The Buzz

Many at North Reading High School will be glad to know that there is no school uniform. No constricting collared shirts or long tartan skirts. Students are free to express their individuality through the way they dress. However, if one were to look closely at what people are wearing, certain trends will start to reveal themselves. So many people seem to dress the same at our school; why is this? There are no requirements of attire at NRHS, but is there an unofficial school uniform?

Shoes

There are many shoes that students like to wear, but there are a few popular choices many default to. One of the most popular choices for footwear are Converse Chuck Taylors. These shoes are sported in all kinds of styles, from dirty white, to black, to platformed. They are a basic shoe that can go with just about any outfit, and just about any person will wear them. Since the 1900’s these shoes have been a facet of American culture, originating as a basketball shoe, but evolving to become a staple of fashion. Their simple design and relatively affordable price also make them very desirable. Coming in at only $65 for the basic Chuck Taylor All Star, these shoes can be collected in a wide variety of colors. However, these are not the only shoes that people like to collect. 

You can’t talk about shoes at North Reading High School without mentioning the basic white shoe; while  this staple takes many forms, there are two main shoes that come to mind: the Nike Air Force One’s and the classic Reebok Tennis Shoe. The Air Force 1 is probably one of the best known white shoes (although excessive wear often leaves them anything but white). These shoes do a great job of not drawing too much attention to themselves, and although not as popular as they were a few years ago, still have their impact on the school. The Reebok tennis shoe differs from all the other shoes mentioned so far in that they originated in the tennis court instead of the basketball court. These shoes, usually white with a small accent color,  are quickly growing in popularity. 

 It might seem that athletic shoes are the only popular kind of footwear, but it’s impossible to ignore the grip that comfy footwear has on our school. Comfort is highly valued when choosing what to wear. Crocs, moccasins, slides, Birkenstocks, and Uggs, to name a few, are all very comfortable shoes that are worn daily. Just about every student has at least one of these shoes, and it’s obvious how valued comfort is. As Jackie Genzler, a North Reading High School junior, put it, “we’re on the ‘Ugg game’ right now”. Maria Diaz, another junior at NRHS, also agrees, and, when asked about trends she noticed around school, she highlighted the Mini Uggs.

Outfits and General Style

In a similar vein to footwear, the trends regarding tops and bottoms are very comfort-centered. Macy Kurchian, a junior and an expert at wearing comfy outfits, described her go-to outfit as “a crewneck sweatshirt, and sweatpants or pajama pants.”She is definitely not alone in this; nearly anyone can be caught wearing a similar combination. Paige Helferich, a junior, observed that, “every single day there is at least twenty people in pajama pants…that is what everyone is wearing…pajama pants, and, like, an oversized hoodie or sweatshirt.” For Jackie Genzler, her go-to outfit for a comfy day would be “flared sweatpants and my hoodie, or just, like, leggings and a hoodie; something with a hoodie”. Given how people complain about the school being too cold year round,  it’s no wonder why warm comfy outfits are so popular.  The comfy style seems to be a trademark of high school fashion these days, and it is not just students who think this. When speaking about casual day for the teachers, Mr. Ledoux  wished “comfywear” was something that could be adopted more regularly in teacher attire. 

This is not to say people are only ever going for comfy outfits when dressing for school. Both Sophie Boudoya, a NRHS junior, and Jackie Genzler agree that they like to go “half and half” with their outfits, with some days being more dressed up while others are more comfortable. For Maria Diaz, “It depends on my mood.” When asked if she likes to go for a more comfortable or fashionable style at school, Mrs. Campobasso answered, “I like to be comfortable, but I also don’t want to look like I’ve rolled out of bed… it’s definitely a combination of the two.” These are some of the more popular styles at school right now, but there are some more controversial takes. 

There are some questionable fashion choices that people make at school, and there is no shortage of people with opinions. When asked, Sophie Boudoya and Paige Helfrich, two juniors, agreed on how their least favorite thing they’ve seen people wear is leggings or jeans tucked into socks. When it comes to footwear, Jackie says, “I think the Air Force [ones]’s are overdone, I think we gotta get a new shoe, gotta get on the New Balance train”. Maria’s least favorite trend right now is the low waisted bell bottom jeans. As she describes, “they’re really, really tight on your legs, all the way until your calves, and then they just jut out”. Lexi Lopilato, a junior, told us that her least favorite thing that she sees at school is the trend of people wearing athletic tops with their jeans, more specifically, “Lulu[lemon] with jeans, [it] doesn’t work”. While there surely are many other opinions, these seem to be some of the popular fashion faux pas right now.

What are the Most Popular Jewelry Pieces and Accessories?

From just looking around in the halls it’s easy to see what jewelry is currently trending.  Kendra Scott is clearly one of the most popular brands with a wide variety of designs, colors, and shapes. Another one of the staple pieces in most NRHS students jewelry boxes are at least one pair of chunky gold hoops. Ranging in size and design, real and fake gold, these earrings are an essential. We asked multiple people around the school their preferences in jewelry(are you a gold or silver jewelry kind of person?). Many people responded that they like to wear a variety of gold and silver jewelry, or as Sophie Boudoya put it, “mix and match”. Others were more loyal to one over the other. Maria, Lexi and Jackie all told us they preferred gold jewelry. Jackie explained that it was because “it just matches my skin tone better…I think gold is classier”. 

How have these trends evolved?

Fashion trends come and go with their students, and  teachers watch it all. We wanted to ask a few teachers what were some of the trends that they’ve noticed over the years. We spoke to Mrs. Campobasso for her view. “It wasn’t always leggings, and Uggs, or sneakers and stuff… I mean I definitely remember the velour jumpsuits that were around for a while…tube tops were big for a while…I definitely think dress has gotten more comfortable as I’ve been teaching”. 

The trend towards comfort is not the only thing that teachers have noticed. When asked, Mr. Ledoux put it plainly that what he noticed more was “thrifting.”This is definitely true; throughout the years the practice of buying cheap second hand clothes has become more and more fashionable. Because of this, a stigma for buying thrifted clothes has gone down. Macy proudly asserted that her favorite store is “Savers, I’m a big Savers girl”. 

Fashion has gone many directions over the years, and it will continue to evolve. What will students at North Reading High School be wearing in 50 years? What will they think of what we are wearing in the 2020s? It will be exciting to see how these trends evolve and what new fashions come.