Okay, so this is a bit early since in reality the season doesn’t change for almost two months, but in the world of fashion the end of July marks the beginning of Fall merchandise. So today as new clothing started to arrive for Fall, I began to get excited about the change of seasons. It happens every year, Spring & Fall. What is it that we love about the change of seasons? I mean I truly love Summer clothes (sundresses, mini-skirts, tank tops) but there is something about putting a great skirt, boots, and tights on in the Fall that is exhilarating. Frankly, I think we just like an excuse to buy more stuff and reinvent our looks. Any thoughts?

If it’s 95 degrees today where you live, then you are probably trying to figure out what the best clothes to wear are in the heat. My suggestions are dresses and skirts, not shorts! Why you ask? Dresses and skirts are actually are cooler on the body because the is more air flow. Shorts have more fabric and are  more closed in. More importantly, skirts and dresses almost always make women look slimmer and more together than shorts. So you can stay cool and still look hot!

Last Fall’s hottest color was purple and it seems not much has changed for this year. Almost every designer is showing purple in just about anything you can imagine. Think purple shirts, purple skirts, purple dresses, purple bags, and certainly don’t forget the purple shoes! Of course, they are not showing these altogether. I don’t want to confuse anybody. What you may not realize however is that purple can be used as a neutral. It pairs of really nicely with black, white, grey, brown, and greens among many other colors. So make sure you have at least a little bit of purple in your Fall wardrobe.

Fall 2008 is all about embellishments and luxurious fabrics. Metal, stones, sequins, and beading will adorn everything from tunics to skirts. Everything will sparkle. Luxury fabrics have also made their way into the mainstream. Look for combinations of viscose, elasthane, cashmere, silk, modal, and bamboo blended to perfection for softness, comfort, and wearability. Some of the highlights for Fall will be fun silk screen graphics on cashmere hoodies and dresses, as well as fantastic eco-friendly fashions. Be on the look out for more swing coats and tuxedo type tops. The color palette for Fall will be great shades of plum, purple, cocoa, taupe, ocean blue, mandarin, and ivy green.

While trends come and go, bangle bracelets remain timeless. We think the Hammered Bangles by Evelyn Knight are a must have basic. We love the antique character they have accented by the modern set cubic zirconias. Perfect for everyday but easy to dress up! Did we mention they are a bargain? This set of 5 bracelets are $117.00 and available in sterling silver or 22kt gold plated over lead-free pewter.

Bright colors are certainly the hottest look for Summer fashion. However, they can also be dreadful if worn inappropriately. Take for example my neighbor, who I saw last night, in bright orange jeans and a bright fuschia tee shirt. Needless to say, this was a disaster. So I am going to help guide you in the right direction so you look trendy and cute, instead of a fashion victim.

First and foremost, think in terms of age appropriateness. If you are in your 50’s, orange jeans are probably a bad idea. In fact a bright colored pant in general is a bad idea. Try a neutral pant (white, khaki, denim) with a cute brightly colored top. One bright color is plenty to look trendy. Keep your shoes and accessories neutral as well, this will allow the top to be the center of attention.

If you are younger, you can probably pull of a cute brightly colored capri pant or short. We suggest pairing it back to a neutral top and then accessorizing.

Last, if perhaps you don’t feel comfortable wearing bright clothing, consider bringing bright colors in with your accessories. You could do a great chunky necklace or great bangle bracelets to be colorful without looking like a gum ball machine.

Coco Chanel said, “Before going out, remove one accessory.” The intention here was to avoid over accessorizing. I have recently read a dissent about this, but I generally think it’s good advice. I certainly adore accessories but too many accessories can certainly kill your look.

If you check out most celebrities, they have a few accessories on. For example, they may have a stunning necklace on with a simple pair of earrings. In this case, they will likely skip a bracelet. Or perhaps there is a killer bracelet and earrings, a necklace would be overkill. Less truly is more. Sure you can layer necklaces or wear a bunch of bracelets, etc but skip something somewhere else. Last but not least, all your pieces should work together but they do not need to (and should not) all match. If you pare down your accessories, each piece will be noticed more and your look will be much more streamlined. We know it’s hard to leave a favorite piece in the drawer!

Ever see your favorite star in a great mix of patterns and envy the look? You too can get this great look. Mixing patterns can be scary, as it is truly a balancing act but it’s not as hard to do as you think.

Your first, more bold pattern, will be your centerpiece. Once you have that picked, you will want to pick anything else to compliment this. Typically, a finer more muted second pattern will work best. Both patterns should be in the same color tones. If you follow this rule, you are sure to look like a star.

Leggings can be a bit tricky and we want to make sure you are wearing leggings appropriately. The best way to wear leggings is with a tunic or a shorter dress (mid-calf or above). You can also pair them with a longer length sweater. Belts are a great accessory with leggings. Leggings should never be worn as pants ladies! Think of them as an alternative to hosiery.

We love these two tunics from Language Los Angeles that both work really well with leggings. The Bamboo Beach Pocket Tunic looks great with white, grey, or brown. The Steel Floral Tunic works well with either grey or white.

Without fail, there are new trends for every season. We women relish in this tradition. We RUN to the mailbox to see what the fashion magazines are showing as the next “big thing”. While I feel you should embrace trends, you have to choose which ones are right for you. For the last two seasons, high-waisted jeans and skirts have been in style. This look unfortunately doesn’t work for everybody. Metallics are also trendy can easily be worked into anyones wardrobe. I could go on for days about each trend but the point is, before you embrace the trend look in the mirror and ask yourself if this trend really works for you. You will always find many that do and a few that don’t. Last tip: you don’t have to combine multiple trends with every outfit.