Last week the weather abruptly turned steamy. The schoolkids returned from spring break wearing their warm weather uniforms, usually dark cotton shorts and short-sleeved white shirts for the boys and light cotton dresses for the girls. Most school uniforms here are amazingly conservative, right out of the 1950's, especially for the girls. The warm weather dresses are often white, with each school's signature color added in the collar, as a small tie at the neckline or in a few buttons. White cotton anklets and sensible shoes complete the uniform. These white dresses and the most sensible of the shoes make me think of what nurses used to wear 40-50 years ago.
At left are two schoolgirls riding the tram a few nights ago, probably on their way home from a tutoring session. Hong Kong schools are known for their rigor and competitiveness. Maybe the uniforms are part of their success: there's no student decision fatigue about what to wear to school and no need for teachers and administrators to have to sort through students' dress code challenges, so the focus and energy can go into the curriculum.
I expect I'll get used to seeing these uniforms out and about. For now, though, I do a double take when I see some of them. They're so different from what I'm used to seeing students wear in the U.S.
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