2013 Fall Fashion Report, Part 2
Cary, NC – Labor Day has come and gone and with it the true start to the Fall Fashion season. CaryCitizen waded through the sales at the mall over the holiday weekend to find out what retailers are predicting will make consumers open their wallets.
We found strikingly similar fashion stories, irregardless of price point. Whether it was graphic tees and denim at Forever 21, or high end denim at Nordstrom’s there were 3 key trends that repeated themselves throughout the mall.
Fall Fashion: Back To Blue
This season more than in years past, denim is making a statement. Stores put their denim in the windows, in main store mannequin displays and mixed the fabric with everything.
I saw denim jeans in every fit and style with skinny going strong and a return to true blue premium wash. Denim vests, shirts and jackets were mixed with skirts and dresses for the newest take on the tried and true American staple.
Colored denim was out there, but not in abundance. It was Blue Blue Blue, and vintage and distressed washes dominated.
The newest twist in the denim story was the Native American looking prints mixed in most store displays. These smaller scale prints looked great in peasant blouses and ombre stripes with lots of burnt red, orange and yellow to set of the deep blue.
The story is a continuation of the popularity of tribal and ethnic prints that really took off last Fall and carried through this past Spring. The prints make a wonderful transition from summer’s hot weather to cooler temps and look great layered with sweaters.
Try a denim vest or jacket over a printed dress or peasant top and leggings for a younger look.
Fall Fashion: Modern Times in Black and White
One store associate at Apricot Lane was excited by the black and white story they had on display and mentioned she is forcasting that WHITE head to toe is also on-trend.
What? White after Labor Day? But that’s what I was seeing, white pants, tops and skirts, not cream or off-white. And the bold graphic look of the black and white pieces also looked great when paired with a pop of an acid bright- yellow or lime, or cobalt blue.
Fall Fashion: Animal Skins Go Wild
Everywhere there were animal prints. Not little accent pieces, but wrap dresses, pants, skirts, bold jackets, and tops in both knits and wovens. The newest looks were colored skins in colors never seen at the zoo- chartreuse, fuschia, or cobalt color updated the cheetah, leopard and zebra prints seen in literally every store.
Even the Vans shoe store featured leopard print kicks.
This shopper will now go back to the stores with a practiced eye and look for several key Fall updates: a colored animal print SOMETHING, a great pair of premium denim jeans (or two) to span through fall, a sharp black and white piece and a few peasant tops in small tribal prints to update my casual weekend look. And maybe a pair of those Vans for fun!
Related posts
————————————————————————————————————
Story and photos by Lindsey Chester, whose career includes fifteen years designing women’s sportswear in New York’s Fashion Industry for such brands including Norton Mc Naughton, Harve Benard, Sassoon, Kellwood Industries and Fundamental Things.
