Fashion’s Fallback

DING-DONG, THE WAIF IS DEAD.

Or maybe she just OD’d on the ’70s.

Whatever the case, it’s finally time to ditch those teensy-weensy, way-too-tightly buttoned tops and that starved-beyond-recognition pallor. It’s time to get real again. Because this fall designers from Paris to New York to Milan decided to haul out an amazingly wearable collection of clothing.

That’s right. We hit pay dirt. As a matter of fact, there’s almost an embarrassment of fashion riches this season. Now, no matter which direction you look, there’s something truly smart-looking staring back at you.

And in case you were wondering, that sound you hear is women everywhere breathing a sigh of relief-and not just because they can actually breathe again. Finally, women over the age of 18 and above a size 2 have some newsworthy options. For a while there, it was as if designers were gauging just how far down that slippery fashion-victim path we’d stray, as if they were daring us to ignore them (which a lot of us did).

Maybe that has something to do with the fact that there’s no single uniform for fall, no one “right” look. Instead, there really is something for everyone. From slouchy, low-slung pants to a barely-there slice of a miniskirt. From boardroom-inducing pinstripes to ballroom-worthy embroideries. From pointy, sky-high stilettos to chunky, black-leather, buckled ankle boots.

Long. Short. Slim. Loose. Mannish. Coquettish. You name it. It’s out there.

All of this may sound like fashion hype to some, but it’s music to many women’s ears. It means you’re in charge. You get to decide what’s right for you. The bad news is (at least for the less fashion-confident), you’re in charge. You have to decide what’s right for you.

But nobody said you have to figure it out alone. Consider the 10 trends listed below a crib sheet:



1. THE SLICE SKIRT (AKA THE MINISKIRT). By now, you’ve heard the term “slice skirt”-as in, just a slice of fabric wrapped around the hips. It’s the newest incarnation of the mini, and it’s big news. Michael Kors created the quintessential version, but there are plenty of others around. In tact, perhaps the only distressing sign this season was the alarmingly similar pattern of so many “new” looks appearing on so many different runways.

Often, that slice doesn’t even make it all the way around the body, leaving a provocative little, or not so little, slit up one leg. (Gucci’s three-finger version-don’t ask-got its share of ink.)

Now that we have the men’s attention, it’s worth noting that the slit isn’t limited to the mini; it’s showing up in the new longer lengths, too (from just-above-the-knee to ankle-length) and from day to evening. Where the slit stops is another interesting variable-anywhere from mid-thigh to the blush-inducing mid-hip.

Keep in mind that the slit skirts that were so prevalent on the runway will definitely be modified for the rest of us-the ones who actually sit down and everything-who prefer not to have to color-coordinate our underwear with our skirt to avoid embarrassment.

And about that just-grazing-the-bottom-of-the-kneecap skirt business that showed up in some collections. Take a good look at it: Do you actually think something that makes a runway model look frumpy is going to work for you? Major brownie points if you can pull this one off. I’m not holding my breath.

2. POINTY SKY-HIGH STILETTOS AND KNEE-HIGH BOOTS. There’s a fine line here between trendy and trashy, so pay attention. This isn’t a street-corner-Candie’s-mule sort of statement. It’s sexy in that elegantly decadent pain-as-pleasure way-toes so pointed they could shave ice, straps so strappy they resemble tiny snakes coiled seductively around the ankle, heels so high and thin it seems they might snap in two at any second. And if those heels happen to come in a sharp metal tone, all the better.

But let’s say you aren’t the stiletto-wearing type. No problem. Boots. By the bar-relful. Personally, I’d opt for the snug-tit-ting knee-high ones with a narrowish heel and a moderate point (maybe because they remind me of my youth). Unfortunately, moderation isn’t the order of the day. More often than not, the idea is to take every single element of the boot to the limit-give it the pointiest toe, the highest and thinnest heel, the most outrageous color, the most extravagant fabric, the richest texture you can get your hands on and hit the road. The timid need not apply.

3. INCREDIBLE FABRICS. This is not a paragraph for the budget-conscious or the inherently frugal, so skip it if you fall into either category. But for those who are willing to fork out the big bucks, now is the time to do so because there are some awe-inspiring options out there. For day:everything from nubby tweeds and wool flannel to oodles of cashmere-alone or paired with other fabrics. At night: velvet, silk chiffon, silk mesh and silk tulle. Often, the added element of stretch heightens the appeal. To wear whenever: leather, suede, fur, both real and fake (more on thai later).

4. FUR ACCENTS. Here’s another option for the financially challenged. Get yourself a fur collar and/or a set of cuffs: fake is fine, but the real stuff is back, loo. You can buy them alone and attach them to that fabulous black sweater you already have. You can wear them day or night. You won’t be alone. Most of your fellow fashion plates will be donning little touches of fur-maybe a fox collar on a knee-length overcoat, a Mongolian lamb cowl on a jersey shift dress or mink cuffs on a chenille sweater. Similarly, feathers (as in rooster, ostrich, marabou) are flying everywhere-on shoes, bags, hats, collars. {P.S. My hat’s off to anyone who can wear the “new” feather boa with a straight face.)

5. THE SLOUCHY PANT. Two words about slouchy pants: Ann Demeule-meester. Never heard of her? Well, you will. The iconoclastic young Belgian designer has certainly caught her peers’ attention. No, she isn’t the only one doing slouchy pants, and she isn’t the only one doing them well. It’s just that practically everyone else who’s doing them borrowed something from her previous incarnations. They’re low-slung, flat-front, wider-legged. Comfy, yet oh-so-casually chic. Guyish in a girly sort of way, if you get my drift.

Exactly what sort of jacket goes with that pant is left up to interpretation. Without a doubt, the most newsworthy version also came from Demeulemeester, who didn’t exactly reinvent the idea but certainly gave everyone something to think about. Her basic premise is that any jacket worth wearing is worth cinching-at least halfway around-with a thin leather strip of a belt that slips discreetly beneath the jacket for the other half of the trip, creating perhaps the best of both worlds: a body that’s gen-teely draped on the one side, gently fitted on the other.

6. PINSTRIPES. This will come as no surprise to those who have been following the trend in menswear toward a more sartorial (i.e., finely tailored) suit. If you want a sense of how comprehensive the pinstripe brigade is, consider this: Everyone from Armani to Anna Sui showed them. Obviously, they look espedaily smart in a crisp, slightly fitted suit. But they work just as well in a double-breasted coatdress or an ankle-grazing riding coat-even a simple wool crew-neck pullover. Some of the most interesting variations showed the stripe cut on the bias.

SWEATERS. If you can afford but one splurge, make it a cashmere sweater. Preferably a black turtleneck-nothing will take you further this fall. From there, get yourself another cashmere sweater, this time in a blindingly bright color like persimmon or aqua. Stick it under that new suit or over that slice, and call it a day.

LEATHER. Especially black. Often, head to toe. No. black leather pants aren’t news (and please don’t simply haul out that pair from 1984 and think you’re outré), but what is different this season is the way leather is handled: as if it were any other fabric. The best leathers are so supple they drape almost as fluidly as crepe-whether that be in a zippered mandarin-collar jacket, a belted trench coat, a thigh-grazing tunic or a bitty slit skirt. But black is hardly the only way to go. Designers showed an impressive range of options-from flame red and forest green to grape and silver. A bonus effect to look for: an edgy, punk-inspired metallic sheen.

GRAY. Some folks’ll tell you that head-to-toe black is the happening color palette of the season. Obviously, you can’t go wrong there-but tell me something I don’t already know. Then there are those who tout red or chocolate brown as the new black. And, indeed, there are some swell-looking versions of both (remember, though, that the one-two-three punch of slice skirt, stilettos and red can be scary, unless you’re cruising for company). My vote, however, goes to gray. It’s cool in the same I’m-so-togethercan-flaunt-my-masculinity-and-femininity way that is the essence of so many looks this fall. It does not have to scream for attention; it comes by it naturally.

10. LUXURIOUS EVENINGWEAR. But not in the over-the-top, 10-tons-of-goop, 30-yards-of-skirt sense. Yes, it’s glamorous and, yes, it’s bead- or embroidery-studded. But the real news is the fabric itself: sumptuous, impeccably draped, light and airy (even transparent), extraordinarily feminine and flattering. The lines, inevitably, are simple, narrow, body-grazing. Nobody does it better than Badgley Mischka, but plenty of folks are giving it all they’ve got-and succeeding.

MENSWEAR

OK, GUYS, WAKE UP. It’s YOUR TURN. If you think you gel to shove it into neutral and do the same old guy things this season, you’re wrong. Because menswear for fall is anything but business as usual. For once, you’ve got some real decisions to make. Will you take the plunge and follow the shift to the more elegant, precision-tailored Savile Row-inspired suits? Or will you keep it minimalist-very uncluttered and unstructured? Or will you head for the English countryside?

One thing is clear: All you stud-muffins, relax. The time for you to show off all that buff fabulousness has passed, at least temporarily. No matter which direction you go, you’re gonna want to peel off the ab-hug-ging, bicep-detining stretch shirts, slip on a jacket and take a breather, It’s time to loosen up a bit. Literally.

And about that jacket. Invest in one. Make that at leas! one. This is an especially strong season for them-and, lucky for you. there’s no single “right” one. It may be a four-, three-, two-, or one-button version, but it’s sharp and slim-maybe a bit nipped in at the waist-and expertly cut. Actually, it may not even have buttons- at least not ones you can see; fly-front jackets make a strong showing. The jacket may be part of a suit or paired with a sporty new V-neck, but it’s one of the essentials. Cardigans that serve as jackets are also big news this fall.

A killer fabric is another key ingredient. Killer not just in the exquisiteness of its texture (think tweed, angora, wide-wale corduroy) or its luxury (cashmere, leather. velvet, satin) but inevitably in its price tag. Chalk that up, along with all the various stripings, to the rampant interest in the suit traditions of yon-when every chap worth his salt had a tailor at his beck and call. Back then, sharp dressing wasn’t as simple as choosing a designer and letting him put together a snappy look for you. Real style required the incorporation of very personalized details-from the choice of a tie to the fold of a handkerchief to the perfect shoe. A little of that knowledge will go a long way this season. By the same token, a lack of it will be obvious. With that in mind, consider the following 10 trends:



THE SARTORIAL SUIT. Once upon a time, sartorial was an extremely specific term, applied only to those custom (aka “bespoke”) suits made by a British tailor. These days, it refers to anything that looks sharp enough to have been made by one. The difference is in the details: choice of fabric, fit-to-a-T tailoring, working buttonholes, ticket pockets, side vents. One of the most obvious signs of the widespread sartorial influence is the return of the vest (and it isn ’t just worn under a suit). Pricing is yet another sartorial hallmark-generally, it’s well into the four-digit ballpark. Italian icon Brioni is known for its sartorial-worthy offerings, as are Ermenegildo Zegna, Oxxford Clothes and Ralph Lauren Purple Label.

PINSTRIPES/CHALKSTRIPES. You can’t very well have a run on sartorial suits and not expect to see a flood of executive stripes. Except this time around, there are no rules. The stripes may come in any number of shades, whether it be white or baby blue. The same goes for the suit, which is as likely to be olive or brown as navy. The stripe may run up and down, across or sideways. And it may be tightly spaced together or spread far apart. It’s these irreverent variations thai make the stripes ideal for even the most adventurous fashion mavericks and render the right pinstripe suitable just about any time of day or night.

LEATHER. This is one aspect of fall fashion that applies to both sexes; the rules are the same. Black is in, and head-to-toe is sure to work. Supple leather pants and shirts make leather as prevalent and wearable for the men as it is for the women.

ENGLISH COUNTRY. Rustic is the goal here. Professiorial even-you know, that Donegal-tweed, suede-elbow-patched approach to life. Texture is everything- whether it be in one of the many rough wools (especially coarse tweeds), patterns (glen plaid, windowpane, Prince of Wales checks, herringbone) or plush knits (the nubbier and chunkier the better). In fact, the more going on, the merrier: say, a fuzzy cableknit sweater paired with a patterned sportcoat, a suede vest and corduroy pants. And these touches were hardly limited to the Brits. Ralph Lauren’s new Purple Label sportswear offshoot was expressly designed for the sort of gent who craves that country attitude-and isn’t willing to sacrifice one ounce of luxury in the process. To wit: Sweaters start at about $500.

5. THE V-NECK. As one men’s store VPputs it, “I hate to say a V is exciting, but we haven’t seen much of ’em in the last several years.” Not like this, anyway. In the right hands, a deep-hued V-neck pullover (perhaps in cashmere) worn over a con-trasting-hued T-shirt (which pokes out suggestively from the bottom of the V) is as suit-worthy as a spread-collar shirt and silk tie. Granted, the mood created by the combo is altogether different-younger, a bit fresher, potentially cooler. That V is likely to show up at any time of day or night, depending on its fabric and the elements it’s paired with. Speaking of layering, layered knits are also a recurring theme.



6. A HIT OF BRIGHT COLOR. In this case, there’s no such thing as too bright or too glaring. The secret is to start with a dark suit, then add a shirt in a violently bright shade-say, fuchsia or apple green. Then add a solid tie (which might have a touch of shine) in a second opposing bright shade like cobalt blue or violet. The same idea works with the aforementioned V-neck/T-shirt combo. But this isn’t a head-to-toe brightening; it’s best played off a darker canvas. Overall, there’s a return to a richer, more masculine color palette: chocolate brown, charcoal gray, loden, navy.

7. CHUNKY SWEATERS. The breadth and depth this fall is the real news. It could be as simple-and fail-safe-as a hip-grazing black cashmere V-neck or as attention-getting as an oversized flame-red wool turtle-neck worn unfolded so it grazes the chin. Appealing options run the gamut from John Bartlett’s crunchy Shaker knits and Perry Ellis’ room-enough-for-two color-block crewnecks to Gene Meyer’s snug ombré ribbed turtlenecks, Prada’s sophisticated abbreviated cardigans and Armani’s ultra-cool zip cardigans.

8. INCREDIBLE FABRICS. You don’t necessarily see thai much overlap between what’s happening in menswear and what’s happening in womenswear, but this fall there are a number of parallels. The key role of fabric-especially cashmere-is one. At practically every turn, and in every element of dressing, cashmere can be found. Rebecca Moses’ cashmere sweater collection alone offers more than 30 luscious shades in a number of styles. And all sorts of fabrics are getting paired together: cashmere and flannel, nylon and tweed, polyurethane and cotton, wool, alpaca and mohair.

Velvet may show up in a three-piece suit, a jacket or a pair of jeans. Look for satin at night, too: Gene Meyer’s double-breasted evening suit is as chic as it is gutsy. Corduroy, especially a gritty wide-wale, crops up in jackets, pants, suits-whatever.

The key is to keep it textural, touchable. Or make it space-age slick-man-made fabrics that have unpronounceable names (like polyelastane and polynosic) and a high gloss that rivals a just-waxed car.

9. A LOOSER SILHOUETTE. It starts with a slightly broader shoulder and goes fluidly down from there. Jackets are comfortably cut, fasten a bit higher and may have a slight nip at the waist. There is no “right” type of closure-more important than the number of buttons is the swagger with which they are worn-although fly-front certainly looks newest. Pants, often flat-front, may be cigarette slim, gently flared or fuller from top to bottom, but they’re free-flow ing. The look leans toward classic, yet it’s not that predictable.

And Savile Row is hardly the only road worth traveling. Jil Sander (whose debut collection of subtle, precision-cut, natural-stretch-fabric pieces was a major hit). Donna Karan, John Bartlett, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs pursued more minimalist offerings. Here, shaping is critical, especially when that uniform approach is monochromatic. Often, a shirt and pants replace the traditional suit. The result is a leaner, more fashion-forward silhouette.

10. INTERESTING OUTERWEAR. With fabrics like cashmere, leather, suede and fur. lux ury is obviously the name of the game. At the top of the scale: Ralph Lauren Purple Label’s double-faced cashmere topcoat. John Bartlett’s velvet-collared chesterfield is no slouch either. And you can’t go wrong with brown leather-you’ll rind it in every thing from a one-button blazer by Joseph Abboud and a waist-nipped flared jacket by Dirk Bikkembergs to a caramel three-but ton car coat by Calvin Klein. Look for fur collars-pony, rabbit, curly lamb-on everything from weighty cardigans to leather parkas. Even the raincoat gets the royal treatment, with snappy versions in shiny nylon and silk.