Back to School.

I used to love going back to school, for two reasons: a) new school supplies and b) free dress day on the first day of school. I went to Catholic school from 1st-12th grades, so “free dress days” were prized — the handful of days you could show off your personal style. Though you’d be surprised how much personality we still managed to show in uniforms — length of skirt, footwear, compliance (or non-compliance) with school regulations (and the degree thereof), backpack, overall tidiness (generally, the sloppier the better), outerwear. In high school, the footwear of choice was clogs (!) or some sort of lug-soled oxford you’d transformed into a mule by habitually jamming your foot into the back and wearing down the back of the shoe. (So elegant!) It was cool to wear boxers underneath your skirt and have the tiniest bit of hem showing, and if you skirted the standard-issue banana yellow polo/oxford by either bleaching yours to the point of unrecognizability or swapping in an illegal Polo or Lacoste brand variation, you were FRESH. Sweatshirts from local colleges or the nearby all-boys schools were the ultimate. (Thank God for big brothers because I definitely wasn’t cool enough to have a boyfriend in high school. I was a late, late, late bloomer.)

So every year ’round this time of year, I get a little twinge of nostalgia. The feeling of starting something new, of wearing something fresh, of transition. Below, some back-to-school looks that channel the feeling of crisp, put-together, fall days.

+Ruffle blouse ($115).

+Pearl-accented flats (Nicholas Kirkwood, $550).

+Zipper-front jacket ($69).

+Krewe du Optic shades ($195).

+Bell-sleeved blouse ($102).

+Balmain skirt ($980).

+Loafers ($160).

+Sophie Hulme leather backpack (on sale for $1,057). Guys, backpacks are it for the fall.