These high school seniors celebrated their last first day of school by throwing it back to the good old days of\u2026 kindergarten? While the toddler-sized cartoon backpacks probably won\u2019t be able to last all year, they served as a sweet way to mark a day that, for many, is the beginning of the end of their days as care-free kids.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really to encompass the nostalgia of our childhood,\u201d said Sienna Korless (left). \u201cAnd just to kind of bring that back for our final year of high school.\u201d<\/p>\n
And finally, lesson 8: Save your best outfit for Monday!<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
School traditionally starts on a Thursday in the New York City and New Jersey area, and once that first day excitement wears off, you\u2019ll need some Monday motivation. That\u2019s why Fort Lee High School sophomore Brianna Dominguez is looking forward to next week.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very excited for Monday,\u201d Dominguez said. \u201cBecause they started on a Thursday, so I had to wear a kind of good outfit. But Monday is where it\u2019s at.\u201d<\/p>\n
More scenes from the first day of school<\/p>\n
Jaime McCann, 15, and Johnnie McCann, 16, juniors at Fort Lee High School<\/p>\n
Arti Haxhaj, 14, Leo Grobenjieser, 15, Blair Volej, 15, The Beacon School<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
Lamont, Devin and Henry, juniors at The Beacon School<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
Julianna, Janiya, Kimora and Kaylee, juniors at The Beacon School<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
Samrina, The Beacon School<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n
Argeliza, 16 and Natalia, 14, The Beacon School<\/p>\n
Emily Nadal\/Gothamist<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You remember that feeling. It\u2019s the night before the start of a new school year. The notebooks are…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":204974,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-204973","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-new-york","10":"tag-new-york-city","11":"tag-newyork","12":"tag-newyorkcity","13":"tag-ny","14":"tag-nyc","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115157383583798572","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204973"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204973\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204973"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}