NEW YORK, Aug 19, 2001/ --- Dreading the months and months ahead of wearing school uniforms? Don't. Schoolgirls Mandy Moore and Anne Hathaway look so cute in "The Princess Diaries." And hey, you never have to worry about what to wear. Still, no uniform is good enough to wear if you don't make it less... uniform-like!

THE CLASSIC ROLL-UP
A couple of rolls of your waistband - not like five - should do it. Tara McClusky from Bishop Ireton says at her school, "Skirts are only supposed to be 2" above the knee, but hardly any of the girls follow that rule. They roll them when they can get away with it and then roll it down when there are teachers there who are really picky about it." Joey Sadler, a junior at Bishop O' Connell, says her school "changed to culottes from the skirts because the girls wore them too short... but we just wear the culottes even shorter." But make sure your rolled-up waist does not look bulky underneath your shirt.

I SWEAR I'M NOT WEARING ANY MAKEUP!
If you're lucky, you go to a school like O'Connell where "we can wear any kind of makeup we want...no one gets in trouble for that, even the glitter," according to Joey. But Denise, a 19-year-old graduate of Archbishop John Carroll, warns that although she got away with mascara, "some of my friends went all out and on several occasions were sent to the disciplinarian's office and had to wash their faces." If your school has a strict policy, use subtle shades or even go clear, like with The Body Shop's Brow & Lash Gel. And no one can stop you from sucking on red lollipops to get some lip color.

WATCH ME GET TO CLASS ON TIME
Forget expensive and silver timepieces, you look conservative enough. Think fun. "I have two Baby G watches, a navy blue one and a clear lime green one," says Tara. And Mudd (yes, like the jeans!) has some dainty new watches with plaid cloth bands and star-shaped studs. One comes in red, white and blue and another in the traditional Burberry beige, black, white and red. Or make math class easier with a calculator watch - they're cool.

CRAZY TIGHTS AND CLUNKY SHOES
Go wild with soccer socks or textured tights if you can. Like Tara says, "It is a lot of fun if you have cute knee highs. I have ones that are an off-white with snowflakes in them which sort of sparkle and I have another that are off-white and fishnet designed." If your school is too strict, give in and go for argyle. Even if you have to wear regulation-color tights, some schools don't have designated shoes. Go for something clunky like Steve Maddens or Doc Martens. "Shoes are one of the places where you can be an individual," says Joey. Although at Denise's school, it was "absolutely no sneakers without a doctor's note."

AND REMEMBER
When you're so sick of your uniform you could burn it in the backyard... there are always dress-down days.