The fashion pendulum is swinging, rendering obsolete much of what women have been wearing in recent seasons. Suddenly, boot-cut trousers, swingy skirts and retro jackets look dated compared with the swingy tops, stovepipe leg pants and pencil skirts hanging on store racks.
And instead of spiky heels, chunky ones look good, as do ballet flats and riding boots. Thankfully, at least the oversized bag we bought last fall won’t need replacing.
So why the seismic shift?
“There has to be newness to define the season,” says Nancy Sagar, public relations manager at Neiman Marcus. “Women who love fashion crave something different, and the proportions really are different for fall.”
The most appealing silhouettes are big on top and narrow on the bottom, and the dresses offer billowy looks. “Some people are embracing it, while others are taking a while to let their eyes get used to it,” she says.
A change in silhouettes has a ripple effect on fall accessories, Sagar says. “We’re seeing more jewelry like gold chains, and big belts look good over sweaters to pull them in a little. Booties look great with leggings, as do flats.”
Cathy Covell of Lawrence Covell describes the shift in silhouettes as a sea change, but she hasn’t had clients resist the new styles. Among the first fall items to sell at her store – in July – were $650 cashmere leggings from Marc Jacobs.
“Our customer is always excited about the next season,” she says.
While some women are wary of leggings and skinny pants, they should note that these can be more flattering than full styles. “To pull off a wide pant, you need to be tall and slender,” Covell says.
The retailer also has found that some of the more trendsetting styles, such as leggings under a skirt, appeal to customers in their 40s and 50s as well as 20-somethings.
Cynthia Petrus, fashion director for Saks Fifth Avenue, agrees, and speaks from experience, having recently worn leggings under a skirt to a weekend function.
“There are women … who have worn them before and say they don’t want anything to do with leggings, but if you wear them in black, cocoa brown or slate, it’s an easy way to feel fashionable and they’re affordable,” she says.
Leggings and slim-cut pants can also make your legs look long and lean, Petrus adds. “It’s all about the fit,” she says. “It can’t be too tight.”
She also likes the look of leggings or skinny pants tucked into boots. “With embellishment, embossing and hardware, the boots make a statement, and you need something narrow to be able to tuck into them,” Petrus says.
Another fresh look for fall is a romantic blouse or big white shirt, Petrus says. “Even when the top is bigger, it might have an empire waist or pintucking, and the fabrics tend to be soft. It’s not like wearing a big sail.”
Tasha L. Jones, a Denver wardrobe consultant, says clients are often reluctant to try styles that are a big departure from what they already own.
But sometimes that’s needed to freshen their image, she says.
“Shopping is overwhelming for some women,” Jones says. “They don’t know where to begin.”
In a season like this, when silhouettes are changing, “it’s a good time to experiment with all the options,” Jones says. “Try on something you wouldn’t have tried before. Then go out of the dressing room and get some opinions.”
Staff writer Suzanne S. Brown can be reached at 303-954-1697 or sbrown@denverpost.com.
