Mirror, Mirror: Back-to-school fashion trends aren't heavy lifting

There hasn't been a chic and kid-friendly fashion trend in some time.

As in, like, forever.

So it's great to finally see that this year's must-have back-to-school duds also reflect the latest style craze - "athleisure."

And it makes perfect sense.

A big part of our fashion lexicon for a little more than a year now, athleisure wear - for men and women - includes work and after-hours apparel that feature sporty details. Think roomy trousers with elastic bands around the ankles - sweatpants but dressy.

And for many years, modern-day children's wear has been about celebrating our mini-mes, which sometimes meant kids were champing at the bit for black studs and leather. But this season, having the younger version looking like you can translate to sweet A-line dresses with racerback bodices and floral print sweatshirts. The results are one part slightly sophisticated, one part playful, and a lot of parts cute.

"Athleisure is everywhere in kids' clothing this fall," said Kate Kornblau, manager of My Kids Korner, a Narberth children's boutique. "I'm selling tons of sweaters, flannels, and leggings, leggings, leggings."

The breadth of the athleisure market reaches far and wide, from boutiques such as My Kids Korner and Down 2 Earth Kids in Lafayette Hill (which carry some of the most popular brands, like So Nikki, Confetti Creations, and Vintage Havana), to Lululemon Athletica and Athleta, the forerunners in athleisure for teens (and their mothers).

Mall staples such as Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Macy's are carrying a gang of cocoon sweaters, racerback shirts, and blouses to pair with distressed jeans - another big teen trend this back-to-school season.

H&M, Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and Century 21 offer the most of-the-moment pieces, such as jumpsuits fashioned from sweats material, and slouchy tops doused with graphic prints.

And old-school haunts such as the Gap and Forman Mills are stocked with cargos - some with ruching, others with big floppy pockets - and tunic-style Ts (not to be confused with baggy Ts). Online shopping sites from Gilt to Zulily are introducing moms to athleisure's latest pint-size luxury brands, such as Finn & Emma, K-Way, and Kideez.

"With athleisure, there are touches of retro and modern, denim, layering, boho, and traditional athletic wear," said Shawn Anderson, the children's fashion expert at California company Zulily.com. "Athleisure covers an eclectic mix that is girlie and rough-and-tumble boys and taps into the nostalgia of days gone by when kids played as kids."

One of this fall's biggest children's-wear trends is the unabashed mixing of prints - something for which most kids have a knack anyway.

"When it comes to mixing and matching, those patterns and styles - there is no way an adult can replicate that genius," said Chassie Post, lifestyle editor for Gilt.com.

Youngsters may enjoy the playful aspect of the clothes, but parents like that the cozy hoodies and trousers easily blend into their children's existing wardrobes - athleisure is easier on the budget, enlivening what kids already have without breaking the bank, Post said.

According to the National Retail Federation in Washington, back-to-school spending on children in grades K-12 will drop 6 percent, to $24.9 billion this year, from $26.5 billion in 2014.

Parents are expected to spend an average of $335.38 per child on clothes and shoes this school year, compared with a record high of $355.76 in the previous academic calendar. Uniforms are a factor - 28.1 percent of parents who responded to a survey this year by the National Retail Federation say they are the required attire for school, up from 24.1 percent during the 2014-15 school year.

At the same time, parents plan to spend less on computer-related back-to-school items this season because they spent the better part of the last three years updating tablets, laptops, and smartphones.

Still, some of last year's tech-inspired apparel is hanging around: emoji-laden tops and accessories. After all, 2015 was a heck of a year for emoticons; they went multicultural.

But instead of littering clothing with Instagram-worthy food pics and snarky hashtag sayings - as we saw last year - children's wear designers printed this year's soft pieces with encouraging words: Love, Grateful, Warrior, Happiness.

"This feeds parents' mini-me tendencies with messages of empowerment," said Ashlyn Delson, fashion spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, which oversees the Cherry Hill and Willow Grove malls.

The best news: Perhaps kids will be inspired enough by their clothes to put down the technology and move their bodies: strike an arabesque, throw a ball, swing a bat, jump some rope or - gasp - make something up.

Because when you're a kid, play should never go out of style.

ASSISTANT STYLIST

Mark Anthony Barksdale

HAIR

Gloria Mendez, Suede Salon Spa, the Promenade at Sagemore, 500 Route 73, Marlton, 856-985-0700.

CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES

Alicia DiMichele, the Promenade at Sagemore, 500 Route 73 South, Marlton, 856-489-4494, www.aliciadimichele.com; Century 21 Department Stores, 821 Market St., 215-952-2121, www.c21stores.com; Down 2 Earth Kids, 418 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, 610-941-3336; First Impressions, 470 Germantown Pike, Lafayette Hill, 610-828-6775; Gilt.com; Lululemon Athletica, 2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill, Cherry Hill Mall, 856-662-5824, www.lululemon.com; Macy's Center City, 1300 Market St., 215-241-9000; My Kids Korner, 711 Montgomery Ave., #1, Narberth, 610-668-6404; the North Face, 2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill, Cherry Hill Mall, 856-486-1473; Uniqlo, 2000 Route 38, Cherry Hill Mall, 877-486-4756.

215-854-2704

@ewellingtonphl