Fall 2007 Hot Trends

Well the tents have gone down on Sixth Avenue meaning it’s time for the fall trend report.

My personal opinion is that trends are a waste of time. They are a way of selling you things that you just don’t need.

“Experts” go to all of the fashion shows, after which they sit around mulling and stewing, trying to figure out what the shows had in common. Once they’ve figured out the similarities, they proclaim them, TRENDS! Or say these “experts” have seen three or four celebrities wearing the same thing – well these things are magically transformed into, TRENDS!

“This season turquoise is a trend because Heidi Klum, Cameron Diaz, Kelly Ripa and Hayden Panettiere have all worn turquoise dresses!” Give me a break. That’s called coincidence.

The truth is you should wear what looks good on you, not what a skinny little model has worn on the runway, or what a celebrity happens to have picked out of her closet.

This is why my trend report will always start with a good bra – because a good bra will always make you look good. The Le Mystere Tisha Bra is my favorite at the moment. It comes in plus size, regular size, and strapless. It’s invisible under t-shirts and tank tops. That’s what has sold me.

I’d normally go on to tell you about what jeans fit what body type, or how to alter your boyfriend’s basic v-neck to look good on you, but I’ve already started to talk about trends, so I might as well go on…

At the top of everyone’s list is the fact the gray is the new black. Even Calvin Klein, the king of black clothing, is a convert. He showed white, gray and beige on his runway. We’re accustomed to the white and beige, but gray? Well, it just means that he’s part of the trend. As is Michael Kors (although I can’t stand his line). And as far as celebrities go – because they’re the ones who bring the trends from the runway to real life – Kate Moss has already been spotted sporting a gray sweater with a gray fitted blazer, matching jeans and silver ballet flats.

Liv Tyler also caught the trend, and one more, in her gray sweater dress. Oversize knits are a fall trend too. So she killed two trends in one. Burberry and Fendi both had enormous-gauge yarn in outrageously large knit cover-ups on their runways.

While Kate’s ballet flats may still be around, booties are the new kid in town. They’re on everyone’s feet – from Tyra Banks to Naomi Watts (both of whom daringly wore them with bare legs. Gasp!). Ruthie Davis made a great pair, I can’t stop wearing them, and I wonder if maybe Christina Ricci feels the same way as they looked fabulous on her feet in the February issue of Angeleno Magazine.

Another biggie – the wide leg pant is back. And Drew Barrymore has embraced them. 18th Amendment Jeans saw the trend coming and designed their “Bacall” jean before anyone even thought that the wide leg was attractive – especially in jeans. It was all skinny, skinny and skinnier. But 18th Amendment knew the pendulum had to swing back the other direction and they had the foresight to design a “high-waist, wide-leg” jean before anyone else. Very smart. They cornered the market. And their jeans look great on Kate Bosworth.

I think stripes seem to be hitting a lot of lists too. Ashlee Simpson was just seen out on the town wearing a big bold stripe top, while Hillary Swank opted for a milder version of thin stripes. But stripes aren’t necessarily new. I’d say that rather than stripes, there’s a larger print trend – the “world” trend. Designers are using street influences from East Asia to the Lower East Side to pattern their fabrics. J Lo is no stranger to this trend. But now Mischa Barton and Sienna Miller have hopped on board with what looks like “retro flair.” Lanvin and Westwood showed this trend on the runway with beautiful multi-color prints from plaids to inked-out paisleys.

The only thing left to cover is the classic suit which has re-emerged from the closet in an hourglass shape, at least on Valentino’s runway. But as Angelina Jolie wears it, while she certainly has the hourglass shape, per usual, she opts for the more traditional suit in a men’s shape.

So there you go. Fall’s trends.

Now my word of advice: stay away from these trends so you don’t look like the identically dressed plebes who follow the lists like the one I’ve just written above. There’s nothing worse than walking into a party wearing the same gray (or turquoise) dress as your best friend – or even more awful, the same gray and turquoise dress your best friend AND the stranger across the room.

Go for individuality and what looks best on you, not what the market is trying to sell. I promise, if you’re an individual you’ll always come out ahead.