Of course, thank you so much for all the input!
Just wear what you like, if your school allows it. At Choate the dress code is lenient so you’ll see everybody where everything you can imagine. Personally I wear sweatpants 1/4 of the time, a lot of jeans, and T shirts. A lot of girls shop at Urban and Brandy Melville… I’ve seen people push boundaries in terms of revealing clothing and the school tends to not mind or notice.
Great, that’s really helpful thank you so much!
@nico.campbell you missed the days not too long ago when students had to shower and change after sports just to get into the dining hall (wearing dress code) and phones were not allowed during meals.
It really all depends on the dress code at your school. The best advice is from @SevenDad about wearing what you’re most comfortable in and not worrying about what brand. When visiting DD’s school (all girls) all of the girls are wearing their own style. There is no one way to dress and the best way to go is dressing in your own style within the dress code.
I had a couple of nieces who put a fun bohemian spin on their otherwise preppy- more conservative BS wardrobes and I thought they always looked wonderful. Classic Frye harness boots, peasant blouses under blazers… that sort of thing.
I love the advice that encourages kids to wear what makes them feel good… as long as they follow school dress code guidelines… you really can’t go wrong.
I also love that my boys used to pack pink button down shirts not just because they liked them but because they wanted to make sure they had pink clothing on hand for Breast Cancer Awareness Month…
And festive Christmas ties or bowties ( that weren’t cheap looking or highly flammable- which can be a tall order sometimes ) were big for Chapel during the season or holiday parties.
As far as ties go- both boys favored bowties or school ties and one kid loved wearing bright ( see obnoxious ) pants and shorts. His bright mustard cords belong in a museum… they were absolutely amazing because they were perfectly broken in with just the right amount of fraying. 
@njgirl1218 At Peddie, jeans are only allowed on Wednesdays.
Here is the dresscode for girls during classes:
• blouses, knit top, turtlenecks, collared shirts. sweaters, Peddie sweatshirts
• skirts, dresses
• corduroys, khakis, or dress pants with fastening buttons and/or zippers
Does anyone have any recommendations for attire at Milton or Lawrenceville?
I’m quite interested too because I might have to stock up 
The school might not have minded, but I certainly noticed. CK complained several times that there seemed to be zero rules for girls at Choate, and I’d have to agree.
Great! Thank you so much
What are some stores I can find those clothes at? My local mall does not sell anything like that lol
Got it, thank you!
@ChoatieMom: I am far from prudish, but on one revisit many years ago to a school that will go unnamed, I had to avert my eyes to avoid getting flashed by a young lady who was clearly pushing boundaries with regard to skirt length.
“Fresh off the Boat” just had a good episode when the girls were told to wear dresses or skirts and boys jackets at the school dance, the protagonist and his next door neighbor switched roles. She was gay and wore a tux and he wore a skirt. I think we will see (and it’s a good thing) much more tolerance for the Jayden Smith look (skirts in men) and any student wearing clothing that is in keeping with their authentic self.
I have heard teachers comment that attempting to enforce dress code is one of their most dreaded tasks. It is fraught with all kinds of messages that are easily construed or interpreted in different ways. It’s definitely a minefield.
Although it probably seems a bit outdated and rigid to some, the jacket-and-tie dress code for boys makes things very easy. Granted, it’s much less complicated at an all-boys’ school where there’s no issue of the dress code being the same or equal for all genders. DS wears his blue blazers, khakis and blue or white shirts like a uniform, but for boys who care more, they have plenty of latitude in shoes, socks, colors, hair, etc., and everyone basically looks decent for class and chapel. Makes shopping easy, too.
@CTMom21 I agree! And as a result of 6 years of BS formal dress , I have one kid who is so conditioned that he rarely wears jeans. I could wash them a million times and drag them behind my car and he’ll still choose his broken in threadbare khakis over jeans any day of the week.
The only thing I don’t like about formal dress is that sometimes it’s impractical. On our tour of a school with formal dress, we watched kids do pottery in shirts and ties. I think part of doing pottery is getting clay all over you. It just seemed silly. We also saw pictures of kids in an environmental studies class walking through the woods and standing in a swamp with dress clothes and gators. I’m a “dress for the task” kind of person and this just didn’t seem right to me.
@vwlizard: All those ES kids needed was a Barbour over a pair of Hunters, and they’d be good to go!
As for the potters…do they not use smocks or aprons at that school?
@SevenDad -Styling for ES
Yes, they were all careful to wear aprons, but it still seemed rather stifling.