Gowns with high, draped necklines
Finally, formal gowns you don’t have to buy special strappy-strapless-one-strap-crisscross-clear contraption bras to wear! This fall’s more forgiving evening-wear silhouettes are romantically draped, body-skimming and made from soft, flowing silks and satins.
L-R: Tadashi Shoji, Costello Tagliapietra, Zac Posen
Red
Skirts, dresses, pants, sweats—crimson is the new black this fall. While the boldest among you will want to rock the rouge head to toe, subtler dressers can get in on the trend by mixing in one red garment with more neutral pieces for a pretty pop of color.
L-R: Steven Alan, Donna Karan, Marc by Marc Jacobs
Sharp black-and-white suiting
Feeling blah about the gray, navy and black suits hanging in your closet? Try this fall’s contrasting black-and-white mix-and-match tailoring, which pairs sharp jackets with knife-pleat pants in a graphic color war.
L-R: Helmut Lang, Rachel Zoe, 3.1 Phillip Lim
Warm and cozy sweaters
Comfortable, cozy, body-democratic clothes on the runway? Yes! This fall’s warm-and-fuzzy knits come in a spectrum of colors and patterns and a wide variety of silhouettes—from traditional, fitted Fair Isle to graphic, oversize rock ’n’ roll, there’s woolly warmth in your future this fall.
L-R: Charlotte Ronson, Theyskens’ Theory, Betsey Johnson
Cute, contrasting collars
Grab a dickey—they’re having a moment this year! The fall Fashion Week runways were chock-full of dresses and tops embellished with cute little contrasting collars. Choose a shape that flatters your face: rounded edges for angular faces, and pointy tips for softer features.
L-R: Lela Rose, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Derek Lam
Belted white dresses
The little white dress (LWD) isn’t just for the summer season anymore. Designers showed full-on white looks at New York Fashion Week, and nearly every snow-white sheath or cap-sleeve mini we saw was cinched at the waist with a skinny black belt.
L-R: Chadwick Bell, Jenny Packham, Tory Burch
Black-and-white prints
Bohemian print dresses
Channel the spirit of the late-’60s with this fall’s luxurious, elaborate bohemian-print dresses. Wear the frocks on their own or under fitted jackets. Designers showed them paired with tailored boxy jackets and shrunken leather motorcycle-inspired outerwear.
L-R: Libertine, Altuzarra, Skaist-Taylor
Pale gray dresses
Gray has, over the past few years, become a perennial staple in our fall wardrobes, and this year, the trendiest shade is pale slate gray. The austerity of the cool neutral is offset by the way designers have used it: in draped, soft, figure-flattering jersey silhouettes.
L-R: Doo.Ri, Zac Posen, Costello Tagliapietra
Bold red tartan and plaid
When plaid was unceremoniously dumped—deemed passé by the fashion set late last year—we were devastated. But just you wait till fall 2012, because plaid, especially in reds and blacks, is back in a big way.
L-R: Donna Karan, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors
