School is in session \u2014 and designer clothing is out.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the verdict from dozens of New York City public school students, who went back to school <\/a>today with carefully picked pieces from thrift stores like Beacon\u2019s Closet and buzzy sites like Depop and Poshmark. <\/p>\n The city\u2019s young scholars are even hunting for secondhand pieces while on their family vacations.<\/p>\n \u201cI thrifted this dress from a place in Vermont,\u201d said Matilda Tyson, 12, whose back-to-school outfit revolves around an under-$20 polka-dot frock originally made by Opening Ceremony, a trendy Soho boutique that shuttered in 2020<\/a>. (The dress was designed by indie star Chloe Sevigny<\/a> and originally sold for $499.)<\/p>\n \u201cI bought a lot of my outfit with my own money,\u201d the middle school student told The Post \u2014 but that meant \u201cit\u2019s not a lot!\u201d <\/p>\n Eighth-grader Matilda shows off her thrifted dress and sneakers borrowed from her mom. PHOTO: Tamara Beckwith for the NY Post. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n She also borrows things like sunglasses and handbags from her mother, creative director Anja Tyson, with the clear understanding that it\u2019s purely a loan. \u201cI don\u2019t think she\u2019ll let me keep them,\u201d Matilda laughed.<\/p>\n According to a new study, the average family will spend around $922 on back-to-school clothes<\/a>, shoes and accessories like backpacks and water bottles. <\/p>\n Harlem siblings Tala, 13, and Kali, 15, wear clothes from a recent trip to Korea. They also steal clothes from their older sister Amihan, who\u2019s now in college. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n Tala was allowed to get her nails done in a Seoul salon on a recent family trip. Nail art in Korea is typically around $40, while most Manhattan salons charge between $80 and $120.<\/p>\n VJ, 10, in a t-shirt from Brandy Melville, the tween store that even Hailey Bieber can\u2019t resist. Olga Ginzburg for the N.Y. Post<\/p>\n But New York kids are a different breed. <\/p>\n Nearly every student The Post photographed, from 5-year-old Nora in Bedford-Stuyvesant to 15-year-old Evan in Long Island City, said their favorite back-to-school shirts and jackets were thrifted<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hand-me-downs also played a big role. <\/p>\n Quinn Blake, 9, carried the same pink nylon book bag her mom, Heather, once did in the 1990s. (\u201cClassic,\u201d she says, \u201cis cool!\u201d) Quinn also wore a dress made by her grandmother \u2014 thriftier than a custom-ordered piece, but cuter than many pricey store-bought options.<\/p>\n 5-year-old Damian wears a vintage-print Hawaiian shirt in Tudor City. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n Evan S., 15, in a thrifted work shirt, Costco shorts, UNIQLO jeans and Vans. Kim Max<\/p>\n Nora W., 6, (L) and Mae W., 3, (R) start school today in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Nora wears thrifted jeans. Gabriella Bass<\/p>\n Mae shows off her homemade bracelets, which she will wear on her first day of Pre-K in Brooklyn. Gabriella Bass<\/p>\n Other favorites include budget-happy $15 jeans from Old Navy and t-shirts bought in packs of six from Costco.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s one thing most kids will shell out for: Clothes approved by pop titan Justin Bieber and his wife, model and Rhode Skin founder Hailey Bieber. Shirts and sneakers from Justin Bieber\u2019s new (and already sold-out) brand SKYLRK were high on the wish lists of NYC teens.<\/p>\n Tweens like 10-year-old V.J. in Kip\u2019s Bay were also game to spend their allowance on Edikted and Brandy Melville, two ultra-trendy labels that Mrs. Bieber has worn in the past.<\/p>\n Lazar S., 8, hits his favorite Tribeca playground in a J.Crew tee, H&M pants, New Balance sneakers and an REI backpack. Olga Ginzburg for the N.Y. Post<\/p>\n Quinn B., 9, shows off a dress made by her grandmother. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n Zachary H., 13, paired a $100+ SKYLRK tee and sneakers by Justin Bieber with Eric Emanuel shorts.<\/p>\n Fifer G., 10, (L) and Esme M.,13, (R) take their Jansport bags past Hallett\u2019s Cove in Queens. Kim Max<\/p>\n And one affordable \u201cit\u201d item transcended all genders, ages and boroughs: bead bracelets<\/a>, necklaces and bag charms, which nearly every kid sported. <\/p>\n Some made them at summer camp, others traded with friends at the playground and pretended they were at a Taylor Swift concert. (Bags of 2,000 beads are available for $10 on Amazon<\/a>, making the accessory cheaper than some matcha lattes.)<\/p>\n Felix with his back-to-school backpack charms from artist CJ Hendry. Kim Max<\/p>\n Esme\u2019s handmade bracelets and Apple Watch. Kim Max<\/p>\n Nearly every teen girl wore $60 Adidas sneakers to their NY Post shoot. Tamara Beckwith\/NY Post<\/p>\n This being NYC, though, there was also a rarefied take on the every-kid trend.<\/p>\n