Fall Must-Haves!!!

[Mara]

okay so it''s just around the corner and i know we have all been reading the magazines telling us that leggings and skinny jeans are back.

so what''s on your must have list this fall 2006. i was checking out the mags during our palm springs vacation and then lots of down time this weekend nursing my cold put me on the path to making a ''list''...here are some of the things i really love.

AND after reading last week re: skinny vs straight jeans and what the differences are and how to choose a pair for yourself, i am tempted to try the straight jeans which supposedly can be very flattering on most body shapes...moreso than skinny. so i may be adventurous, i just have to find the right jeans!!

so first off, love these two shoes, these would be great with jeans and a sweater or with a work outfit as well for fall. yum! now i have to decide black or brown?!

 

[Mara]

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[Mara]

love this comfy looking sweater from jcrew. i could see this in about 4 colors in my closet this fall. hehe.

 

[Mara]

i LOVE this whole look from banana here...but i''m not sure i could pull it off, aka my thighs do not look like that nor am i that tall. haha! but i like the idea of it. white and browns with jeans are so classic.

 

[Mara]

i also love these kinda shorts from jcrew, they pair them in other photos with tall black boots which i already have....throw a heather gray cableknit sweater over it and it''s a cute fall/winter look for work.

 

[ello]

ooooh-la-laaaa! it''s really sexy. I''m so into black but brown could be a nice change.

 

[Mara]

i also love this sandal from banana but not sure i need yet another pair of strappy sandals. hmm.

 

[Mara]

well that''s as far as i have gotten...hehee. i am all about shoes right now for some reason. and i need a good pair of straight jeans. anyone else got a list going on?!

 

[mrssalvo]

I just got a new j.crew catalogue in the mail. there is an outfit I just love but for some reason the pics aren''t on their website

. anyway, it''s a sheer brown button shirt with a sand color cashmere cable knit sweater and cream cord mini skirt and brown knee high boots. I want the whole thing and even went to the store to try on the pieces since their sizes are so crazy now, very figure friendly size charts. I''m going to order it in a few weeks though...


oh and the size thing. i was watching good morning america or something and they had a gal who wore sizes 00 to a size 8 depending on the store. I think Ann Taylor was the most liberal where she wore the 00 and maybe it was express??? that she was an 8. They were commenting how different women''s sizing charts are now compared to the 50''s or whatever. they said something like the average size 4-6 in the 50''s is what the stores sell as 0-2''s. so i guess we''re not as thin as we think we are lol...

 

[ljmorgan]

Mmmm fall must haves -- I just started buying some things for my fall wardrobe, I''ll share my fave buys:

Bag:

I LOVE this bag. It''s a brown croc embossed leather frame tote from Nordie''s. The brown is such a rich shade. The night I bought it I promised not to break it out before September -- but it looked so gorgeous in my closet the next morning that I thought it was a shame to just let it sit there

Anyway, croc leather comes in and out of season nearly every 1-2 years so it''s something that I can use for a long time to come.

Shoes:

I love this shoe. It''s croc embossed leather (again!) but it''s from Ann Taylor. Classic 3 inch heel and it is absolutely sexy but still work safe.

Animal prints are not for everyone, but I think the easiest way to wear them is in a shoe. Match them with simple, classic clothes and they look great. They are faux pony hair, feel fabulous, and have a low one inch wedge heels so they are perfectly comfortable. These are the Steve Madden "bunni" style.

Clothes:

OK, everyone should have at least one basic cashmere wrap to throw over anything when it gets chilly. You''ll be glad!

I love this skirt. So "menswear" is really in this fall, and I''m not all that fond of looking boyish. This skirt is perfect because it has that mascule pintucking, BUT -- it has peekaboo lace on the bottom -- love it!

Mara -- the straight leg jeans really do look good on most people. Skinny jeans are a disaster on anyone with larger than average hips -- no exception. Straight legs can work on girls with hips, but boot cuts and flair legs are going to keep us looking our best. I have a small waist and big hips and I stick with bootcut. My friend tried to get me into a pair of skinny jeans and I was like "I''d rather look great in a pair of non-trendy jeans than be a trendy disaster." However, I will wear straight leg pants with a loose leg fit, skims the hips and look great

 

[Mara]

Lindsey, I love that cashmere wrap, where did you find it? I am all over the various wraps they have out this season, a fun way to not have to wear a big coat for fall esp in California where it''s not that cool until like Dec.

I also love those Steve Madden shoes, those would be super cute with the straight leg jeans and a simple fitted sweater!

I need to try to find some straight leg jeans that would fit me. I actually saw in the mag I was checking out where they had the big spread on them that Levis had a few straight leg styles that looked pretty flattering. Plus it wouldn''t break the bank. I''d rather not spend too much on these trendy jeans that I may only wear one or two seasons. I also still love my bootcuts and also the notquitebootcut ones that are kind of in between straight and boot...those flatter me as well too. I do have hips so I didn''t think the skinny style would flatter me AT ALL. And the mag was saying oh just wear a big loose flowing top to cover the hips. I was like oh THAT would be great, not! hehee. I already have skinny legs and hips, I don''t need to emphasize that.

mrs salvo, it''s so true re the sizing being insane! i just don''t understand it. i can wear a 10 in Banana pants but my tops are a Small. and I am a 36C! So it''s not like my top is small at all. But anything bigger than a Small in BR tops just hangs on me! and then if i go shop at Jcrew...I can wear a small or medium in tops...but I tried some dresses on recently and a 6 was TOO BIG on me. Which I thought was crazy! Also my engagement party dress from Betsey Johnson was a 6 and I can wear that now as well. So I can fluctuate between a 6 and a 10 but yet I''m wearing Small in tops and sweaters from major retailers? With a 36C chest. Mind boggling. And yes I think sizes have gone up because they want to make American''s feel better about their size. People always point to Marilyn Monroe and say well look she was a 12. Well actually she was a 12 in that sizing back then but I read that in reality that sizing today would be more like a 6. So a 12 today is like a 6 back then. So she was really smaller than a 12 today. The clothing comapnies just want to justify us making purchases and make us feel better about ourselves. It just ends up confusing us!

 

[jcrow]

love that cashmere wrap, LOVE that rich croc bag!! i need a linky for those!!

mara- i'd get those top shoes in brown. definitely!! i wish i could do a little rounded toe, but with a size 5 shoe, that just doesn't look right

i also adore that ensemble from banana that you posted! LOVE it!

 

[Mara]

oh yeah the rounded toe platforms that are in this season are totally up my alley, i can't wear pointy toe shoes at all, i get ingrown toenails like INSTANTLY after wearing pointy toed shoes. so the round blunt toe is totally me and also i don't like super thin heels so platform and round toe..i am all over it.

the only downer about all these cutie shoes is that they are all like 4" heels. i am already 5'8ish and i don't need another 4" really. i wish there were more shoes that had the same style to them but more like 2.5" heel for taller gals.

 

[Mara]

these look kinda doable for straight jeans...from levis and on sale for something like $50.

"Low-slung jeans with a straight fit from hip to hem. A little dressier with a trouser-style extended tab closure, skinny belt loops and decorative cord stitching."

 

[ljmorgan]

Mara -- that wrap is from Nordstrom

 

[mrssalvo]

ooo, love that wrap

 

[ljmorgan]

Link for the brown croc bag at Nordstrom

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2895488?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=croc+nordstrom+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults

Link for the cashmere wrap at Nordstrom

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2788639?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=cashmere+wrap+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults

I love this wool/cashmere wrap that they have too, a bit more casual

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/2912707?Category=&Search=True&SearchType=keywordsearch&keyword=cashmere+wrap+in+All+Categories&origin=searchresults


Enjoy!

 

[jcrow]

lindsey- thanks!!!

 

[monarch64]

Mara, I love those Levi''s you posted! To me, those are the perfect balance between too-skinny, tapered leg, aka hard to get your feet through the leg, and a straight, but wider leg. And I love the dark wash! $50 is right up my alley, too...I refuse to pay more than $100 for jeans!!!

I keep seeing Paige and Joe''s jeans, etc., but I just can''t see myself dropping $200 for a pair of jeans...I go through denim agony every year trying to find the perfect pair, and it seems like as soon as I buy the ones that fit fabulously in the store, I wear them a few times and find myself wondering WHY I bought them--they end up being too stretchy, or not stretchy enough, or too low in the rise, or too high in the rise...blah, blah, blah!

I think that although I am a little fuller in the hips, I could wear something like those Levi''s. I really like the boots-over-jeans look, and I guess now I will be searching for some fun boots!

A couple of my fall must-haves are the J.Crew fleece hoodies in a few colors--I love the layering factor, and I have a few of their fitted hoodies that I wear with everything already, they are the perfect transition pieces for either spring or fall, when it''s not cool enough for a jacket or coat, but not warm enough to go without an extra layer. I also am on the lookout for longer, hip length fitted sweaters to wear with jeans and a wide hip-slung belt. The longer lengths the past couple of seasons for tops have been great for me since I''m 5''10"! My petite friends complain endlessly about it, but the don''t know what it''s like to not be able to find tops that you can''t bend over in because half your back side hangs out, lol!

Oh, and a comment on the J.Crew sizing: Last summer I ordered a really cute dress on super sale in a size 12, thinking I would just have it taken in a bit. I usually wear a 10, sometimes an 8. I ended up spending more on alterations for that damn dress than I paid for it!

The seamstress had to basically take it apart and put it back together again, first due to the construction of it, second because she had to take it in so much! I think she took it down at least two sizes. So yeah, their sizing is a "little" off!!!

 

[canuk-gal]

Marc Jacobs @ NM. Love checks and plaids....

 

[canuk-gal]

More Marc Jacobs. Love these shoes too!!!!!!! Gucci also has some wonderful Fall plaids, but I cannot find them anywhere?????

 

[canuk-gal]

Love Blumarine stuff. NM again. Talk about skinny cords!!!!!

 

[Mara]

cg...i love that marc jacobs checkered throw that ties at the side, how cute...where did you find it online? those shoes are cutie too.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Mara, I found these selections online Neiman Marcus. I recall the one sweater was cashmere, but memory doesn''t serve about the plaid side/tie piece..but I agree it is sweet....

cheers--Sharon

 

[Mara]

eee i just found it...$925 for the plaid blouse...nevermind! hehe.

http://www.neimanmarcus.com/store/catalog/prod.jhtml?itemId=prod33960004&parentId=cat11190739&masterId=cat6920731&index=4&cmCat=search

 

[ladykemma]

fall? what''s fall?

as a houston resident, we have two seasons hot and hotter. we wear a coat two days out of the year.

i wish we could wear nice winter clothes! sigh. jealous.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 8/15/2006 9:40:41 PM
Author: ladykemma
fall? what''s fall?

as a houston resident, we have two seasons hot and hotter. we wear a coat two days out of the year.

i wish we could wear nice winter clothes! sigh. jealous.

The grass is always greener, Lady Kemma, LOL! I live in the suburbs of Chicago, and my company''s corporate HQ is in San Antonio...there is a lady there who calls me and loves to rub it in about how warm it is there during the winter.

I actually love summer/spring clothes much more than fall/winter apparel, and I would trade places with you in a heartbeat!!!

 

[bookworm21]

Mara, I''m loving that J.Crew sweater you posted. V-neck, long sleeved, hits at the hip, just my style! Thanks for finding that! Saves me some time when I drag my bf to go shopping.

 

[Mara]

Cinderella, there are some other similar styles in that same ''Dream'' moniker...aka they have a vest and a short sleeve too I think. But I love the look for long sleeve winter and it looks like it''d be easy to layer too!

 

[Ann]

Date: 8/15/2006 9:40:41 PM
Author: ladykemma
fall? what''s fall?

as a houston resident, we have two seasons hot and hotter. we wear a coat two days out of the year.

i wish we could wear nice winter clothes! sigh. jealous.

No fun, huh LK?

I love gorgeous heavy fabrics, wools tweeds, velvets. But we never get to wear that
here in the swamps of Houston.

I have 3 coats and haven''t worn them in ages.
My winter uniform is jeans, white shirt, leather blazer, flats (no socks) or if we are real lucky, boots.

I was at the Galleria a week ago, so much fall clothing is already out. We know it will be in the 90''s through Sept. and probably into Oct.