A FASHION EDUCATION; MAKE THE GRADE WITH AN EDGY NEW FALL WARDROBE.

Byline: Barbara De Witt Fashion Editor

The lunch-box brigade is actually carrying lunch boxes again.

Honest, Mom.

But that's as nostalgic as back-to-school fashions get this year, so don't get your hopes up for the starched plaid dresses or tucked-in shirts of your youth (unless you're springing for a preppy private school with uniforms).

That look is done. Over. So old school.

In a departure from traditional back-to-school fashion, children are now wanting - and finding - clothes with an edge. You know, clothes that break the barriers between kids and adults.

That's what's new school.

Think of musicians, movie stars, athletes and the self-styled bohemians of NoHo or Silver Lake, and you've got the back-to-school picture.

Says Nordstrom's fashion director June Rau, ``Children are exposed to so much more than we were, and they want the same looks their role models have, from drawstring pants to embroidered peasant tops to purple ankle boots.''

All of this fashion interest may mean more money spent at the mall (and on the Internet), but the good news, she says, is that children are finally learning how to build a wardrobe with separates. And she's amazed at how well they understand the eclectic mix we're seeing in adult fashion.

While little girls still have some feminine options with pastels, floral and butterfly prints, and fake fur or feather trims, it's not a ``Clueless'' rerun at elementary schools.

Most of the new styles place comfort and practicality at the head of the class. Easy to wash, mix and match are hoodies (a sweater, parka or vest with a hood and zip front), baseball-inspired shirts with sleeves in different colors than the body of the shirt, utilitarian pants and jackets with racing stripes up and down the sides, rugby-inspired shirts and sweaters, and plenty of denim.

Whether it's dark or light, black or blue, denim is everywhere, showing up in overalls, maxi skirts, jackets and jeans, with a choice of tapered legs, flares or deep cuffs.

At the middle-school level, the fashion scene really heats up, and designers and retailers are eager to please these finicky shoppers (ages 10 to 13) who are too old for kiddie clothes and not mature enough for the junior boutiques.

Among the new lines catering to this crowd is Rocket Girl, which was designed by owner Jamie Delaney when she had trouble finding clothes for her own preteen daughter.

According to company spokeswoman Laura Altman, the collection is about concept as much as clothing.

``It's the next step for girls who grew up with Hello Kitty and Barbie logos on their clothes and is represented by five characters with quirky personalities,'' Altman says. ``For instance, Cosmic Lulu is really girlie, and Lea Astro is into bohemian style ... so that there's someone and something for each tween (in between girl and teen) to identify with.''

Highlights in the collection include long Skate Betty (A-line) skirts that give girls enough room to be active, topped with glittery twinsets, zippered hoodies and baby tees. For skateboarder girls, there are microfiber pocketbook pants with a detachable bag on a belt and jeans with patches over the knees.

So far, Rocket Girl is available locally in small specialty stores, including Ragg Tattoo in Encino, but it has its eye on Bloomingdale's. According to Bloomingdale's national media director Bonnie Brownlee, the store will launch its new Tween department in September.

Meanwhile Nike is wooing teens, particularly boys, with a retro '80s collection. Showcased at its recent NikeTown back-to-school fashion show in Beverly Hills were Nike's original sneakers from the '80s with the ``swoosh'' logo, as well as Air Max and Michael Jordan designs.

NikeTown L.A. spokeswoman Julie Leasure reports, ``Comfort still rules, especially with guys, but that doesn't mean they aren't paying attention to details. Besides the retro shoes, teens are looking for brighter colors (orange is hottest) that are modeled after European trends, and they want cargowear with lots of zippers, snaps and pockets to hold all their stuff - from sandwiches to cell phones.''

That retro sports theme is also hot at Mervyn's. Says company spokesman Chris Daniel, ``Fashion continues to be inspired by street style and athletic looks ... including paper-thin track pants and windbreakers to extreme sports details such as utility tabs and reinforcement patches in the knees and backside.''

Daniel adds that oversized and soft seem to be the important criteria for older boys, with sweater-vests, Henley shirts and sueded ribbed knits with stripes or color blocking.

High school girls are still wearing sweaters - but none of those fluffy feather-trimmed designs from last year. And they're likely to use the metal lunch bucket for a purse.

For the fall semester, it's more about little shrug sweater sets with cargo pants, and thin layers of sweaters worn over skinny pants and a skirt.

To make it easy, some junior-department manufacturers such as L.A.-based Sugar are giving girls cropped pants that already have an attached carpenter's apron.

Sugar's designer Dana Dartez, says she takes inspiration from music, movies and high fashion, just like the teens who buy her clothes.

The result is frayed denim maxi skirts with embroidered peasant blouses.

Retro styles, frayed fabric - at least these new-school looks will still look new when they're worn out.

School notes

What's hot, not and newsy? Check out our back-to-school bulletin board:

Mall Mania lives

Feeling weird 'cause you're not a Web fan? Hey, not to worry. According to a national survey by the Santa Monica-based Macerich Co. for Panorama Mall in Panorama City, 84.3 percent of the 3,600 students surveyed across the country still prefer malls over the Internet. And 40 percent said they disliked Internet shopping because they couldn't try on clothes.

Bottom line? The study concluded that the average back-to-schooler will spend $234.19 on his or her wardrobe.

It's hip to zip

Techies have been around for years (not to be confused with Trekkies), but now they have their own status symbol. It's the Tech Vest, a zip-front fleece vest with a drawstring waist that Old Navy stores are pushing in eye-candy colors like pink, purple and orange in sizes for babies, kids and adults. They're priced at $12.50 and up.

Yeah, you can take it with you

Popping corn or listening to pop tunes, either way you're stylin' in a blaze of color. Emerson Radio has introduced Pop & Sizzle, a 600-watt microwave available in blue, green or burgundy designed for dorm rooms and priced at $89.99. Also in electric blue or metallic green is its new PD6509 Portable CD Stereo/Cassette Recorder with a hide-away handle so you can take it to slumber parties and sock hops (ask your grandmother), priced at $69.99. Look for them at appliance and electronics stores. For more information, call [phone].

Packed with panache

Offered in the new interactive teen magazine MXG, are Stussy Yak Paks, a new generation of backpack with Velcro closure pockets for cell phones and pagers. Yak Paks are $58 at www.MXGonline.com. To order by phone, call [phone].

Also designed to hold your phone and other stuff is Nike's new flap-over messenger shoulder bag that even has a special net pocket for a water bottle, priced at $55 at NikeTown stores.

Metal lunch boxes rule again

Just when you thought they were antiques, metal lunch boxes to carry your tuna sandwich and Ding Dongs have made a comeback. They're by the Van Nuys-based GWhiz company, featuring ``Lost in Space,'' ``The Green Hornet'' and other TV themes. Look for them at Restoration Hardware, FAO Schwartz, Wet Seal and Contempo stores, priced at $14.95, or $24.99 for larger dome-lid boxes.

Way to go, girl

Got a major distance to travel from school? Instead of weighing yourself down with a tote or backpack, pack your schoolbooks in Sanrio's new lockers on wheels. They're designed like carry-on luggage with a pop-up handle, available at Sanrio stores (Topanga Plaza, Northridge Fashion Center, and Fashion Square) for $42.

Talk and write at the same time

Your parents were wowed by the mechanics of Bic. But you, cool babe that you are, need more to make it through English class. Slightly obnoxious but way-trendy is the new C-Pen from Trendmasters that talks, tells the time, gives the date and also has an alarm so you'll never miss recess. There are three styles, $19.99 each, at Wal-Mart and Kmart stores.

Clothes with a cause

Beginning Sunday, T.J. Maxx stores are introducing an exclusive collection called Save the Kids. Yes, the colorful clothes will save your child from being a fashion disaster, but more important, proceeds will benefit 80 children's programs across the country.

It's so girlie

American Girl, maker of those cute dolls with fancy outfits, now has real clothing for girls and preteens.

To check out the new American Girl collection, call [phone] for a hefty catalog filled with varsity jackets and utility-chic styles, or just log on to www.americangirl.com. P.S.: The purple hoodie (style 2004) will make you a campus hottie. It's $34.

How snappy

So, you have cargo and carpenter pants but nothing to hook on to those nifty loops?

Original Swiss Army Watch will not only get you to class on time, but with style. It's the new Pack Watch, with an oversized dial on a water-resistant leather and nylon mesh strap to attach to pants or a backpack. Get it for $95 at major department stores or by calling [phone].

Cheaper versions, by the way, can be found at stores such as Target and Kmart.

- Barbara De Witt

Must-havesThe list

Athletic stripes

Zippers (functional and decorative)

Hoodies (hooded sweaters, vests, parkas)

Bohemian details (peasant blouses, beads and fringe)

Cropped pants

Sweaters (cardigans and funnel necks)

Denim (dark, cuffed and/or decorated)

Drawstring waists

Maxi skirts

Color-blocked baseball shirts

Utility backpacks and sling packs

Old-fashioned metal lunch boxes

CAPTION(S):

10 Photos, 2 boxes

PHOTO (1 -- color -- cover) Carrie McGowan, 8, is a bohemian baby in her batik-pring peasant blouse by Un Deux Trois, $18; with pedal pushers by Paris Blues, $32; and slides by Yellow Box, $17.95; from Nordstrom at Topanga Plaza in Canoga Park. All fashions shot at Canoga Park Elementary School.

(2 -- color) Booking it back to school in style are Rebecca Lasky, a fourth-grader at Justice Street Elementary School in West Hills, left; and Lauren Keating, a sixth-grader at Hale Middle School in Woodland Hills. Rebecca is wearing a floral baseball-inspired shirt by Fang, $26; with Pine Peak jeans, $28; and zip-front boots by Cloe, $49.95. Lauren is wearing a shrug sweater set by Scramble Girl, $24; cropped pants by Un Deux Trois, $30; and Roxy Moonwalk shoes, $55.95; all from Nordstrom.

(3 -- color) Lauren Keating visits a classroom at Canoga Park Elementary School in a cargo-pocket skirt by Union Bay, $36; with shirt by Franny & Annie, $22; from Nordstrom.

(4 -- color) Giving Lucky jeans and tees a tryout are Rebecca Lasky, left, with pal Billy Keating, a first grader at Woodlake Elementary School in West Hills. Shirts are $18 to $22; jeans are $32 to $64 at Nordstrom.

(5 -- color) Michael Johnson, a third-grader at Emek Hebrew Academy in Sherman Oaks, is wearing a Tommy Hilfiger ensemble (plaid shirt, $38; jeans, $38); and Carrie McGowan, a third-grader at St. Bernardine Elementary School in Woodland Hills, is wearing a Union Bay hoodie, $34, with capris by Un Deux Trois, $30. Her sparkly sneakers are by Skechers, $39.95; all from Nordstrom.

(6 -- 10 -- color) no caption (fashion photos)

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

Box: (1) School notes (see text)

(2) Must-haves (see text)