Photo courtesy of believeinsomething, Flickr
As the leaves begin to develop their wonderful fall hues, the colors and patterns we clothe ourselves with tend to undergo a shift as well. Bright, summery colors, as well as whites, are traded in for earth tones, deeper shades of traditional colors and materials more suited to handle the cold are brought to the forefront.
One fall style trend that seems to be sticking around particularly are jackets and hoodies lined in piled fleece or wool, a warm and durable alternative to furs or other animal products that still retains the “Sherpa” look of a lined article of clothing. Most major retailers carry some variation of this type of clothing in both men’s and women's so there should be no problem finding a suitable style.
Building on outerwear, thanks to notable moments such as Kanye West wearing an affordable Dickies brand jacket to the MET Gala this year, workwear jackets are very much on-trend again, playing on the “utilitarian” aesthetic.
Brands such as Carhartt, Dickies and Lee Jeans all make variations of the classic work and chore coats, and none particularly break the bank. Sometimes all it takes is the right celebrity co-sign to make even the most mundane article of clothing seem fresh and new again.
As for pants, at least for the sake of men, the skinny fit is out. Although many prefer the more tapered look of tighter jeans, the clear trend in fashion is that it is now stepping away as a whole from the tight-fitting denim of yesteryear, focusing on fit in a different way now, by creating a silhouette.
Aside from those outside of the know, the proliferation of straight-legged and even boot-cut pants in menswear has been exacerbated to the highest level in most recent fashion shows both nationally and internationally. This trend does extend to women though, with women’s pants being recontextualized to focus on other aspects aside from form-fitting the body.
For the layers beyond the exterior one (which there will be plenty of as we dive deeper into fall), the idea of earth tones and deeper colors taking prominence carries over as well. Fall time wills all of the flannels and long-sleeve t-shirts out of our closets and back into rotation as timeless staples that reflect the season.
Sweaters will return in this same burst as well, and there has actually been a good bit of attention on mock-neck sweaters and turtle-neck sweaters for the colder months, which is understandable given their versatility and ability to keep the neck area warm without the need for a separate scarf.
When the decision comes to what goes on the foot, fall constants will always be tan or brown boots, darker colored sneakers or even chunkier sneakers to give more depth and prominence to the footwear among everything else going on in a colder weather outfit.
The shoe world is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance right now with new models being released by major brands virtually every day looking to constantly reinvent what we consider socially acceptable footwear options. Keep watch for shoes from BrandBlack, 1017 ALYX 9SM, Balenciaga and Nike ACG, all who are at the forefront of the new wave of experimental silhouettes for footwear.
cbarilla@ramapo.edu
