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→ What to Do After School
→ Back to School 2.0: Gadgets for Students
→ Great First Day Clothes for Girls
→ Great First Day Clothes for Boys
→ Spicing Up Brown Bag Lunches
→ Getting In To Top Colleges

No matter what grade she’s headed to, a stellar outfit is as necessary as notebooks and pencils when a girl goes back to school. Understanding the need to be noticed when she walks into a room, we found pieces that pick up on trends without losing the parental seal of approval. Look below to find classic plaid for every age group, suggestions that won’t go out of style anytime soon, and fashionable compromises that will satisfy parents, teachers, and students.

The plaid: Bright Plaid Ruffle Shirt, $34.50, American Eagle

The rest:
• Blue Stretch Twill Uniform Shorts, $14.50, Old Navy
• Jessica Simpson Vanessa Moccasin, $45, Stride Rite
• Lime Junior Original Book Pack, $22.95, L.L. Bean

Dress-code imposed outfit restrictions don’t mean she has to sacrifice showcasing her bright personality on the first day of school. The navy chino Bermuda shorts will pass regulation length tests and can be worn in as many different ways as her favorite jeans. Roll up the sleeves of the collegiate-inspired tunic/button-down hybrid for a hot first day, and then pair it with leggings, boots, and a scarf when the weather gets colder—the pattern’s many colors ensure that it’ll coordinate well with multiple bottoms. A cute pair of fringed moccasins amplify the hippy-meets-preppy effect. And the impossible-to-miss lime of this L.L. Bean backpack—a top pick among both parents and students for its multiple pockets and padded straps—will help her stand out among her peers.

>> Next page: Middle school fashion