'Fashion matters more than being pretty': New York private school teens reveal they get $1,500 PER MONTH to buy designer clothing so they can be popular

  • Three teenagers living on Manhattan's Upper East Side and Upper West Side revealed they had personal shoppers
  • Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Céline are just some of the high-end designers they regularly wear
  • The teens, who remained anonymous, said fashion was the ultimate status symbol at school

It seems the days of L.L. Bean backpacks and Gap jeans as the outfit of choice for young teenagers are gone - at least for this subset of wealthy New York schoolkids.

According to a report, some private school kids living in Manhattan's Upper East Side and Upper West Side receive as much as $1,500 for their monthly clothing allowances, and regularly wear high-end brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Céline.

A journalist from the fashion blog Who What Wear spoke to three anonymous New York teens about their shopping habits, and found out that their parents are giving them money for clothes to ensure they stay popular. 

Real life: Three New York teens revealed they get clothing allowances of up to $1,500 per month so they can buy designer goods. Their reality is not so different from the fictional TV series Gossip Girl (pictured)

Real life: Three New York teens revealed they get clothing allowances of up to $1,500 per month so they can buy designer goods. Their reality is not so different from the fictional TV series Gossip Girl (pictured)

Two of the kids revealed they had monthly clothing allowances, which ranged from $500 - $1,500, and said this was the norm for most of their friends.

'It usually surges at back-to-school time,' admitted one of the teens. 

They went on to reveal that clothing is the ultimate status symbol at school, saying that their classmates hold fashion above all else. 

'It matters more than being pretty,' revealed one teenager, who said that not having latest accessories would lessen her popularity.

Shop till you drop: The unidentified teens, living in Manhattan's Upper East Side and Upper West Side said they have personal shoppers. Above, Blake Lively's Gossip Girl character is seen carrying bags from Henri Bendel 

Shop till you drop: The unidentified teens, living in Manhattan's Upper East Side and Upper West Side said they have personal shoppers. Above, Blake Lively's Gossip Girl character is seen carrying bags from Henri Bendel 

But it's not just having any expensive clothing that is respected at their schools.

The teens are partial to a strict set of high-end brands, including Chanel, Tod’s, Céline, Louis Vuitton, Jennifer Fisher, Tory Burch and Lululemon.

It's worth nothing that Chanel, Tod’s, Céline and Louis Vuitton sell handbags and clothing that runs in the thousand-dollar range - at the very minimum.

While they admitted they knew little about these labels, such as who Céline's creative director is, they were steadfast in their brand loyalty.

Status symbol: The kids say they wouldn't be popular at school unless they had the latest designer accessories, like the Gossip Girl characters pictured above

Status symbol: The kids say they wouldn't be popular at school unless they had the latest designer accessories, like the Gossip Girl characters pictured above

Many of the teenagers even had personal shoppers, which were passed down from their mothers or older siblings.

'In some cases, they’re like your second family,' one teen said of the Barneys and Bloomingdales employees, who immediately email the schoolkids when something that might appeal to them arrives in the store.

High school prom is also a huge deal for the New York natives, and they tend to start planning a full year ahead of the event, ordering custom designer gowns that can't be found in stores.

All about the labels: The teens said they favor high-end brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Céline. They also revealed they order custom designer dresses for their high school proms

All about the labels: The teens said they favor high-end brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Céline. They also revealed they order custom designer dresses for their high school proms

The teens said they weren't opposed to fast fashion brands such as H&M or Zara, but revealed that their so-called less expensive clothing generally came from still-pricey labels such as Reformation, Free People and J Brand.

As for which set of private school students has the most expensive wardrobes, the three students cited the prestigious Upper East Side Chapin School.

Meanwhile, at artsy private schools - such as Brooklyn's St. Ann's - teens are more likely to wear clothing from less-mainstream labels like Proenza Schouler and Maison Martin Margiela.

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now