Just Your Style

Fall 2008 has arrived, bringing with it the time to make some important decisions. Rather than going into it blindly, Tulsans should be informed of all the possibilities so that they make the right choice for themselves. For instance, what is the best course for one of this year's most epic factors, economics? Issues like this one require assembling all of the greater points for each candidate, seeing which would make the greatest fit, and choosing that option.

Most importantly this fall, we must make bold statements. We've been conservative for years. It's time to put it to an end. I mean, this is the year that purple is the big color.

Chances are anyone who's been out and about has perused some of this fall's finds. Fun trends and invigorating choices await consumption. But purchasing trendy items that could strictly be fall pieces only seem to be a bit of a luxury anymore. With these hard-pressed times come hard-pressed purchases. If you're only to make one or two trendy fall purchases this year, you'll need to know which trend will accomplish the most.

Meet the Candidates

First up, we have the aforementioned color purple. It is one of two colors making a big splash this season. Unlike gray, the other color of the season, which is used typically this season in a pale variation and almost entirely on accessories, a person opting for purple can go into multiple directions simply based on shade alone. Expect to see variations from deep, dark plum shades (the most typical) to brighter royal purple shades, including those that sit somewhere between purple and blue. The choosing part is simple, but opting to wear the shade as a main piece of fashion or as an accenting piece is the bigger question. Neither is really about what's bolder or what's trendier. It's a question of economics -- if you want more bang for your buck.

Purple is actually a hard color, economically speaking, as it has the ability to look cheap and/or tacky. Keep the rest of the outfit more subdued. And you don't have to pair purple with basic blacks and brown. Try other deep hues and jewel tones.

Additionally, textile often determines just how expensive your outfit appears. Good thing it is a texture-rich season. Choose fabrics like silks, wools, and knits. Avoid standard cotton. With accessories, choose richer looking, and longer lasting looks in suede, leather or a faux-fabric. Pleather purple accessories may be a bit too much.

More so than any other season, the looks for fall are well structured and mature. It's the season of the jacket, trousers, elbow patches, tweeds, herringbones, leather and suede. And no look is more sophisticated than the pencil skirt.

This fall trend is not for everyone. With its strict design, a mid-length skirt that falls straight from the waist until the skirt ends isn't friendly to curvy bodies. For those sporting a boyish frame, the skirt works magically, worn exactly as it is meant to be. Those with hips or thighs have more difficulty pulling off this trend because, rather than laying straight down on the figure, the skirt tends to form to the body, laying tightly on figure until releasing slightly at the knee.

The pencil skirt is a very traditional, classic look. Its best version is in subdued blacks or browns. Those fortunate enough to find a pencil skirt in a fall fabric like tweed will have an additional advantage.

Choose a bold top to go with the pencil skirt. Fabrics that drape away from the figure are best, whether it's knit, jersey or a sheer fabric. With a delicate, feminine top and a fitted bottom, there's a duality of masculine and feminine.

Pretty in Plaid

While some women's clothing strikes a balance between stodgy old man and delicate feminine attributes, other trends borrow straight from men. Or man. Paul Bunyon that is.

Plaids, especially the burly masculine lumberjack plaids, are the rage this season. The best plaid looks evoke Claire Danes as Angela Chase on the angst-ridden '90s show My-So-Called-Life. Anyone familiar with the program will recall her plaid dress.

But, when going for plaid, make sure everything fits well. A dress like Angela wore was the right way to represent the resurge in '90s fashion, while oversize plaid shirts are the wrong way to redo this trend. For plaid, accessories are certainly the more tame way to wear this trend, and coats, jackets, dresses and tops are the sure way to conquer the trend. I've also read that plaid is best worn with tweed this year. For instance, a plaid button down top with tweed trousers. I believe that for fall, tweed is considered a basic, much like black or khaki pants.

Plaid provides a bold pattern, but the cuts aren't very atypical. The fabric is usually heavy, whether it's a wool blend coat or a flannel-esqe version, and because it's such a busy pattern, the way it's structured is simple, such as a button down. While ruffle details at the neck of a button down jazz up an outfit, if you want something modern and uniquely cut for fall, go to the knits.

Unlike thin, layered knits typically worn, this year chunky knits are the trend. Made in thicker yarns and woven into looser knits, these sweaters and cardigans are made in ways you already know and a carload of others you wouldn't imagine. Oversized items like grandma wore are just as acceptable as highly structured knits.

Finding the right detailing on a knit is also a way to stand out this fall. The hardware a cardigan uses to fasten or the buttons used are just as important as what pattern and shape the knit forms on the body.

Also remember that bigger knits, when worn on larger body parts, stretch. This means that a chunky ribbed knit, when pulled across a larger bust expands and looks like you're wearing something too small. On larger knits, the pulling can also make the knit more susceptible to being see-through, so consider that when purchasing a knit dress.

And lastly, no season would be complete without the go-to accessory, that essential "it" item. This fall it's the bootie. This season highlights vintage-esqe pieces, from Victorian, Edwardian and the Roaring '20s. We are not talking pointy-toe, stiletto-heeled, knee-high boots. Oxford ankle booties, with either a stiletto or a stacked heel will work. Go for a more typical two-tone with laces or an amped up version of monotone leather/pleather.

To keep that vintage feel, choose subdued shades. Shades of brown, black, navy or burgundy hues are appropriate and likely the most available choices. That extra worn look doesn't hurt either.

And there you have it! Piecing together your fall wardrobe may not be the biggest decisions you'll make this fall. But at least with these, you'll know you have a winner.