LOS ALAMITOS, CA — The new school year brings new styles at Los Alamitos High School. Griffins have started off the year showcasing all new clothing trends: cargo pants, low-rise jeans, high-rise jeans, flared jeans and leggings, as well as baggy pants, baggy shorts (jorts), crop tops, and over-sized graphic tees. The question is: Is Los Al making clothing choices based on style or comfort? The answer is, a little bit of both.
How do clothing trends start?
One way is through social media platforms like TikTok and Pinterest. They popularize a variety of styles and aesthetics that ultimately influence Los Al students’ fashion choices. A marketing strategy used by many businesses is to pay influencers to advertise their brand on social media.
For example, Addison Rae posted a video to her public TikTok feed promoting Cash App to help them gain customers and boost their company. Because millions of people follow influencers like Rae’s accounts, when students are scrolling and see their favorite celebrity wearing a certain style or brand, they are inspired to do the same. Many Los Al students said their clothing choices were inspired by TikTok or Pinterest.
What’s Los Al wearing?
Katie Arnoult, a Los Al sophomore, said that she bought her cargo pants at Old Navy about a year ago.
“I like cargo pants because I love the color, and they’re very comfortable to wear,” Arnoult said. “I got the idea because I saw a bunch of other people wearing cargo pants, and I knew that they would look cute on me.”
Some students have their own version of cargo pants, like sophomore Cora Miller, who wears cargo sweatpants for the same look, but with more comfort.
Layla Martinez, a senior, said she heard that black flared leggings were in style. After she bought them, she said, she never wanted to wear jeans again and wished she had found out about flared leggings earlier. Many students seem to create their outfits with both style and comfort in mind.
“I was honestly just really tired this morning, so I wanted to come to school really comfortable,” Martinez said.
Jaya Eapen, a sophomore, loves to wear crew necks for similar comfort reasons. She said that crew necks are easy to get on and feel very comfortable.
Many of these trends are returning from previous decades with new, comfortable twists. In the 1980s, high-wasted jeans were in style, but by the 1990s, the style shifted to low-rise jeans. Both of these jean trends are acceptable today, with the added bonus of being made of much more comfortable material, such as lycra or spandex. This makes it much more enjoyable to spend a school day in your favorite jeans.
“High-rise jeans are more comfortable to wear because they fit me best and make me feel confident,” Francesca McCall Hokama, a freshman, said.
Everyone has their own style and their own reasons for choosing certain trends. It turns out that Los Al students choose to dress for both style and comfort.
