‘First impressions are everything’: What 9 teens wore on the first day of school in L.A.

As a kid, I spent a lot of time thinking about what I was going to wear on the first day of school. I loved going shopping for new supplies, clothes and shoes. Then, the night before the first day, I would lay out my look — backpack and all — and daydream about how I was going to show up the next day. (This TikTok from comedian Big Homie Blocks perfectly describes the feeling.)

For many students, the first day of school can feel like New Year’s Day. It’s a chance to reimagine yourself and give a glimpse of the new you. The way you do this is through your outfit. Perhaps you were more into the preppy look last year but now you want to explore more unisex styles — the opportunities are endless.

Monday marked the first day of classes in the Los Angeles Unified School District. As students scurried in between classes and reunited with their friends at Venice High School, we were able to ask them: What did they choose to wear and why?

While some students took more than an hour to get ready, others dressed in minutes, throwing on whatever felt most comfortable. But even if they didn’t “dress up,” per se, most students agreed that they put in at least a little extra effort — pajamas were an obvious no — for the first day of school. Here’s what they had to say. Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Melanie Chavarria, 16, junior

Tell us about your outfit. I got this whole outfit from Forever 21, except the shoes. I got them from Foot Locker.

What inspired your look today? I wanted to look like I was going to school, but also cute and girlie.

How long did it take you to get ready today? An hour and 30 minutes. It was mostly stuff I did the night before. I scrubbed my face. I shaved my face. I did a face mask and everything so I wouldn’t have dry skin to make sure today could be good. My mom helped me pick out my outfit, and I then I put it on my bed the night before. I was really excited.

What is your favorite part of your outfit? Probably my hair. It took 20 minutes. I wanted to incorporate the bows.

What do you think your outfit says about you? I think it says that I’m excited for school. I like girlie clothes. I like to maintain myself. I like doing my hair and stuff. It’s fun for me.

How does this outfit translate to how you want to enter your junior year? I think that I’m more put together now. I want to be more on a set track and have more things prepared instead of just going with the flow. [This summer], I got all my stuff together. I got everything I needed, like my notebooks. I think first impressions are everything. Also, going to school feeling your best can set the mood for the rest of your year and how other people see you first. I feel like everybody should try to make themselves look nice to feel better.

Taylor Gallen, 14, freshman

Tell us about your outfit. I think my top and my bottoms are both from Cotton On, and then I have on Converse. I got my earrings from Lovisa. They have good ones that don’t hurt. I have very sensitive ears. I have no idea where my necklace is from. My dad gave it to me. Technically, there’s supposed to be a turquoise piece inside, but it came out and I don’t want to put it back in because I like it better this way.

What inspired your look today? Nothing in particular. I mean, this sounds bad, but [I wanted to] blend in a little bit so I can get used to [high school] first and then I can come in a hot pink shirt. That was one of my options, but I was like, “Maybe I’ll just go a little bit less.” And I have a pink backpack, so I already have some color, and I have pink on my shoes.

What is your favorite part of your outfit? Maybe my necklace or my shoes. I’ve had my shoes for a long time. I don’t really do shoes. I told my mom, “Stereotypical girls have a lot of shoes. I have a lot of sweatshirts, and I have a lot of dresses. That’s my thing.’ This is my one pair of shoes that I always wear. These Birkenstocks and slippers.

How long did it take you to get ready today? Maybe an hour and a half. I already had my outfit picked out, but I had to do mascara and my hair. My hair took the longest. And then I had to eat, and then I had to walk my dog.

How much time and effort did you put into your look? I was focusing on what backpack I wanted because I got two yesterday and then I couldn’t decide, and then I decided this morning right as I was leaving. I like the one I went with, but I hate [making] decisions.

What does your outfit say about you? I think personality, but also feeling in that moment. If I’m with people who I already know, I’m going to be wearing a bright green top and other pants. But you know, new things, new people, new adventures. I’m like, “Maybe I’ll stay a little in the middle.” Especially because… I mean I have bright red hair, that’s something. [Laughs] I have a bright pink skirt — I’m not going to wear that until second semester.

How does this outfit translate to how you want to enter your freshman year? I do really like leadership, I think it’s a professionalism type thing, but then also by dressing in a certain way, you come off with a different energy, like I’m here to do this or I’m here because it’s an easy A.

Dallas Rosby, 16, junior

Tell us about your outfit. I got this jacket from Bape. My tank top is from Walmart, the shorts are from Shein and the shoes are from Foot Locker. All of my jewelry is from Lovisa. I got it at the Del Amo mall.

What inspired your look today? This is my everyday life and how I go out.

What is your favorite part of your outfit? My jacket. I usually pick out my shoes first, then I just find something that matches it.

How much time and effort did you put into your look? I just picked it up. It took 10 minutes this morning.

How long did it take you to get ready today? Not that long either. Maybe 15 minutes.

What does your outfit say about you? I think it brings personality. You got the patches. You got the color, so it’s different.

How does this outfit translate to how you want to enter your junior year? I think it’s different because last year I came in with sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Now, it’s definitely more fashion.

Bruno Ciment, 15, sophomore

Tell us about your outfit. Well, honestly, I have a pile of unfolded laundry on my chair and this was on the top. I didn’t put a lot of thought into it.

What inspired your look today? I’m just casual. I still have summer mind. Not taking it too seriously yet.

What is your favorite part of your outfit? Probably my shirt. It’s a pretty nice shirt. It’s neutral and can work with a lot of things.

How much time and effort did you put into your look? Not much.

How long did it take you to get ready today? Probably 20 minutes.

What does your outfit say about you? I’m flexible. Just go with whatever there is. Don’t stress about it too much.

How does this outfit translate to how you want to enter your sophomore year? I think it translates that I’m trying to enjoy it and accomplish what I want to. Not overthinking.

Ava Samuel, 16, junior

Tell us about your outfit. I found this shirt sometime this summer at a vintage store on Melrose called Newfriend Vintage. These jeans are from H&M, and then I just have Sambas on. The glasses are from Temu — they are not real. I got my nails done on Friday. I like to have something different on every nail.

What is your favorite part of your outfit? I really like this shirt. I tucked it into my bra so it has some shape. Then the green from my shoes with the green shirt. I also really like my hair.

How much time and effort did you put into your look? Not a lot. I mean I had the idea that I was going to wear this shirt, but I put it together last night. I braided my hair last night for fun and then I was like “This is actually kind of cute.”

How does this outfit translate to how you want to enter your junior year? Very chill, like I’m not trying to overthink anything. I’m trying to stay calm and not stress myself. I’m taking AP bio, U.S. history and literature.

Dylan Rezvani, 17, senior; Shane Flores, 18, senior; and Seth Romo, 18, senior

Tell us about your outfits.

Rezvani: I’m wearing a Gucci chain, a $60 [Nike] Dri-FIT, pants from Zumiez, but I cut them off because it was kind of ugly. $110 on the shoes.

Flores: I got the chain, authentic gold. I have a thrifted $10 hoodie, Chrome Hearts sweats (currently $1,000+ on resale sites), a pretty expensive piece, and then Yeezy slides.

Romo: I got the Goodfellow T-shirt on, Nike sweats and Yeezy slides.

What is your favorite part of your outfit?

Rezvani: The jewelry.

Flores: My sweatpants, because they are exclusive.

Romo: The comfiness of it.

What does your outfit say about you?

Rezvani: I think I deem myself very approachable based on my clothing.

Flores: I like to be comfortable with a little bit of fashion in there.

Romo: I’m a pretty chill person.

Faith Lister, 15, sophomore

Tell us about your outfit. I have this sweater so that I’m in dress code. My baggy jeans are from Subdued. My jewelry is from some thrift stores, and I got a lot when I went on vacation this summer in England. My friend has a house there.

What inspired your look today? I just want something comfortable and something that kind of shows my style for the first day. Something new. Dress to impress.

What is your favorite part of your outfit? I like my jeans. I’ve been into baggy jeans recently. It’s harder to find this brand Subdued here.

How much time and effort did you put into your look? I thought about my outfit for the whole summer pretty much because I love back-to-school shopping. I woke up this morning at 5:45 so I could take my time and call my friends. We were showing each other what we were going to wear, what time we were going to get here [and] doing our makeup on FaceTime.

How long did it take you to get ready today? It took me an hour and half in total for the outfit, makeup and everything.

What does your outfit say about you? It’s definitely harder to dress in school because there’s dress code, but I would say my outfit kind of shows how I dress outside of school. I like wearing summery, beachy outfits so I decided to wear something that kind of represents that.

How does this outfit translate to how you want to enter your sophomore year? It’s starting to be more transformative … like trying to find my own personal style, rather than just wearing what’s trendy. Obviously, in my freshman year, I was trying to wear what was cool, like the new thing. Now it’s like more me.