Which era had the best school fashion in Utah?

Do you remember carefully selecting your favorite new outfit for the first day of school? You just knew you looked good walking into class — but would you still wear those acid-wash jeans today? Maybe not.

While Utahns’ fashion choices have definitely changed over the years, you might still be able to convince the kids you weren’t the only one wearing a velour tracksuit.

 

Utah’s earliest school kids

 

When the pioneers first arrived in the place that would be called Utah, looking trendy was probably the last thing on their minds. Schoolchildren wore what their parents did. Boys dressed in loose trousers made of sturdy fabrics, such as wool or canvas, held up by suspenders. Girls wore high-necked, long-sleeved, ankle-length dresses made of cotton, wool or linen in plaid and calico prints.

By the 1920s, the influence of flappers had significantly changed styles. Loose dresses with dropped waists became popular, and skirt hemlines now hit around the knee. Boys still wore dress shirts, although some without collars, and belts replaced suspenders. In the Deseret News in 1922, a store advertised school dresses for $2 and suits for $4.

1940s

 

By the ’40s, young girls in Utah were wearing knee-high dresses with puffy sleeves and big bows. Most boys — including teenagers — still wore knickers to school, but the style quickly transitioned to long pants during World War II, and they became standard wear for everyone by the end of the decade. Elementary school boys may have worn sneakers to school, but for high school, you needed lace-up shoes — saddle shoes if you were lucky.

Did your grandfather use Brylcreem to give his hair a shiny, slick, stay-put style? You bet he did. Many boys also wore military hats, such as berets and sailor caps, outside of class. Young men may have worn a fedora once they started college.

 

1950s

 

Cool cats in Utah wore sweaters in the 1950s — lots and lots of them. Boys looked sharp in pleated pants, a sweater vest over a collared dress shirt and maybe even a bowtie. Plaid was the go-to pattern.

Teenage girls wore blouses and full skirts to school — plaid and pleated — and many Utahns made their own felt poodle skirts. Underneath, they wore petticoats made of netting, which they dipped in sugar to stiffen the material so the skirt would stick out. Jantzen was the go-to brand for matching bobby socks and sweater sets.

When kids went shopping for school shoes — loafers or Oxfords — they may have put a foot in an X-ray machine to see if the shoes fit well.

 

1960s

 

Long pants for boys and dresses or skirts for girls were still mandatory for Utah school kids in the 1960s. At least girls could wear petticoat pants and tights to keep their legs a bit warmer in winter. Young male students wore patterned, open-necked collared shirts, often with a white T-shirt underneath. Elementary-aged girls wore dresses with Peter Pan collars.

Teens’ casual wear included tightly fitted T-shirts, turtlenecks and knit polos. Although miniskirts became popular in the 1960s, the school dress code required all skirts to be at or below the knee. Meanwhile, the narrow pants worn at the start of the decade evolved into oh-so-wide bell-bottoms by the end of it.

 

1970s

 

Utah fashionistas went all in on wide clothes: wide pants, wide collars, wide ties. Shirt patterns were big and bold, featuring thick stripes and flowers. Girls, in particular, embraced the Bohemian look. They craved prairie print Gunne Sax dresses and peasant tops.

Feathered hair — ala Farrah Fawcett and Shaun Cassidy — was in, as were cowl neck sweaters along with corduroy and painter paints. Gauchos? With boots? Out of sight!

The grooviest dudes topped off their look with platform shoes, with heels so high they’d make a ’90s girl swoon. Even elementary kids got in on the look. Thom McAn ruled the mall, selling leather shoes with thick, sometimes wavy rubber soles.

But the real style revolution of the ’70s? Girls could finally wear pants to school.

 

1980s

 

Where the ’70s were flowy, the ’80s were buttoned-up preppie. Big hair ruled the school. Utah teenagers hairsprayed their bangs as high as they could go, and the mullet became a household term.

It wasn’t an ’80s shirt — or dress, or jacket — if it didn’t have shoulder pads. T-shirts in pastels and button-down shirts with bold geometric patterns were totally rad. Even if you weren’t into fashion, per se, Izod polos and Reebok shoes were a must-have. And if you pinrolled your Levi 501 jeans — folded and rolled them to make a super-tight cuff — you were one bodacious prepster.

 

1990s

 

Wide T-shirts with rolled-up sleeves, Lucky or Girbaud jeans, Dr. Martens shoes — oh yeah, you were the rich kid with the sweetest clothes. And if you added some chunky jewelry, silver bangles or troll earrings? Even better.

As the decade progressed, teens gravitated to the grunge look made popular by alt-rock bands: combat boots, oversized flannel shirts over T-shirts and baggy, ripped jeans. Low-rise pants also became the norm in the late 90s to early 2000s.

 

2000s

 

Everyday fashion got even more casual in Utah’s schools in the 2000s. Teen boys, especially junior high students, went headlong into the long basketball shorts trend. Girls were not immune to the laidback look either; they opted for leggings or sweats and a pair of fuzzy slippers.

That is, if they weren’t wearing jeans with bejeweled back pockets. Bedazzled baby Tees and cropped hoodies were paired with ultra low-rise pants, chunky belts and glittered sneakers.

 

2010s

 

Skinny jeans were everywhere, on everyone. The tighter, the better. Girls added chunky jewelry and puffy scarves for some quick, casual glam.

While Utah teens liked to dress up, you wouldn’t say they were slaves to high fashion. Take their prom outfits from the 2010s. Suddenly, girls were wearing formal dresses with Converse sneakers and flip-flops. Young men dumped the tuxes and wore regular suits with floral-patterned ties.

 

2020s

 

TikTok has given Utahns with a penchant for fashion the perfect outlet to strut their stuff. You can learn how to style your hair like a local — curled but with straight ends. They’ll also tell you where to pick up the best crossbody belt bag and cropped shirts.

Athleisure had its day, but school kids seem more interested in high-waisted pants — also known as mom jeans. They’ve especially loved ultra-wide-legged pants that hit just above the ankles, worn with cropped shirts.