Decadent as a gourmet chocolate cake, this fall’s key looks are irresistibly caloric.
After a summer of airy, whipped-cream dresses in bouquet hues, autumn’s essentials are sumptuous and weighty, ready to stand ground when cooler weather arrives.
Sculpted tweed and boucle suits are luxuriously textured. Fur, always posh, commands attention in big, important coats or as subtle trim on collars and cuffs. Even the season’s color palette evokes luscious flavors: espresso, cocoa, grape.
“Luxe is one of the stories for fall,” says Tom Julian, a trend analyst for Fallon Worldwide and senior fashion editor for Fashion Wire Daily. “It’s something that will work for the fashionista, for the uncertain person and for the executive. The difference will be in the interpretation.”
While it may seem overdone, what counts this fall is the layering on of opulence. Shearling overcoats are embellished with rabbit, fox or mink. Whether faux or real, fur boldly stands out, sometimes even dyed emerald or amethyst. Menswear fabrics are accented with satin bows and velvet ribbons. Sequins dribble down the length of a silky skirt. As if that’s not enough, it’s all accessorized with a cluster of crystal–or diamond–brooches.
Silhouettes, too, are forgiving of fashion’s seemingly random rules. Skirts have gotten longer, but a lean pencil skirt looks as right as a flared one with a trumpet hem. Streamlined princess coats are embraced as readily as Michelin Man puffer jackets that look ready for the ski slopes.
Very little, it seems, is off-limits.
“It’s definitely about discovering your own style,” says Stephanie Solomon, Bloomingdale’s fashion director for women’s ready-to-wear. “The season is about pieces, not about dresses or head-to-toe suiting. The key is in adding touches that feel comfortable for you.”
Style expert Robert Verdi agrees that it’s the perfect time to experiment.
“Retailers are really trying to push individuality and encouraging everyone to mix new with vintage, expensive with affordable. Look what the Gap is doing with Sarah Jessica Parker and the create-your-own-denim campaign,” says Verdi, who took over red carpet duties on the E! channel during the Emmy Awards this month. He also co-hosts the Discovery Channel’s “Surprise by Design” and New York Metro channel’s “Full Frontal Fashion.”
Even if warmer temps linger, you can still wear fur, cashmere and tweed. Observers say many designers and manufacturers have done lighter wools and other varied fabrications in their fall collections.
“There are more blends and weights so that you don’t have to wait until the chill of November to wear them,” Julian says.
Think of it as one more addition to fall’s overwhelming menu of sartorial options.
Fashion flashback
Clothes filling the racks at most stores this fall might resemble a 1970s closet. Tweed jackets paired with jeans, ponchos pulled over tank tops and T-shirts and brooches worn on sweaters and knit shirts are among the top styles for women this fall.
For the guys, it’s totally ’80s fashions, like Vans and Converse sneakers and terry-cloth wristbands like the ones worn by John McEnroe in his heyday.
Another fashion trend this fall is attention to the little details that can pull a look together. Chunky jewelry made of natural stones is a popular accessory. Other top choices for women’s accessories include vintage-looking brooches and large lapel pins that can be worn on jackets, sweaters and just about anything.–THE BEAUMONT ENTERPRISE.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Kris Karnopp (kkarnopp@tribune.com)
