Dressed for a cover-up

UNIFORMS. Love them or loathe them, they serve a purpose. They offer a means of identification, a sense of belonging and conceal social and economic backgrounds, meaning the rich man's son or daughter and the hawker's child are dressed alike.

Contrary to popular belief, many students in Hong Kong accept they have to wear uniforms. Some prefer uniforms because they don't have to worry about what they are going to wear every day. But could they be more fashionable and comfortable? Boys at the Kiangsu-Chekiang College in North Point wear white shirts and trousers, while the girls wear a white dress with a blue collar and belt. In winter, the boys wear a bright green blazer, easily spotted a mile away, and the girls change to a white shirt and grey skirt.

But do the students like their uniforms? ''It's all right, but wearing a tie is too hot in summer,'' said Albert. One girl complained the uniform material was too thin and stuck to the skin when she sweated.

The missionary schools try to establish more of an identity with their uniforms. Probably best known are the girls of St Paul's Co-ed who wear powder blue cheongsams with socks and shoes.

At Marymount, the girls can choose between a yellow or blue dress for summer. The collar and cuffs are white and there is a white cardigan for cooler days.

The winter uniform is a beige shirt, V-neck jumper and burnt orange blazer. Students are taught to knit their own scarves to go with their winter uniforms. This is not compulsory, but teacher Esther Poon says students enjoy doing this. They had no complaints about their uniform, she said.

Students from the English Schools Foundation are more vocal about what they want. The Island School uniform is a thin-striped blue and white cotton shirt with short sleeves and a dark blue A-line skirt for girls and long dark blue pants for boys.