Now that I’ve taken care of most of my household chores and fixes and made the transitional move from my summer closet to my fall closet, I’m ready to do some fall shopping to cover my fiftysomething body. As you may know if you have been reading my blog, I have been reading all the fall fashion magazines to find out ALL the hot trends and see what I need to purchase to be a ‘fiftysomething fall fashionista.’
Let’s see, I read the 584 pages of the September issue of Vogue. I read the huge volume of the September issue of InStyle. I read the New York Times 5th Anniversary Issue of “T” Fashions of the Times. I read the Saks Fifth Avenue ad about the ‘most mesmerizing trends’ that arrived in their stores. I read Loehmann’s promotional flyer that included the ‘it’ list of ‘must have trends for fall!’
Sooooooooo, now that I have read ALL about ALL the fashion trends for fall and cleaned out my closet of ALL my old fall clothes which I must now take to Goodwill or donate to Image & Attitude (so others less fortunate can have their pick of prior years’ trends), I’m ready to go shopping.
Hmm, hmm, hmm. What fall trends do I foresee will look good on my fiftysomething body?
Saks Fifth Avenue “Want It” List
-Forever Bag (Do I want it? No I don’t. Perhaps my daughter will let me borrow her nice new Louis Vuitton Speedy sometime. Or maybe, I will buy an imitation Speedy on Canal Street the next time I am in NYC. While I don’t care for BIG handbags, I really should get a new handbag for the fall since my summer handbag colors may not look too good with my fall wardrobe colors.)
- Mixed Metal Necklaces (Do I want it? Yes, I want it. I love jewelry. It always jazzes up an outfit. I don’t purchase a lot of gold or diamonds, but give me a good piece of costume jewelry or handcrafted jewelry and I get sooooooo excited. Will check these out at Saks if I ever go shopping there, which is not often.)
- Lacquered Lip(Do I want it? No I don’t. I do like shiny lips, not lacquered ones. It sounds like a piece of furniture.)
- Leggings (Do I want it? No I don’t. These are thigh high boots. As a rather petite person, I don’t think I will be wearing thigh high boots this fall. However, they would cover my entire leg, which means no one would see my spider veins. Think I will just wear dark tights and stockings.)
- Strong Shoulders (Do I want it? Well, I already have it. So I guess the answer is no. Can you believe shoulder pads are in again? I’m so glad I never discarded my Ralph Lauren blue pinstriped suit with the huge shoulder pads from the ’80s. Being the fashionista that I am, I knew that shoulder pads and wide legs would come back in style someday and I would get to wear my favorite power suit again. As they say, 50 is the new 30. Hope the suit still fits.)
- Loop (Do I want it? Yes, I do. From the picture, this looks like a long scarf that wraps around the neck. I’m also a BIG scarf person, so I like the Loop trend for fall.)
- Rocker Boots (Do I want it? Ha, ha, ha. Ha, ha. These are short booties with high heels. You wear them with a dress or skirt. My daughter tried on some Rocker Boots when we went shopping together a few weeks ago. They looked cute on her, but will they look cute on my fiftysomething feet? And do I think I will be able to walk around in such high heels. Not sure this trend will work for me.)
- Sexy Shapewear (Do I want it? Yes, no, ooh, ahh. Will I reshape my body? Can I reshape my body this fall with Sexy Shapewear. Yes, no, ooh, ahh!)
- Vest (Do I want it? I’m not sure I can wear this look again. Shame I didn’t save my vests from the consignment shop. I used to wear a lot of vests during the mid-to-late ’70s when I was trying to look like Annie Hall during my twentysomething college days.)
- Cozy Knit ( Do I want it? Yes, I do. I do like the long sweaters that fit over my hips. Will have to check out these Cozy Knit sweaters for the fall. Cozy is good during crisp fall days and cold fall evenings.)
If I skip Saks and become a more frugal fashionista, I will likely head to Loehmann’s. Let’s see what trends they are predicting for fall:
- Leather jackets (I have two leather jackets that I bought a long time ago. I guess they will suffice for another year since they are still on-trend. Ooh, ooh, but if I see a really great leather jacket, I may have to try it on…and if I really, really like it…I may have to add it to my ‘want it’ list.)
- Plaid (I’m not a fan of plaid shirts. Nope, I don’t like plaid shirts, unless you pair them with overalls. Too juvenile for me. Plaid may be ‘on trend’ for fall, but out for me. I’m not even a big fan of plaid skirts.)
- Jumpsuits (No jumping for me this fall. At fiftysomething, it takes too long to get in and out of a jumpsuit with an over-active bladder.)
- Boyfriend denim & boyfriend jackets (My daughter A wants a boyfriend jacket. Should I get one too? Do I need a boyfriend jacket when I go on a date with my guy friend L? What is boyfriend denim? Oh, I just looked it up and it appears that boyfriend denim is a guy-styled jean and you wear it with a guy-style tee and a guy-style belt. Now I understand. I don’t think this trend is my style, but I understand it.)
- Biker Boots (I don’t like these boots either. I’m not going to become a Harley Davidson biker chick this fall.)
- Animal Prints (Now we’re getting somewhere. I like leopards. I saw a nice leopard belt at J Crew which I also saw much cheaper in a Loehmann’s ad. Leopard is a good accent with black outfits I also saw some nice leopard shoes at Lord & Taylor too. I thought leopard was ‘in’ last year. Will have to check my closet and see if I have any previous trendy leopard attire.)
- Studded Belts & Bags (I have a bunch of metal studs from when my kids used to do arts and crafts. So glad I never throw anything out. You never know when you might need a plastic stud machine. Perhaps I should take the plastic stud machine out of my closet and stud up some of my fall clothes.)
- Cardigan Sweaters (Very practical trend.)
- Fur Vests (Here are those vests again…but fur ones?)
- Destructed Denim (Wonder if that is different than boyfriend denim?)
- Leggings (I wear leggings for yoga, but don’t think I’ll be wearing them to work.)
- Over-the-knee Boots (Here are those thigh high boots again. Saks refers to them as ‘leggings.’ Maybe I will have to at least try on a pair of these boots when I do go shopping.)
- Tissue Tees (These tees are so thin that you have to wear a few of them or they look like pyjamas.)
Instyle also had Clothes They Love. Some of the same trends that I’ve already mentioned were featured. Others included:
- Ornamentation
- Dark Sparkle
- Draping
- Bright Coat
- Day Dress
- Romantic Shirt (Note to self – must get a nice white button down shirt for fall, no ruffles for me though, I do not look good in ruffles.)
Form-fitted a-line skirts are also trendy. Not sure where I read or saw this trend, but I want some form-fitted skirts for the fall.
As the Vogue editors said, “In fashion, some seasons are about intellectual black, icy elegance, and poker faces. This is a season for smiles.”
Judi
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fortunately i now live in Florida and do not have to think of fall and winter. Most people here wear the same year around except white. Although i have seen some white jeans in the winter. I still have the CT mentality of no white after labor day. Here in So. Florida women dress extremely sexy, incl the 50 something. I do not, specially to the office. I still wear a jacket, lots of pants and high heel shoes. I have not worn a skirt in a while. I cannot see myself wearing a skirt w/o stockings and stockings are a no no in So. Florida. am I being old fashioned? I try not to be and my nieces make sure that i am not, but… they live too far away.
Ley,
Lucky you that you live in sunny Flo-ree-da. I agree that white is out after Labor Day. I’ve put away my white jeans and went out this weekend and bought a new pair of dark denim jeans (Not Your Daughter’s Jeans) that fit great for the fall. As for no stockings, my knees are not as good looking as they used to be, so I wear stockings year-round. Although, I have noticed more and more women, even professional 50-something women wearing suits without stockings. So, I guess it is up to the individual.
Enjoy!
Judi
I shop at J. Crew, Banana Republic, White House/Black Market, sometimes Ann Taylor. That’s about it. I rely on their judgment, select cute but conservative items and buy my colors. It’s easier this way for me, and I don’t have to ponder much. I usually ask the young salesgirls, which one looks better on me, this or this? Oh, and lately I’ve been buying wraparound dresses and knee length pencil skirts. In California, no hose.
oftheflowers,
Thanks for your comment. I like J. Crew (maybe because Michele Obama shops there now so I am more inclined to check out the store) and Banana Republic too, but mostly for tees. I don’t go to Ann Taylor as much lately, but they have a new line of clothing and are trying to change their image, so I’ll have to re-check them out. Hmm, no hose in California – guess that makes sense like those in Florida. I prefer hose to cover up my ugly knees.
Enjoy!
Judi
From what I’ve seen, this season is not so interesting. Out of the 20+ trends you’ve listed, maybe 5 attract me, and that’s fine! Less money to be spent. Less jealousy when I look at the ads and see outfits I love but can’t afford/can’t fit into. Mentally, this is good for me. (and there’s something to be said for staying outside the trends – although I will always love ‘dark ornamentation and ‘lacquered lips’!)
Melinda,
I agree to some extent. I just went shopping at Lord & Taylor this weekend and didn’t find too many of the trend-setting clothes or accessories that I liked or that looked good on me. I did try to purchase a leopard belt, but they did not have my size.
Judi
Hi Judi, Love your magazine & article. May I make a suggestion? How about doing an article on “Why the fashion industry doesn’t make good looking clothing for our plus sizes and age group? Our choices are limited if you are a plus size or have large boobs.They are tent like, no fashion, strips going around you.( which is a no no if you are heavy)”Who are the buyer’s at these large department stores and why they don’t buy clothing that is age appropriate and looks nice. I am a frustrated plus size buyer. And there are a lot of us out there.
Of course there are company’s that do sell theire plus size in catalogs but you have to pay shipping to return if it doesn’t look good. And this is frustrating if you need an outfit for an event and you need it today. I would like to see the fashion industry and larger stores start to think about the large population of X large, XX large, and plus size woman. And start to produce and buy beautiful flattering clothing for us.
Thanks Judi
Sandra,
Have you tried Chicos? Their clothes are too large for me, but I think they have loose fitting outfits that are flattering on larger women. I’ve also noticed that more department stores have a larger section for larger women. And I do think Lane Bryant keeps trendy items in their collection. Keep searching.
Judi
I say it again, Lane Bryant has come a long way for plus sizes. Check it on line. After going thru so much with menopause i decided to finally exercise and eat a lot less so i lost weight but i was happy with their size 14 and the pants were pretty nice. I even wore some their carpenter pants during my vacation late August and my friend who is very big loved them. They were alittle big, but so what as long as they stay put on my waist. I have considered sending her some from here as i do not think they have a LB in PR. Try the store, look on what they have on line first. U have nothing to lose.