New Fashions and Trends for New Academic Year

When you show up for school the first day, you'll want to look cool.

We talked to a few kids and polled some of our fans on Facebook and Twitter to find out what the latest fashions and trends are for kids. Here's what we found:

Fashion

• Feathers — Feathers are everywhere, from feather hair extensions to feather earrings. White Lake Patch reader Lori Gurke said her 11-year-old daughter has requested a feather hair extension.
• "Boyfriend Clothes" — They're clothes your boyfriend would wear, except that you'll find them in the ladies' section. Examples include varsity jackets, sports jerseys and jeans.
• Printed pants — Instead of plain-colored pants, the kids have been donning animal-print or floral-print pants.
• Kids' backpacks — Alaina Whitbeck is a junior at Hartland High School, but she says kids her age buy cartoon-themed backpacks, like Spider-Man, despite their being intended for younger audiences. Walking around at , White Lake Patch Editor Brooke Meier noticed a few high school girls looking at Star Wars backpacks.
• Sugar Lips tank tops — Laura Slenzak, a White Lake Patch reader, said Sugar Lips brand tank tops are popular this year. "They are school appropriate with three-finger-width straps in oh-so-comfy microfiber. They are available at Hoot in downtown Milford."

Technology

• Apple products — IPads and iPods have been popular and continue to be. Justin Sluis, a junior at Hartland High School, said that everyone in the school at least has an iPod. He said the most common iPod these days is the iPod touch.

Media

• TV — Kids dig the Disney Channel show Phineas and Ferb, and you'll probably see someone walking around with a shirt like this, which is the face of the two main characters' pet platypus, Perry, who doubles as a secret agent.
• Books — The latest book craze is a series called the Hunger Games, a trilogy of science fiction books about a competition in a futuristic society that has its participants fight to the death to survive. A movie of the series will debut in March 2012, according to the books' website.