Signs of fall fashion
The best looks from decades past make a showing this year

By Debbie Breneman
September 18, 2007 11:43 AM

Signs of fall are just around the corner — the crisp air, the landscape alive with color.

Of course, the cyclical nature of fashion follows the changing seasons, and New York stylists are reporting a shift toward a more classic and sophisticated look for fall.

Local boutiques are preparing for this metamorphosis as they move the fun, frilly fashions of summer onto the sales racks to make way for trendy, new fall frocks. So this is a great time for you fashion-obsessed, red-tag bargain shoppers who like those 75-percent off steals.

The autumn palette is dark, with deep purples and cobalt blues adding pop to black. It's all about comfort and classic styles that all women can wear confidently to work or out on the town. You'll see oversized geometric prints, art patterns and metallics.

There are subtle touches of traditional menswear that have taken on a feminine feel — for example, ties at the neck on blouses, herringbone and plaid patterns, and wide-leg pants.

Good news for us hat people. Hats will continue to be big this season, along the styles of the 1920s newsboy caps, vintage 60s velvet Cloche hats and stylish knit berets.

Saying goodbye is hard to do, too. Take those sweatsuits made popular by celebs, please. Frontline stylists say that, unless you're going to the gym or doing laundry (at home), this look is passé. It's also rumored that big sunglasses are losing popularity; if so, this won't be an easy breakup for me.

I headed downtown to talk with a Portsmouth fashion guru, Serendipity owner Martha Stolzer, for insight on what's hot locally for fall and how she prepares for the change of seasons.

Serendipity is the kind of shop that oozes a whimsical flare; it's obvious that Martha just gets it. The racks are filled with trendy, yet unique fashion finds that appeal to any age and an assortment of must-have accessories.

Martha says one way she keeps up with the seasons' changing styles is thumbing through her favorite fashion magazines.

“We start thinking about fall/winter fashion in the spring,” says Martha.
“Our clothing lines are generally cut to order, so we need about four
to six months' lead time. It is usually at a time when we are so anxious for the warm weather that it is hard to think about sweaters and jackets.”

Martha does most of the buying for the boutique and relies heavily on
input from her sales staff.

“They spend a lot of time with the customers and have a great sense
of what people are looking for,” she says. “My staff ranges in age from 18 to 30 and they keep up on the latest fashion trends. While I make the final decision, I could not do it without them. I also attend eight to 10 trade shows a year in New York, Boston and Portland. We keep track of what lines are selling the best and try to budget accordingly.”

Martha goes on to say, “The New York runways do not always translate into everyday life in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I talk to my customers, my friends, my children and their friends to see what excites them. I go into other clothing stores when I am traveling. I love to see what Urban Outfitters is doing; we carry their Free People line and they are always on the cutting edge of fun and innovative fashion.

It is a round-the-clock job keeping up with fashion, but I love it!

“Dresses are very big this fall. They are shorter, have great combinations of fabrics, and are great for layering with leggings, sweaters and long sleeve shirts,” she says.

“I have some fabulous sweater dresses by Free People, Kensie, Nally and Millie that look great on any age customer. The empire-waist tunic also looks great over leggings. I think leggings will be very big this fall – not the 80s version, but very comfy and warm with feminine, flattering tops. This fall brings looks of the best of the 60s, 70s and 80s combined with comfortable, forgiving new fabrics.”

During the interview at Serendipity, I got try on some of these incredibly chic pieces. I slipped into a Miss Me dress, a retro color block pattern in black, white and a deep purple. The fabric was acrylic and wool, matched with cropped black Kensie leggings with lace trim. This look went perfectly with my knee-high black boots.

Another great outfit was a bright red empire-waist tunic sweater with
Victorian-style sleeves made by Kensie, worn over a pair of designer Miss Me jeans with a classic wash and red stitching. The rise wasn't too low or high, with a little bit of stretch for a fabulous fit.

Addicted to the color brown, I instantly fell in love with a brown-collared, baby doll sweater with crochetcovered buttons by Avalin, made with super-soft fabrics of cotton, nylon, rayon and cashmere.

A staple piece every girl should have in her closet is the “in” jacket of the season. My pick this fall is a long, grey jacket by Kensie with two large buttons at the top, stylish round collar and yoke stitching, which is simply fabulous. The whole experience left me a little more excited about fall.

If a picture is worth a thousands words a video must be worth, what, a zillion? Visit the Runway Ready shopping blog to see this interview
on video at www.seacoastonline.com or ww.blogthecoast.com/runway_ ready/ I've teamed up with Mike Comeau of VideoTours New England www.vtne.com to produce video clips for my blog. This is going to be fun, informative and

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