Catholic school uniform

A Catholic school uniform in North America typically consists of a pleated and tartan skirt or jumper dress (a sleeveless dress), Mary Jane or saddle shoes, a button-down shirt, and a sweater for girls, while boys' uniforms consist of a button-down shirt, a necktie, and dark pants.

The stated purpose of uniforms, often set forth in school uniform policies, include reducing clothing expenditures for parents as well as avoiding distinctions among children based on whose parents can afford to buy them fashionable clothing to wear to school.

In some parts of Canada, the skirt has been modified to include an attached pair of shorts beneath, for modesty called a skort.

Younger girls are often seen wearing jumper dresses in tartan (often called "plaid" in America) over a blouse under their skirts.

Many schools require a jumper dress up to the fourth, fifth, or sixth grade, presumably because the lifestyles and habits of younger girls may make blouses more likely to become untucked from skirt or culotte waistbands.

After that, the jumper dress is often discarded in favor of a tartan skirt with bike shorts, capri or ankle length leggings, with crew or knee socks over the ankle leggings, tights, knee socks or culottes and blouse or polo depending on the weather and season.

However, at some schools appearance and formality prevail over comfort and students must suffer through the warm weather in their full uniform, which can include long-sleeved dress shirts, ties, wool sweaters, blazers, wool skirts, jumper dresses, leggings, and tights.

also wore clothing resembling Catholic school uniforms in a video for their song "Ya Soshla S Uma" (also known by the title of its English-language version, "All the Things She Said").