Cool hat, yo.

This is me in September of the year I headed to ninth grade, in my de rigeur pleated jeans and Swatch watch. (And is that a pink scrunchie on my wrist? I do believe it is.) The above shot is a pretty good encapsulation of what I wore to every single first day of school for the entirety of my life (minus the hat, which I think I was wearing because it was 1994): some variation on the white shirt/blue jeans combo, because for whatever reason that pairing has always made me feel like I look like myself. And when you’re all jittery about the prospect of meeting new people and walking new hallways and learning new things, it can help to feel comfortable in your own skin (or in your own clothing, as it were).

Which brings me to this: after many years of barely even noticing when September rolled around, I have returned to the Back To School era of my life. I had a back-to-school parent conference the other day, because our son started preschool last week (well, it’s technically the same place he went to camp all summer, but apparently the curriculum changes once fall starts so it’s a whole new thing. A parent-teacher conference-requiring thing.) Do you know how extremely ancient and responsible going to parent-teacher conferences makes me feel? Very.

In stores now: a new collaboration between Ellen Degeneres' new lifestyle brand, ED, and GapKids, an apparel collection with limited-edition pieces for both boys and girls (including the sweatshirt, t-shirt and pants Indy's wearing). The collection is centered around the images of a lightning bolt, which symbolizes empowerment, and speech bubble you see on this sweatshirt, which symbolizes #GapKidsxED's dedication to encouraging girls everywhere to express themselves, no matter who they are or what they love to talk about and think about and do. (The line is focused on empowering girls, but includes pieces for boys and adults as well.) Included in the GapKidsxED collection: everything from shoes to backpacks to denim jackets (and, in keeping with the focus on individuality, many of the pieces can be personalized with iron-on patches, fabric markers and chalk).

My personal favorite piece: the DIY T-Shirt Set pictured above, which comes in a box with a set of washable markers and functions as wearable art (and self-expression), and makes a great gift that celebrates personal style in a fun – and literal – way.