Top Ten Trends for Fall 2010

Fall is filled with some great choices, and I've picked my favorites!

1. Jeggings

Jeggings are a combination of jeans and leggings and are most successful if they are of a thick enough fabric to provide smooth lines. Avoid anything too shiny, too thin, or too inexpensive. Be sure a longer top covers all your assets! A comfortable yet stylish look with long cozy wrap sweater and killer boots.

2. Oversized sweater

Fortuitously, tops this season are full of volume and are meant to be paired with leggings, jeggings, or skinny jeans. Add flats, boots, or a low heel. No stilettos please! Volume on top and skinny below is the proper silhouette.

3. Leopard print accessory

Animal prints are always in style and provide accent and interest to what may otherwise be a boring black outfit. If bold, you can go for a coat, jacket, cardigan, blouse, or skirt, as long as you don't go overboard. Best paired with something simple and classic. For less purr and drama, opt for an accessory like a hat, scarf, belt, handbag or shoe.

4. Lace up ankle boots

The military look from spring carries over into fall, so lace up style combat boots complement this trend and look au courant paired with a field jacket or cargo pants, or add spice to prior seasons outfits.

5. Across the body handbag

Not only is this look stylish, but terribly practical, leaving your hands free to chase down children or bargains. Handbags in general are structured and ladylike.

6. Military jacket

The olive green military field jacket from spring is definitely still present for fall. There is a platoon of choices out there! There are also many coats sporting epaulets and brass buttons for a military bearing. Just be sure not do overdo the look or you'll risk looking like you're ready for deployment.

7. Camel Coat

Fall heralds a return to classics and what could be more classic than a camel coat? If camel is just not your color, grey and red are other colors of the season.

8. Over the knee boots

These boots are perfect for tucking into leggings or skinny jeans to give a long, slender line, but also go from day to night over a date night dress.

9. Long skirt

Influenced by the TV series, "Mad Men", designers seem smitten by the calf length circle skirt as well as the the ankle length long skirts. Add this season's hot shoe, the oxford, or the penny loafer, also enjoying a renaissance, as well as the kitten heel for a 1950's touch of nostalgia.

10. Cape

This style is easy to wear, always comes back into fashion, and flatters just about every shape. This season, there are softer, drapey options.

Oscar Gowns

The Academy Awards combine two of my passions, fashion and movies. This year was historic in recognizing the first woman director for one of my favorites, The Hurt Locker. I always love the Red Carpet, with gowns ranging from wow to what happened?! Here are some of my favorites, as well as some of the duds.

Sandra Bullock dressed like a winner, knowing how a gold statuette would complement this stunning Marchesa gown. I fear it did not photograph very well but looked a bit washed out and glitzy. I loved the asymmetry of the shoulder and the beautiful detailing in the intricate beading and embroidery. It fit her like a second skin. I loved her simple hair with the pop of bright lipstick. Best Actress? You better believe it!

Anna Kendrick, nominee for her best supporting role in Up in the Air, was ethereal in her blush pink Elie Saab draped gown. It was youthful yet sophisticated and exemplified a couple of trends for spring, the blush tones and the draped gown.
Queen Latifah looked regal in her lavender Badgley Mischka gown that fit her figure and enhanced her curves with just the right amount of detail in just the right places, with a flattering gored skirt.
Rachel McAdams' Elie Saab gown, with its watercolor print and crisscrossed bodice was a welcome change from the glittery and overdone. Loved the grey blue hues and layering of fabric.

Maggie Gyllenhaal rates a special mention because she also dared to wear a print on the red carpet, choosing a very bright blue, very patterned Dries van Noten, demonstrating her fashion forward sense and fearlessness. This bright blue is one of the spring trends, and Dries van Noten is famous for his prints. Maggie may not have pleased all with her choice, but she obviously pleased herself. I applaud her all around!
Is Demi Moore becoming more beautiful as she ages? She looked stunning in this Atelier Versace gown, fitted through the bodice and then erupting into a mass of ruffles below. The subdued color against her skin was perfect.

Kathryn Bigelow looked beautiful in her Yves St. Laurent gown, but she reminded us of a tenet that bears repeating, Fit, Fit, Fit. Her gown was too tight!
Kate Winslet, also in Yves St. Laurent, demonstrated the proper fit in a perfectly simple but beautiful look.
Helen Mirren, in Badgley Mischka, demonstrated that dressing age appropriate does not mean dowdy.
Some gowns seemed to overwhelm their wearers. Here is petite Jennifer Lopez in Armani Privee, sporting what looks to be an extra appendage off her hip!
Zoe Saldana's Givenchy gown was a mystery. Why would a designer pair a beautiful bodice with a skirt like that?
I close with Tom Ford, who while not wearing a gown, nevertheless communicates how it's done, with perfect fit and perfect style.



I welcome your comments! Let me know what gowns you liked or did not like and why or why not.

January in New York City

While most people prefer someplace tropical and warm, New York City in January turned out to be the perfect time to get discounted theater tickets. In fact, discounts abound in January, which is the month of big sales. While bargain sleuthing, I had a chance to wander the neighborhoods. Here are some highlights from my wanderings.

The Meatpacking District has exploded into a warren of tony boutiques with both high end designers like Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen, as well as more affordable designers like Diane von Furstenberg and Trina Turk, as well as popular favorites like Vince and Theory. I was especially interested in the beautifully cut leather jackets at Yigal Azrouel, 408 W. 14th St at Ninth Ave.


Speaking of leather jackets, the undisputed leader of the pack, Rick Owens, has a new flagship store near the entrance to the Holland Tunnel at 250 Hudson St., decidedly off the beaten track, but home to some beautiful, minimalist designs, for which he is deservedly famous. This photo is from his Fall 2009 runway show.


Maria Cornejo + Zero has two outposts worth seeking out. The first store at 807 Greenwich St. in the West Village, in the photo below, carries her signature drapey constructions with little hanger appeal that beg to be tried on for full effect. Kat and Ellen are the two helpful sales staff who are more than happy to help you try on everything in the store! There is a second store at 33 Bleecker St., north of Houston.

Here is Michelle Obama on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart wearing Maria Cornejo's fitted blue wool jacket with matching skirt and belt from the Spring 2009 collection.

The Brooklyn Flea Market has moved indoors for the winter to the beautiful and historic Williamsburgh Savings Bank Building at One Hanson Place, the tallest building in Fort Greene. About 100 vendors offer vintage clothing, jewelry, furniture, and other collectibles on Saturdays and Sundays until March, when they move back outdoors in Fort Green and DUMBO. Susan Walker has great vintage jewelry at reasonable prices at her booth called Found. She also sells online.

All this shopping makes one hungry. Cafe Gitane, a neighborhood favorite in Nolita, has a newly opened sister restaurant in the West Village in the historic Jane Hotel, 113 Jane St., overlooking the Hudson River, with the same French/Moroccan menu at reasonable prices. With its vaulted ceilings and charming ambiance, it's the perfect place for refueling.