Retro clothing styles from '80s, '90s are back in fashion

Students may be savoring every second of their final weeks of summer vacation, but they're still stocking up on essential school supplies, like pencils, erasers and notebooks. All of that, plus back-to-school clothes.

Some students like to walk into the first day of school showing off new clothes. Others are prepared for the long day ahead and stick to the more comfortable attire. For Sarah Gammill, who will be attending Tahlequah High School for her first time this year, it's a little of both.

"I'll probably wear some type of jeans, but with a hoodie to stay comfortable," Gammill said.

Students headed back to classes should be aware of their schools' dress code policies. Sequoyah High School students can't wear dresses shorter than to the tips of their fingers when their arms are held to their sides. And Cashmere Lane has got the dresses for that.

"The majority of our dresses are actually school-appropriate length," said Mikayla Martin, sales associate. "The brands we buy are really great for that. We have a fun plaid one that we just got in. You can either roll the sleeves up to a quarter sleeve or keep them long, so that would be good going into fall. We have another dress that we call our tie-dye dress, and it kind of fades from a burnt orange to a lighter orange."

A common phrase heard in the summer might be, "sun's out, guns out," but once school starts, muscle shirts are frowned upon. So instead, kids can pick up T-shirts at Southern Bling.

"Our T-shirts with the different sayings are really big," said Pam Benge, owner. "That's the way everybody dresses their kids now. It's casual now. We try to stay with the trend. Last year, it was all vintage and lace. It doesn't sell anymore, so we have to go with the casual now."

As time goes on, fashion trends are continuously changing.

"High-waist jeans are really popular with cropped-top shirts," said Kristin Kimble, manager at Rue21. "As the shirt hem is getting shorter, the waist on the jeans are getting higher."

Everybody needs a good pair of jeans, and Kimble said Rue21 has some good selections.

"Jeans are always a big deal," she said. "This year is all about the ankle detail on jeans. There's frayed cuffs. There's distressed detail. There's relaxed hems."

Although it may be 2017, '80s and '90s clothing is becoming popular again.

"Grunge is coming back," she said. "With the men, it's distressed fit jeans. We have a lot of quilted detail on our guys' jeans, too. Camo is also popular right now."

Tribal citizens who received their vouchers from the Cherokee Nation's Clothing Assistance Program can visit select Stage department stores across northeastern Oklahoma.

There's likely no better time to go back-to-school shopping than this upcoming weekend, as the sales tax holiday is Aug. 4-6. Gammill said she already has a lot of clothes, but it'll hard to pass up this weekend's opportunity.

"I'll most likely go get some more just for the tax-free weekend," she said.

The tax-free weekend is important for businesses, too.