When Elly Muth was a little girl, she and her mother would shop for back-to-school clothes every August, loading up their shopping bags with pretty cotton dresses and prim white anklets.
But that was back when back-to-school was a ritual, when school always started the day after Labor Day, and T-shirts were something men wore under starched white shirts.In recent years, back-to-school shopping has taken on a different feel and a different look in Utah.
The increasing number of year-round schools is part of the reason, says Muth, district merchandise publicist for J.C. Penney. It's difficult to get excited about new school clothes in August when school has been in session since July.
"There was a time when families had to plan their household budgets around back-to-school," notes Muth. Nowadays families tend to space their purchases throughout the year, even when their children are not in year-round schools.
The clothes themselves have also contributed to the difference.
"If you wear a dress on the first day of school, people will probably think you're square," says Muth. Shopping bags these days are filled with T-shirts and even shorts. Walking shorts, which nearly touch the knee, are expected to be popular items until the weather turns really nasty.
Jill White, who has three children in the Granite School District, says she used to do heavy-duty back-to-school shopping each August, but this year she has decided to just buy her children two or three outfits now and more when the weather changes.
Besides, she says, "sometimes they get to school and the styles change."
Of course, even a couple of outfits can cost as much as the annual per capita income in some Third World countries. If your child likes clothes with labels that say Guess, Esprit or Generra, you could easily spend $200 on one ensemble - made of materials once reserved for farm laborers.
A denim jacket by Guess costs $65 or $70, and the matching shorts cost $40. Fancy Quicksilver T-shirts run about $32, and a trendy pair of high-top sneakers is nearly $50.
But Utahns are, by and large, a thrifty lot. For every family that spends $44 for a pair of designer jeans, there are whole neighborhoods looking for a bargain.
Jan Brady, who lives in West Jordan, shops for 6-year-old Lindsey's clothes at Fashion Corner and Dress To The Nines, where most outfits are $9.99 or less. She recently found a never-worn pair of trendy jeans for $3 at Deseret Industries.
Because Lindsey is in year-round school, Brady wasn't a traditional back-to-school shopper this year. She did her shopping in the summer and looked for clothes that would be suitable for weather in July, August and September.
When Lindsey gets older she may find that she can be even thriftier by sewing her own clothes, as Cottonwood High School sophomore Cathy Cutler does.
Cathy says she likes to try on clothes in the stores and then go home and make a similar outfit in the color of her choice. She recently made five outfits for about $7 or $8 each. Sometimes she sews a designer label on as a finishing touch.
She says her classmates often compliment her on her clothes and ask her where she bought them. Does she tell them the truth? "It depends on who's asking."
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(Additional information)
What's in
-T-shirts, of course, especially oversize ones, but not those blatantly announcing a brand name
-Vests, especially tapestry ones
-Walking shorts and "Dirty Dancing" knee-length jeans
-"Spice" tones (purple, dark green, gold)
-Denim, still