A Classy, Uniformed Look : The schoolgirl look for women borrows preppy elements but eliminates their stuffiness with perky detailing and accessories.

The military jacket. The Dietrich suit. Menswear tailoring. Fashion this fall dictates that women suit up in one uniform or another.

But for many young women and designers alike, an alternative to the somber, slim suit is a funky, flirty version inspired by Ivy League and parochial schools.

Plaid and pleated skirts, fitted jackets and sweaters along with long-sleeved dress shirts take fashion back to school this season. Short shorts, the year’s hot option to skirts, are paired with ribbed tights or knee-high socks. And for more casual day wear, there is the “boyfriend” jacket, a short, loose-fitting athletic jacket.

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Esprit, leading purveyor of schoolgirl-inspired style, has blown out such recent items as a red and navy hombre plaid dress jumper that immediately recalls private school. Other plaid and solid separates they carry evoke similar associations.

Although the look borrows elements from preppy wardrobes, those stuffy styles that signal dullsville for followers of fashion have been transformed into hip little outfits with the right detailing and accessories.

Sorry, Muffy.

“It definitely offers a fresh option from the menswear trend,” says Nordstrom spokesperson Linda Luna-Frank. “We’ve been seeing plaid skirts for some time, but now there’s everything from a kilted to a straight skirt. Pairing it with a vest and colored tights makes it something new.”

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Despite fashion gospel that styles are going long, designers as disparate as Byron Lars, Anna Sui and Giorgio Armani are incorporating pieces within their fall collections cut short, such as short shorts, as well as collegiate inspired, such as a twin sweater set.

The trend is “the antithesis of the more provocative posture of late: nightclub lingerie looks, bustiers, the bad-girl influence,” says Dana Kellin, West Coast fashion editor of the trade journal Women’s Wear Daily. “I think it’s also a relatively easy silhouette to wear. Not a vacuum-sealed, body-hugging silhouette, but a pleated skirt with a jacket or oversize sweater just about anyone can wear.”

Dana Dartez agrees. “It’s very flattering,” says Dartez, who designs the women’s line for Spot Sport in Irvine. The look’s versatility combined with its comfort is the trend’s driving force, she adds.

From menswear, Dartez has borrowed soft plaid flannels and made them into elastic-waist shorts, boyfriend jackets and a zip-front “schoolgirl” dress. “Comfort is very important to me and flannel feels great,” she says. “Some of our buyers look at it and go ‘no way,’ but they’ve tried it and it’s just blowing out.

“What’s fun about the whole Catholic school girl look is playing with it. Take the basic look and just flip it, twist it, distort it into something new,” Dartez says. She suggests adding Dr. Marten boots or tights and clogs for a new edge.

The season’s clunky footwear, including wedgier platforms, give the overall look an awkward charm that turns an otherwise dry school uniform into a very fashion-forward image. And that, along with other details, is important, says Esprit spokesperson Liz Mazurski.

“A lug sole shoe makes it fresh,” she says. “So does a pleated skirt over leggings, or a golf jacket and knee socks. Do whatever suits your style, but have fun with it.”

Mazurski also suggests toting a small backpack or box purse, such as Esprit’s plaid school bag.

Other cool details include baseball caps and Chelsea hats, ribbed leg wear, ties, cuff links and zipper-front vests.

The Gap’s solid color twin sweater sets make a co-ed statement reminiscent of the 1940s. The San Francisco-based company is basics central for collegiate attire. The key is avoid being too conservative. Using a plaid bottom as a base, opt for different color tights and blouse.

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Playing with this fall’s uniforms, whether it’s school-, military- or menswear-inspired, not only brings out individuality but detaches them from their original reference and brings them into the realm of fashion, says Leslie Rabine.

As director of Women’s Studies at UC Irvine, Rabine’s current research focuses on comparative fashion symbolism in the United States and France.

“Catholic school uniforms are among the last bastion of stable meanings . . . in a global economy that is going through structural transformations and where old values don’t seem to apply,” says Rabine.

Whatever the social implications, Rabine also welcomes this spirited uniform as an alternative to menswear this season.

“On petite women, these long, voluminous skirts and jackets just bury us,” says the 5-foot-2 Rabine. “This becomes a way of getting (the look) and not being buried under a lot of fabric.”