The basic summer camp wardrobe of shorts and T-shirts hasn't changed much over the years. But this summer, campers might need to leave a little room in their trunks for moccasin boots, skinny jeans (for girls and boys) and chunky jewelry.
Consider it the “Camp Rock” effect.
“Camp Rock” is Disney Channel's new TV movie starring the in-demand Jonas Brothers. It could be this year's "High School Musical" and any parent of a tween — or toddler — knows how much that movie influenced fashion over the past few years.
The cabins, lake and woodsy setting of “Camp Rock” is like many real-life summer getaways, but the campers are all aspiring rock stars and they travel with a flashier wardrobe.
The exception is Demi Lovato's character Mitchie Torres, a talented musician with humble roots and wardrobe to match. Alyson Stoner is her pal Caitlyn Geller, whose style is best described as “'80s wannabe.”
In real life, 15-year-old Demi is a little more high-maintenance. She cringes when she thinks of the clothes she brought to camp back in the sixth grade: seven pairs of shorts and seven T-shirts.
“Now I'd pack 30 shirts and 30 shoes," she says. "I'd need a separate suitcase for shoes and leggings.”
She's a fan of hats, Ray-Ban sunglasses and “crazy-color jeans, especially high-waisted ones.” She adds: “I'm not a basic black girl, and you'll never catch me in sweats.”
Meanwhile, Alyson, 14, would tone down Caitlyn's extreme clothes, a style she describes as "Madonna meets Hot Topic." But she did enjoy wearing the bold styles, such as brightly colored legwarmers and graphic wristbands, on the set.
“Once I got it on, I thought I wanted to steal it all from Caitlyn, but then I'd get home and do a reality check.”
If you're worried about sending kids to camp with leg-warmers and fedoras, at least you can relax about the beauty routine.
“Sometimes it didn't look like we were wearing makeup at all — I liked that,” Demi says. “It looked natural. I didn't want people to think, `Well, she goes to camp wearing a full face of makeup, so I will too.'”
That's closer to the real attitude at Camp Soutwoods in New York's Adirondack Mountains, where camp director Scott Ralls says the kids come ready with “wash-n-wear.”
“We have noticed that most clothing items do not change. However, styles change, like with jeans — low-rise, boot-cut, full of holes, shorts, comfy, rolled up and super short, baggy and falling off, basketball style — it just depends on the year,” he says.