If what we see on Germantown Avenue is any indication, the hot color for back-to-school is green. Not olive green or forest green, but the eye-popping green of Eagles t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and sweats. That is what drew Kristina Ashenbrenner, a mother of three from Oreland, to a sale rack outside Villavillekula, 8419 Germantown Ave. 

“My 3-year-old is going to her first Eagles game with her Dad next week, so I want her to get in the spirit,” said Ashenbrenner. Inside Villavillekula, you’ll find more Eagles and Phillies-themed clothing, including an A-line, dark green, sleeveless, print dress covered in sparkly Eagles insignia.

Rene, a sales associate at Serendipity, 8506 Germantown Ave., agrees. “Our best sellers are Eagles sweatshirts and hats,” she said. Tom Amodie, co-owner of Chestnut Hill Sport and a former sports writer for the Local, has the largest selection of Eagles wear on the Avenue. His shop is a floor-to-ceiling sports lovers’ paradise with sizes that fit everyone, from toddlers to linebackers.

Don’t balk if your son or daughter wants to wear an oversized hoodie, leggings or sweatpants with a baseball cap 24/7. Believe it or not, it’s a major fashion trend for Fall 2023. Vogue magazine calls it “athleisure.” 

This hybrid style owes its origins to companies like Lulu Lemon, which convinced millions of Moms to wear Pilates and yoga outfits to meet their friends for coffee. It didn’t take long for the style to be adopted by school-age kids. Admittedly, it was also popularized by Hip Hop artists and rappers who wear Balenciaga trainers with their hoodies. More importantly, celebrities on your teenager’s social media feed, including Beyonce, Miley Cyrus and the Kardashians, as well as supermodels Bela and Gigi Hadid, were early adapters of athleisure brands. So, no surprise if your seventh grader thinks Lycra shorts and a logo sweatshirt are the height of fashion. They are!

Granted, not every kid wants to burrow inside a hoodie. Especially not teenage girls. Instead, since 1963, they have tended to gravitate to the flirty styles at El Quetzal, 8440 Germantown Ave., which allow them to mix and match, creating their own unique look. “Our customers are loving jumpsuits and rompers now. I can’t keep this one in stock,” said manager Lindsey Kiska, holding up a romper in autumn colors. “This can be worn with a jean jacket or, as the weather gets colder, a turtleneck,” she said. “Another hot item is the sweater vest which can be worn over a button-down shirt, t-shirt or turtleneck and paired with a pleated or ruffled skirt.” 

With Fall items just starting to trickle into El Quetzal, this is a good time to snap up their end-of-summer sale. That includes a rack of shorts which made us wonder, would they pass muster at local schools or send the wearer home? A Springfield High student assured us that, “Shorts can be worn to school as long as the hem is even with your fingertips.” Given the exceedingly warm weather, boys and girls may be sporting shorts through September or longer.

One thing that never goes out of style, regardless of the season, is denim. We found Kaelen Loscalzo of Oreland cruising the jean rack at Greene Street, the consignment shop at 8524 Germantown Ave. “I’m starting my senior year at the University of Tampa,” she said. A glance at the prices confirmed her interest. Popular jean brands, including Gap, American Eagle, Free People and Madewell are mostly under $25. They also have denim mini skirts and jackets for the high school and college set. And, honestly, when it comes to denim, what is better than an item of clothing that already has that worn, faded look?

If your kids go to private school, lucky you. No meltdowns about wanting to wear a sequined princess tulle dress every day. But uniforms can be pricey. Check out the gently worn uniforms for boys and girls at The Clothes Closet, the consignment shop of SCHA at 500 W. Willow Grove Ave. If that doesn’t work for you, Old Navy offers affordable school uniforms online. 

Speaking of consignment shops, Nesting House, 542 Carpenter Lane, is the place to go for clothing for pre-schoolers through 12 years, including those desirable Eagles and Phillies-themed sweatshirts, as well as name brands like Patagonia, LL Bean and Zara. (And a great place to recycle clothes your little ones have outgrown.)

Ultimately, department stores are always the first out of the gate with back-to-school fashion trends. This year, those spiffy duds worn in the “Barbie” movie have not gone unnoticed. Bloomingdale’s offers a girl’s collection labeled “Barbie the Movie x Aqua” featuring crisp pink jackets with matching pink pleated skirts which also come in Mommy sizes. 

Not to be outdone, Polo by Ralph Lauren at Bloomingdale’s has hot pink dresses for girls that resemble his signature Polo shirts with flippy skirts. Meanwhile, an authority no less than Vogue proclaimed in their current issue, “Not since Elsa Schiaparelli has a color had such cultural currency.” 

So, move over Eagles green, the dominant color for Fall is Barbie pink.