This poll is especially for those who like to wear jewel tones. You are on Team Purple if you prefer to wear purple wardrobe items. You are on Team Teal if you prefer to wear teal wardrobe items. Think clothing, footwear and accessories. Think all shades of purple and teal. 

I am not a jewel toned gal. I favour crisp sour brights like tomato red, citron, lime green, bright turquoise and shocking pink. I do not wear teal and have zero teal wardrobe items. I wear a little bit of bright and mid toned purple, but not much at all. I have two purple pullovers and one dress. This puts me onto Team Purple.  

Over to you. Are Team Purple or Team Teal? Tell us why and no batting for both teams.

After viewing many, many shows at Fashion Week, browsing the internet, flipping through magazines, working with clients at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale last week, and throwing in my own hunches, here’s my take on the top trends for this Fall and Winter. 

The first three are particularly interesting because style “opposites” are equally on trend.

1. Unstructured versus Structured Silhouettes: There is a HUGE movement back to baggy, oversized, NON-waist-defining tops, knitwear, bottoms and coats. Even more so than last season. But at the same time, form fitting clothing is also on trend. And of course, perfectly tailored pieces that are neither overly form fitting or boxy are classic, flop proof and timeless. 
2. Pattern Mixing versus Matchy-Matchy: On the one hand there’s the hectically mismatched pattern mixing trend, where items clash to the extent that they end up working in harmomy. On the other hand, heavily matched outfits are fashion forward. 
3. Geometric versus Florals: On the one hand there’s the romantic and soft vibe of a floral. On the other hand there’s the severity of a geometric and checked pattern. Better yet, wear both in one outfit.  
4. Colour: Colour is still strong. From pastels and mid tones, to spicy earth tones, jewel tones, and brights. That’s ALL colours covered along with a splendid assortment of neutrals. What more can we ask for as far as colours go. This is BRILLIANT. 
5. Trousers: It’s still a trouser season in ALL it’s variations. Skinny, straight, bootcut, flared, slouchy, wide leg, culottes, cropped, very short, solid, patterned, lace, brocade, pleated, flat front, checked, striped, soft, rigid, textured, high rise, low rise and dropped crotch. Everything. Sorry skirt and dress lovers. It’s just not your season. 
6. Reds: Deep reds are it. From the richest maroon, merlot, crimson, burgundy and bordeaux all the way to fire engine and bright tomato red. Emphasis this season is on burgundy and merlot. 
7. Whites: Creams and Winter whites will be strong in all wardrobe items. Perhaps Winter white will be the next black. 
8. Menswear Inspirations: It’s all about suiting, strict blazers, button down shirts/blouses and NOT wearing these items as tight as seasons past. Think Marlene Dietrich, Ellen DeGeneres and Katherine Hepburn.
9. Peplums: On tops and jackets. 
10. Leather Trim: Leather clothing like jackets, skirts, tops, dresses, shorts, trousers and skinnies are as big as they ever were, but leather trim is also on trend. Think leather panels and insets, leather piping and tipping, and leather welted pockets.
11. Sci-Fi Metallics: Shiny fabrics in graphic silhouettes are so on trend. Think of items that you would normally wear during the day, yet they have lots of gold and silver thread woven into them. Silver and gold booties and boots! Space-age fashion is making its fun, fashion mark. 
12. Booties, Shooties, Slipper Flats, Oxfords and Loafers: These peds are the look of the season, both in heeled and flat versions. Knee-high and mid calf boots in rugged, equestrian, over-the-knee and classic dressy silhouettes are always in style, but it’s their shorter, high vamped cousin that’s more on trend. 

We can also look forward to Baroque style inspirations, bejeweled clothing, wearing socks with pumps, Oriental patterns and motifs, and military looks.

I love all of these trends! How about you?

With NAS fever running high, and many of our lovely forum members reporting back about their gorgeous new purchases as we speak, I’m suddenly feeling very Autumn-y. It’s not just Nordstrom that is looking ahead to next season, book publishers are also gearing up for Fall/Winter 2012 and are sending out catalogues with their upcoming titles. There are plenty of gems to look forward to!

I thought it would be fun to do a sneak preview this week, and share three titles that I can’t wait to read.

• Grace: A Memoir: Grace Coddington went from being a much sought-after model to creative director of British Vogue, to creative director of American Vogue. This is the story of Grace’s forty years in fashion, beautifully designed by the author herself. 
• kate spade new york: Things We Love: Long before the days of pinboards and social sharing, the brand’s in-house creative team began amassing a collection of things we love on their website: a crayon ring, a cocktail doodle, a particularly dreamy photograph. Things We Love is a compilation that visually represents the spirit of kate spade new york, a place where the colours are bold, smart design is key and fashion is fun.
• The Perfect Gentleman: The Pursuit of Timeless Elegance and Style in London: This publication celebrates the gentleman’s search for the perfect sartorial detail, the ideal accessory, or beautiful gift for a loved one. Presented through the eyes of a connoisseur looking for quality and bespoke goods in London’s key stylistic historic periods, it tells the stories of the personalities, shopkeepers and mastercraftsmen who have animated the business of luxury goods for centuries.

Am I alone in this, or are you in an Autumn mood too? Which new Fall purchases can’t you wait to start wearing as soon as the weather permits it? Or if you can’t bear to think of cold weather clothes yet, have any upcoming books and movies caught your interest?

New in YLF Books

In Kathleen Tessaro’s debut novel Elegance Louise Canova is insecure about her appearance and style choices, unhappy with her life and empty marriage. She needs help… and she finds it in a second-hand copy of A Guide to Elegance.

“The slim volume by formidable fashion expert Madame Dariaux promises to transform even the plainest of women into creatures of poise and grace.”

Louise vows to take the advice in this ABC of fashion and etiquette to heart, and gets to work straightaway – determined to become the woman she has always wanted to be.

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is my favourite sale of the year. Hands down. Yes, Nordstrom is an advertiser here on YLF, but this has nothing to do with my love for the NAS. The thing that makes the Nordies sale so special is that unlike most end-of-season sales that mark down old merchandise, the NAS marks down “hot off the fashion press” merchandise from the upcoming season. It makes for a uniquely exciting sale experience. 

It also makes for an incredibly busy few weeks. Many of my clients want to take advantage of the NAS so I spend lots of time with them combing through the Fall ranges and putting together their important capsules. Wednesday was the first day of “preselection”, where Nordies account holders can get an early look at the range and pick out items before the actual sale begins. Between shopping for myself, familiarizing myself with the sale merchandise, and working with two clients, I spent 14 hours on my feet on the first day of NAS preselections. 

We also do a lot of NAS coverage here at YLF. There is my top picks post, which I publish as soon as the sale merchandise is available online to all (July 20). That means waiting until after midnight for the site to go live and then spending a couple of hours matching items from my notes with the online range and putting the post together. 

This year Nordstrom has asked me to do some outfit builder posts using items from the NAS range, and we will publish these posts when the sale is open to the public. We hope that you enjoy the NAS coverage. We do know that lots of our readers aren’t in the USA and can’t participate in the sale itself, but I will try to make the coverage useful nonetheless.

This post has some pictures from my first day at the NAS. The ones above are a small glimpse of what’s available on sale (the tip of the iceberg), while the ones below show what I ended up purchasing. The sale is definitely my biggest single wardrobe expenditure of the year, and I set a strict budget for my NAS indulgences. I shop the sale with a clear idea of my style goals and wardrobe capsules, but I also take the opportunity to try something new. For example, I’m still into trousers, masculine inspired styles, and bright colours. But I unexpectedly added a blush pink leather jacket into the mix and built onto that capsule. 

If Autumn and Winter are your dominant seasons, or if you live in a four season climate, the NAS is a great opportunity to get statement pieces and good basics. This is my seventh NAS and each year I love my items even more than the year before.

By the way, I am using Instagram to take quick snapshots, so if you use the service you can follow ‘youlookfab’ to see these photos in realtime as I take them. I will also tweet them so you can see them if you follow me, @youlookfab, on Twitter.