Parents and Kids Flaunt Their Style on the First Day of School

By Julie Shapiro on September 6, 2012 2:24pm | Updated on September 6, 2012 2:24pm

Slideshow

NEW YORK — High fashion, meet high-tops.

From the Upper West Side to Park Slope, parents and kids sported a variety of designer duds and comfy classic looks as they headed back to school for the first day of classes Thursday morning, which just so happened to coincide with the first day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

Heather Bergstein, who works at Estee Lauder, brought her 4-year-old son, Micah, to his first day of kindergarten TriBeCa's P.S. 234 wearing a combination of designer and less expensive brands, ranging from a high-end English leather handbag from Mulberry to "just a cheap jacket."

"I have a little of this and a little of that," Bergstein said. "There's a mix of highs and the lows."

Her son Micah wore clothing from Ralph Lauren, Old Navy and The Gap.

On the Upper West Side, Caroline Messer, 34, donned 7 jeans, a black Juicy Couture tank top, Jack Rogers sandals and a J.Crew necklace to take her 5-year-old daughter, Claudia, to kindergarten at Rodeph Sholom.

"I needed something easy for the playground," said Messer, a doctor who has a private practice.

Miriam Bensimhon, who dropped off Dylan, 9, and twins Marley and Charlie, 7, for their first day at the Upper West Side's P.S. 87, said she picked out her outfit "not wanting the end of summer."

Instead of choosing a fall style, she wore an airy Vince silk top and Theory pants with sandals.

Down in the West Village, Valerie Resko, 9, picked a vivid blue, ballet-inspired skirt for her first day of fourth grade at P.S. 3.

"I'm thinking bright and bold," she said of her outfit, which combined the eye-catching skirt with a hot-pink tank top and matching sneakers with pink stars.

Some students said they chose outfits that would project a more mature image, in line with their new grade.

Tadafe Gbaje, who started seventh grade Thursday at M.S. 51 in Park Slope, said she was aiming for an "older, more stylish" look with her skinny jeans, sneakers and striped top from Forever 21.

Outside TriBeCa's P.S. 234, some stylish parents said they were tempted to come to school in their pajamas — but they still dressed up.

Lori Morgen, 41, whose 7-year-old son Jagger started second grade at P.S. 234, wore a fit-and-flare leather tank from Zara, red J Brand jeans and mini black boots with fringe.

"I work for a modeling agency and I am going to work right after this," Morgen said. "Otherwise, I'd be coming to school in my pajamas."

Adela Villanueva, 36, a TriBeCa resident, said she was so busy getting her three daughters ready for the first day of school that she didn't have time to put much effort into her own ensemble — mustard yellow pants, a black tee and silver flip-flops.

"It's the first day and everything is crazy," Villanueva said. "This is what you get when you roll out of bed at 6 in the morning."

Her 10-year-old daughter, Katie, who started fifth grade at P.S. 234, was proud to have a new neon orange dome-shaped backpack from Babesta, a neighborhood boutique.

"I liked the color," Katie said with a smile.

With reporting by Leslie Albrecht, Emily Frost, Chelsia Rose Marcius and Andrea Swalec.

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