Khakis Are Top Fashion Agenda for Guys
NEIRAD enilno edition
Take a quick look at the students of DHS. Does anything strike you as strange or unusual? After seeing the same people and the same clothing every day, many students overlook our school’s obsession with khakis. In reality, the vast majority of male students follow this “unspoken dress code.”
While many high school boys don’t overanalyze their choice in clothing, there are underling reasons for this khaki fad. Here are the top reasons for the popularity of khakis in Darien:
1. Khakis are locally available and easy to buy. Most boys don’t want to spend their time shopping for clothes. It’s quick and effortless to drive over to the Darien Sport Shop and buy a pair. “Khakis are especially popular when kids are heading back to school and during the holidays. In this time of the year, some kids buy corduroys but khakis are definitely the most popular,” said Darien Sport Shop men’s department employee Robert. The shop is located in the heart of town and offers a plethora of brands such as Vineyard Vines ($78), Ralph Lauren ($69), and Bills ($160). With so many khakis readily available, boys are likely to choose them instead of jeans. “Well there’s not much of an option: either jeans or khakis. Khakis are just easier to buy,” senior Luke Washer said.
2. Khakis are comfortable. While denim is hard-wearing and strong, khakis provide more comfort for everyday wear. Yet, these extremely durable pants are unnecessary because most boys don’t need to do back-breaking labor during or after school. (Unless you count lifting a lacrosse wand!) “They are more comfortable than jeans so guys can just go outside and play whatever sport they want to without being weighed down by heavier jeans,” freshman Kenneth McIlree said.
3. People are impacted by their surroundings. Living in a town where many parents are professionals, fathers tend to wear khakis because many formal clubs and events discourage jeans. “If a kid sees his dad or an older boy wearing khakis, he is more likely to wear khakis too,” senior Nicole Granath said.
Also, most boys don’t buy their own clothes. Naturally, parents are likely to choose clothing for their sons which are similar to their own wardrobe. Boys pick the first thing that they find in their closet, and it happens to be a pair of khakis. Even though most teens don’t want to be a mirror image of their parents, it’s socially acceptable when a group of guys choose to be part of the trend. “When one teen sees a bunch of friends wearing khakis, it becomes okay to be like their mom or dad. Then they’re not just dressing like the adults— there just dressing like everyone in general. There’s power in numbers so it becomes all right,” sophomore Katrine Ryan said.
Although khakis are popular in Darien, there are students who prefer jeans or sweat pants. Some boys don’t want to fit the typical image of khakis and Vineyard Vines belts. “I don’t wear khakis because I don’t want to be some preppy guy or all formal. They’re more for church, and it’s just school,” sophomore Grant Miner said. At Staples High School in Westport it is another fabric that takes precedence: “I don’t like jeans either, corduroys are epic,” Staples junior Sammy Warshaw said. “On the other hand, many high school boys simply don’t care what pants they wear. They choose jeans, sweatpants, or khakis randomly and don’t put much thought into their decision.
DHS is one of the few schools where boys willingly wear khakis as opposed to the less formal alternative of blue jeans. At Mott Hall II, a private school in New York City, the students are forced to follow a strict khakis- only dress code. “In New York no one really likes to wear khakis, and after school everyone wears jeans all the time,” DHS sophomore and New York native Angelica Cortez said.
Even in New Canaan, the percentage of boys wearing khakis doesn’t come close to the amount at DHS. “A lot of people mostly wear sweatpants. It’s kind of five to one sweatpants to khakis,” New Canaan High School freshman Spencer Manchuck said.
Staples senior Ross Gordon wasn’t surprised to hear about Darien’s khaki fad and thinks that different town's are going to have different clothes that boys wear to school. “At Staples, it mostly consists of jeans, corduroys, and sweatpants. There aren't too many students who wear khakis to school. The three biggest determinants for choosing what to wear have to be comfort, style, and current trends” Gordon said. Even though boys at Staples and Darien choose their clothes for similar reasons, they have different ideas of comfort and style.
At Norwalk High School, there is not a “typical outfit” because of the unique groups of teens with distinctive styles. Although, some groups tend to have similar tastes in clothing, most students wear outfits that express their individuality. According to the staff of Norwalk High School’s newspaper, The Paw Print, “The way people dress reflects their mood and personality. When people feel tired and lazy they wear sweatpants. When they are happy they will dress up more,” The Paw Print staff said. Norwalk students do not expect most schools to have a standard way of dressing. Instead, they think that students should dress based on their own personal styles and own opinion.
University of Connecticut freshman Kenny Litt says that khakis don’t fit a college lifestyle. Students want to enjoy their freedom and wear informal clothes to classes. “Most guys at UConn wear relaxing stuff to class like PJs, but then casual jeans most of the time. But I remember that guys at Stamford High didn’t really wear khakis either,” Litt said.
DHS truly has a one of a kind fascination with khakis. Regardless of the reason, the majority of Darien boys are going in big for this neutral trend.
