Fall is here and all of the luscious new clothes are in the stores now. Because we all approach our wardrobes by color first, the question that is most often asked of me by consumers and clients is “what are THE COLORS of the season?” That is why, when I do a wardrobe consulting job in a client’s closet, I make sure and pull like colors together first before I can even begin to work it with them.
As soon as the runway shows came to a close early last Spring, the colors that dominated the designer collections were what became known in the industry as “The New Neutrals.” This sophisticated palette made sense. Neutrals and nude shades were all the rage last Spring and the carry-over into Fall collections was apparent.
GREY was everywhere and called the new Black (have you heard that before?), however, the ultimate non-color itself, Black, was still there and CAMEL, the most obvious carry-over from Spring found its way to the forefront as talks of the return to classic dressing emerged loud and clear.
So as the season evolved and buyers made their purchases, these NEW NEUTRALS truly arrived. Leading the pack are two families of color… one, warm buttery and luxe came to the forefront. That color is CAMEL. To the other extreme, is the coolness and refinery of GREY.
Complimentary to the fall color families are, with CAMEL, comes OLIVE GREEN. Its a natural for the still present, military trend and a color that becomes more important each season in a multitude of shades as we continue on our environmental task of “the greening of America.” Also complimentary to camel are SPICE TONES which always speak to the season of autumn leaves, such as NUTMEG, PUMPKIN and warm toasty BROWNS. Plus, spice tones just feel so right for most of us this time of year.
STYLING TIP #2: Accessories are a great way to get color or pattern into your wardrobes for Fall. I am a huge fan of accessories and approach these NEW NEUTRALS as the perfect canvas to showcase all of the great accessories that are out there this season. Pearls are the number one idea in jewelry but metals, mixed metal colors (yes, that’s ok) and colored stones, particularly at the neck, can add that right amount of panache. You can also stack on the bracelets (my personal favorites). Scarves and wraps, also provide a great compliment and this season there will not only be color and pattern but fur, as well, to use as accents.
Fall is here (for those of us in Texas, we can actually say that this week with some conviction… I love this weather)! Someone asked me last night about my wearing of tights and a cashmere sweater… was I pushing it? YES, (and they didn’t even see the leather jacket on the back of my chair) but hey, I’ll take the 10 degree drop in temps in a minute……….FALL HAS ARRIVED and I’m ready.