By Haley Gibson
Contributing Writer

With the dropping temperatures, KU students are pulling out their sweaters, sweatshirts and boots to stay warm. This season, many of these fall fashion staples include a lace-up detail.

Many of the sweaters have the lace-up design on the neckline, but some include the detail on the back. Another thing popping up around campus are sweaters that lace-up the side. This design adds an edge factor to these items.

Students wear lace-up sweaters around campus, whether they are in class or casually getting lunch in the Academic Forum. “Pretty much everywhere I look on campus, I see someone wearing them,” said KU junior Katarina Ward.

“I feel like it’s slightly edgy and I need that because I am not edgy at all. It’s also very versatile because it can be dressed up with a pair of jeans and boots, or dressed down with a simple pair of leggings,” said KU senior Skyler Rentz, who was dressed in a pair of black leggings and an American Eagle sweater that laced up the front.

Adding this detail to sweatshirts gives something simple a little extra. “They’re just something easy to wear. You can just jump out of bed, throw it on and still look cute,” said Madison Bellesfield,KU sophomore.

Rentz, who “likes to keep up with fashion trends,” purchased lace-up clothes at American Eagle, Target and Kohl’s but says they can be found in any clothing store.

The average price for a lace-up sweater at Target is around $28.49. At Kohl’s, the average is $44.67 and American Eagle sweaters average around $50.50.

Retail stores like Target have seen more lace-up style clothes recently. Target team member, Catherine Kluge said that following their transition from summer to fall clothing, she saw a lot of lace-up sweaters and sweatshirts in the brands Mossimo Supply and Knox Rose. According to Kluge, teens and young adults make up the majority of those trying on and purchasing lace-up clothes at Target.

At Kohl’s, the style has spread out of the junior’s departments and into other parts of the store. “It really started out in our junior’s department, mostly in the brands SO and Mudd, but it has expanded out into the women’s brand Rock & Republic,” said Kohl’s employee, Natalie Jennings.

Lace-up boots are also seen on campus and are often used to dress up a casual outfit. “My favorite shoes are my black lace-up booties with a wooden heel,” said KU sophomore, Gina Esposto. She styles them with a pair of black ripped jeans, a tank top, a cardigan and a scarf.

Lace-up clothes were introduced to fashion in the 1970s in the form of lace-up sandals, but lace-up tank tops, crop tops and swimsuits hit the market this spring and summer.

As KU students made the transition into fall, they prepared for the dropping temperatures and purchased boots, sweaters and sweatshirts with the lace-up detail.

The lace-up trend may have become a fashion staple this fall, but some students face issues with this edgy look. “I love wearing my lace-up sweatshirt, but sometimes the strings get tangled up when I wash it and it takes forever to untangle them,” said Bellesfield.

While a large number of students on campus sport lace-up items, there are certainly students who do not. “I don’t wear it because I am not very fashionable and I would prefer to be comfortable than look like everybody else,” said KU senior Kylie Leff.