Autumn has officially begun so it’s time for my top 15 must-haves for Fall and Winter 2013. This year’s list is quite different to last year’s Fall and Winter list. Booties are not the first item on the list. Patterns and pattern mixing do not feature as strongly, and burgundy is not the colour of the season (although there is a lot of it on the shop floor). Green in all its hues is supposed to be the colour of the year, but I’m not seeing that reflected in stores at all. 

The items cut across all body types, lifestyles, budgets, style personas and age groups. It’s a question of finding the right version of the item that works best for you. 

1. Fluid Fits: This one is top of the list — wear your clothes a little looser. This is not a one season thing, but rather the way fashion silhouettes are moving in general. Body con fits are still in style — heck, skinnies have never been as tight and stretchy as they are this year — but combining tight pieces with looser pieces is more on trend. Wearing fluid pieces from top to toe is even more so. Oversized items are the trendiest and most fashion forward at the moment, but tailored fits are also always in style. Refresh tailored fits by combining them with a fluid or oversized piece and you’re sorted. 
2. Pointy Toe Footwear: Huge, huge trend especially in refined styles like pumps, slipper flats, d’Orsay flats, heeled booties and Beatle Booties.
3. Mixed Media Items: This means wearing a wardrobe item made of different fabrications, like a tweed blazer with leather collar. Or a cashmere pullover with lace inlays. Upscale sweatshirts are particularly fab in mixed media and so are jackets, coats and skirts. 
4. Raglan Sleeve Tops: They are magical for many reasons. Wear them in upscale sweatshirts, knitwear or knitted tops and in a fluid fit. 
5. Trendy Topper: We’re talking bombers, motos, one-button blazers with low stances, tuxedo jackets, military jackets, avant-garde jackets and round shouldered jackets. Introduce a few of these Fall jacket trends into your wardrobe if you’re a jacket gal. Moto jackets, although very on trend, are also a classic with particularly high longevity. 
6. Leather: Think leather items like jackets, pants and skirts in a colour that tickles your fancy. Or wear leather as a trim on these items. Faux leather is fine too. 
7. Tall Boots: Knee-high and over-the-knee-boots are trending again, in both dressy and casual styles. Fab over sleek jeans and trousers for wet, slushy and snowy weather. And great paired with skirts and dresses. 
8. Menswear Fabrications: Think jackets, coats, trousers and skirts in herringbone, houndstooth, tartans and Glen plaids. 
9. Colour Blocking: Any wardrobe item can be colour blocked. Tuxedo stripes down the sides of trousers get my top vote, and toppers with colour blocked insets or sleeves are following close behind. Remember that colour blocked bags and footwear count too. 
10. Chunky Knitwear: Fine gauge knitwear is refined, classic, dressy and lovely, and I’m a huge fan of delicate cashmere knitwear. But chunky knits are trendier, so don’t leave them out. Here’s how to feel streamlined in chunky pullovers. 
11. Non-Denim Pants: There is life after jeans. Think wool trousers, Ponte knit, stretch-cottons, jacquards, flocked fabrications, and all sorts of patterns and checks in fabrications other than denim. 
12. Black Footwear: I bet most women have this trend covered. I cheated a little and had black booties on my shopping list, but bought a dark ink blue instead. These are “my black booties” for the season, and I’ve already worn them three times. 
13. Daytime Clutch: Clutches are still the trendiest and most modern bag option, although simple satchels and crisp structured bags are hot on their heels. 
14. Winter White: Never underestimate the power of shades of white in a Fall and Winter wardrobe. White is the brightest of the neutrals and looks fresh, crisp and clean year round. So chic. Wear white jeans year round, and don’t be scared of white bags and outerwear. 
15. Wild Card: Add an atypical item for your style persona to your wardrobe that speaks to you in some way. Just for fun. 

Cut-out booties, slouchy pants and jeans, peplums, two-piece dresses, cocoon coats, sci-fi metallics, wedge sneakers, metallic booties, lace, menswear coats, midi skirts, tuxedo-inspired items, twinsets, upscale backpacks, kitty tops, quilted textures, cropped pants, drape front blouses, skater skirts, turtlenecks and utility jackets are more ways to add seasonal refreshers to your cold weather style. And textured items are always a hit in a cold weather wardrobe. 

One final note on colour. By all means embrace the on-trend colours, but also know that your favourite and most flattering colours do not date and are always in style. Wear them all season and every season.

How does the list look from your point of view? Are you covered?

J.Crew is offering 25% off your purchase until Sept 25th, and I particularly like their knitwear, knits, and outerwear at this time of year. Here are my top picks from the sale. 

• Floral Sweatshirt: Orange and blue is always a good combination. The shiny jacquard front makes this upscale sweatshirt even more luxurious. Fun matched with dark blue jeans or a navy pencil skirt. My friend tried this one on last week and looked terrific. 
• Tulip Embroidery Sweatshirt: Don’t underestimate the power of Winter white as a fab alternative to dark neutrals. An embroidered sweatshirt is the new basic sweater, and this one is very pretty. 
• Woven Panel Sweater in Black: Sporty and graphic. 
• Merino Tippi Sweater in Houndstooth: A fun juxtaposition of small and oversized houndstooth. 
• Merino Scarf Sweater: Nice layered over a white button-down shirt with faded blue jeans and animal print footwear. 
• Double Cloth Tipped Coat: A cranberry coat with ink tipping. Sublime. It’s on backorder, and with good reason. A modern and ladylike statement.
• Stadium Cloth Cocoon Coat: This is a great coat for Team Long Neck. You can fold the funnel neck back if it stands up too high. A little unstructured and very crisp. Great for apple shaped body types. It does not have side entry pockets so that might be a deal breaker. Beautiful in all the colours provided. 

J.Crew also does amazing basic knitwear in V-necks, turtlenecks and crew necks, so check those out if they are on your shopping list. Some of my clients enjoy layering with their basic long sleeved T-shirts.

If you’re looking for a modern classic peacoat, I’d also start the search at J.Crew. I have two wool coats from J.Crew, tomato red and citron, and they have held up extremely well. They are beautifully made, warm and very vibrant.

We are halfway through Milan Fashion Week and Paris will be hot on its heels. I watch most of the collections twice a year across all four fashion capitals (New York, London, Milan and Paris), and pin trends, new colour combinations and outfits that I love along the way. 

Longer skirts and dresses are on the horizon, bare midriffs were strong, and it looks like shades of light pink and baby blue are going to be trending too. Many of the collections so far featured either one or both of these soft shades in all sorts of silhouettes. Take a peek at the outfits I’ve pinned, which range from dressy to casual. Note the unusual mix of these pastel shades with other colours.

Creatures of the Wind 

• Pink shorts with tomato red top and white topper. One of my favourite new colour combinations. 
• Pink and grey statement Spring Coat.
• Sleeveless coat with tomato red, grey and white. Fresh palette for Spring.

Costello Tagliapietra 

• Light blue straight leg fluid pants with olive twinset.

Rebecca Taylor

• Baby blue bomber with sporty mesh layers and fluid tapered pants. 
• Baby blue lace and organza high-low layers with slouchy dove grey tuxedo pants. 
• Blush baggy pants with boxy chambray top.
• Colour blocked peach and blush pants with white and dove grey moto.
• Ice pink blazer with white mesh top and chambray trousers.

Antonio Beradi

• Shades of soft pink from head to toe with touches of coral. Oversized topper over miniskirt. 
• White pink with high-low hemline and round shouldered moto. 
• Shades of ice pink with hints of fire engine red.
• Coral pants with tomato red and ice pink round shouldered sweatshirt.
• Black and white animal print with ice pink and sporty white colour blocking.

Prabal Gurung

• Midi and boxy topper in ice pink, black, white and hints of yellow. 
• Black and white with hints of ice pink. Architectural short sleeves. 
• Ladylike Retro ice pink.

Karen Walker

• Shades of sorbet pink from head to toe with light grey.
• Chambray light blue as skirt and tunic.
• Sorbet pink with earthy mustard, cream and cognac. Oversized from head to toe. 

Ports 1961

• Baby blue retro suit from head to toe. Oversized and short. 
• Ice blue sporty pullover with jacquard skirt, white shirt and sandals.

Marc Jacobs

• Ice pink suit with pajama blouse and sneakers.
• Slouchy black trousers with prim and proper mint and sorbet pink blouse.
• Baby blue satin suit with white sneakers.

Jenny Packham

• Light blue maxi culottes with cobalt pussy bow blouse.
• Light blue romantic flared skirt with citron top and hint of burgundy. 

Jil Sander

• Ultra light pink moving pencil skirt with white crop top.
• Blush Spring coat with white cropped pants and clutch. A hint of red in the clutch.
• Barely blush and silver turtleneck with black pants that hurt my eyes, but I do love the top. 

Daks

• Column of white with blush and apricot blazer.
• White shirt with peachy pink wide-leg pants and cognac belt.

Emilia Wickstead

• Ice pink two-piece dress with striped ankle strap pumps.
• Baby pink and citron high-low volume.

Burberry Prorsum 

• Lace antique pink two-piece dress with mint accessory and deep pink shoes.
• Strawberry milkshake coat.

Trussardi

• Tomato vinyl with baby blue pleated trousers.
• Light blue three-piece suit with stone and flat sandals.
• Sporty tomato red and light blue.

Emporio Armani

• Satin jacquard baby pink suit.
• Lilac light blue lantern pants with shimmery tank and grey accessories.

Often my clients won’t wear pale shades of pink because it’s a little insipid against their skin tone. It also can feel babyish, overly prissy, feminine and precious. And some will go as far as saying that no one will take them seriously if they wear pale pink to work. More of my clients prefer deeper shades of pink when pink is on their favourite colours list. Light blue, on the other hand, is more popular with my clients because it’s a “tougher” pastel and an easy mix with white and black. 

I’m all over light pink and blue because they are my favourite pastels. I introduced light blue back into my wardrobe a few years ago, and there is no stopping the blush and ice pink that keeps on finding a home in my closet. I like to wear these soft tones with white, black, and sour brights like citron and tomato red. 

I don’t know if my clientele’s reactions to soft pink and blue are a reflection of the mainstream market. If they are, then soft blue is going to sell well at retail, but some soft pink will be left on the sale rails.

Over to you. Will you wear soft shades of pink and blue? And of the two colours, which do you prefer for your own style?  

This ensemble is based on an outfit I wore earlier this week. It’s all about lengthening the leg line of ankle pants with ankle strap footwear. By keeping the colour of the ankle strap the same as, or very similar to, the colour of the pants, you extend the visual length of the pants and create flattering proportions. Also, the slither of ankle skin between the ankle strap and the hem of the pants creates an interesting effect as you stride. 

Here are the components:

• Ankle Pants: Choose a style that is tapered at the hems and cropped to just above the ankle. By all means roll a full length pair of pants to create this length. I’ve chosen black ankle pants because they are easier to match with black ankle strapped footwear. But any colour will work as long as the ankle strap and pant hems are a similar colour. An alternative to ankle pants is oh-so-trendy leather track pants. In silky fabrications these are just as fab. They are often cropped to just above the ankle, or can be pulled up to that length, making them a magical combination with ankle strap footwear. 
• Top: I vote upscale sweatshirt, welted raglan sleeve pullover, basic welted pullover in a neckline of your choice, drape front blouse or high-low sweater. All in a fluid fit and left untucked to create a little movement and drape. These tops create “Relaxed Polish” by bringing an unstructured integrity to an otherwise structured outfit. Choose a print or solid, in any colour, and either high or low contrast to the pants. Scrunch the sleeves for extra structure. 
• Footwear: An ankle strap that fastens above the ankle is key to the ensemble. Your choices are ankle strap pumps, ankle strap sandals, ankle strap cage heels and sandal booties, or cutout booties.
• Topper: If you need a topper, opt for a trench coat, blazer, moto or denim jacket
• Accessories: Finish off the outfit with a structured bag to contrast and complement the relaxed vibe of the top, and/or track pants trouser option. No need to belt or add a scarf. Add eyewear, watch and jewellery as desired.

The version with the slim ankle pants and heels is on the casual side of business casual and work appropriate in some settings. If I don’t want to wear jeans I will sometimes wear this combination to work with a client who leans casual. If I had silky track pants, I would wear them in this way too. I’ve found the outfit combination comfortable on cool Summer days and very mild Autumn days.