Kids' clothes this fall feature preppy look and even legwarmers

NEW YORK — Some of fall's top fashion trends are trickling down — way down — to children's clothes.

When kids go back to school, they'll likely be wearing darker denim, gauchos, long shorts and skinny pants just like their teenage siblings and even their parents. Family-style fashion continues with rugby stripes, layers and novelty hosiery.

There's still a bit of the bohemian look in some of the open-weave sweaters, patchwork, pop-art prints and embroidery, but, largely, students will look like students in traditional preppy and collegiate styles.

Manufacturers and retailers are splashing their names or other catch phrases across sweatshirts and long-sleeve T-shirts as if kids attended Fashion University. And rugbies have gone wild, with stripes in every color of the rainbow and with varying widths.

Short kilt skirts are a standard for schoolgirls, but the palette has been broadly expanded to include pink, aqua blue and purple in addition to standards navy, red and green.

Talbots Kids and Britain-based Mini Boden have tweaked animal prints using bright kid-friendly colors, and The Children's Place has handkerchief-hem and tiered skirts galore.

And, picking up on one of the season's biggest style shifts, girls' garments are playing with proportion.

There are loose, empire-waist tunics to wear over pants, shrunken hoodie jackets that barely cover the ribs and flowing gauchos to wear with boots.

Jeans remain ever-popular with girls and boys, although the washes are getting darker, the fabric softer and the holes on the knees are there on purpose.

Boys also still love their cargo pants.

"Cargo pants have really become a basic for boys, and the reason comes down to one simple concept — pockets. Cargo pants have a carefree rugged appeal to them but it's those roomy, accessible pockets that have made them a favorite style among boys of all ages," says Talbots fashion spokeswoman Betsy Thompson. "Cargo pants were once considered a 'fashion' item for boys but their utilitarian, highly practical roots have given them proven longevity."

Cargo pants even carry over to older teens. But while younger kids will pair them with traditional collegiate tops, the overall look for college students will be more rock 'n' roll, blending bits of punk, grunge and 1980s cheese.

Even legwarmers have a place on the ankles of girls wearing skinny jeans and ballet flats, says LeAnn Nealz, chief design officer for American Eagle Outfitters. And they might be wearing fleece Flashdance-style sweatshirts to complete the look.

"The '80s are huge right now. It's more fullness on top with slimmer shapes on the bottom. It's all new for kids today," says Nealz.

Also from the '80s: leggings, leggings under skirts, leggings under short shorts.

Shorts for fall are very big news, Nealz notes. "It's a huge trend for boys and girls — short shorts, Bermuda shorts, pedal-pushers. They're even being shown in winter collections.

They lend themselves to August, but you can put a pair of leggings underneath them as it gets colder."

And just as teenage girls are moving from boot-leg jeans to tapered ones, teen boys' jeans will have a slimmer leg, she says.

They'll also be lower rise to fit slouchier on the hip, and look for jeans in gray and black denim. "It's an update for your blue jeans," Nealz suggests.

As for accessories, you'll get the most bang for your buck with a belt: It can be worn with tunics, layers, gauchos — just about all the key looks, says Laura McDowell, national fashion spokeswoman for T.J. Maxx.

Her picks are belts with grommets, oversize buckles, brass or gold hardware, or other embellishment. And to go along with all the '80s styles, choose a big, slouchy handbag.

They're ideal for the student who needs to carry everything, McDowell says.