Five Female Fashions for Fall

It always amazes me that about this time of year, when Middle Georgia is so hot and humid that most of us are trying to find ways to unzip and crawl out of our skin, the clothing store people are busy dressing their manequins (which are probably sweating) in wools, tweeds, and cashmeres. Just in time for fall. Since the new season's clothes are out on the racks, some of us try to pretend that it's not 99 degrees outside and convince ourselves that we could use a new cardigan. Now that fall fashions are out, school's back in session and parents are just dying to spend money on clothes that their kids won't wear until December, lets take a look at five must have items for the season. According to the Belk, JC Penney and KMart sales circulars, which are just as good for spotting trends as reading Vogue magazine, but without the anemic looking models, the following five items will be big sellers for fashion conscious females of all ages.

1) High waisted pants and jeans. Oh, how it pains me to see these back in style. Yes they look great on some, but for short waisted women, like me, whose hips are dangerously close to their shoulders, high waisted anything should be avoided at all costs. If I'm going to wear this style of jeans, they might as well have sleeves and a collar, because that's where the waist will come to on me. High waisted pants and jeans are a gamble to be taken only by those with long torsos.

2) Sweater dresses. Oh how sleek and svelt these clingly mesh numbers can make us look. Add a wide belt at the waist, some boots and a big chunky necklace, and you're set with one of the hottest looks for fall. However, as stylish as they are, sweater dresses can be quite unforgiving, to those of us with a few rolls around the midsection. Not to worry, though. Just add a body shaper underneath and don't inhale for the next eight hours.

3) The layered shirt look. A favorite from last year is back for an encore performance, layering shirt upon shirt upon shirt upon sweater, with a camisole sticking out underneath. It's simple to pull off and probably works with most of the tops currently in your closet. Start with a tank top or camisol. It has to be a long one because you want the bottom to peek out underneath the other 24 shirts you'll be wearing over it. Then add a slightly shorter t-shirt, now a slightly shorter one, then shorter, now you guessed it an even shorter t-shirt.... on and on to infinity. Now add a hoodie. When finished, you should look as if you're ready to win a reluctant game of Strip Poker. But seriously, I really do like this look, especially with jeans or a flowing skirt and flip-flops. It's casual and cute.

4) Babydoll Tops: These empire waisted adorables are fun and flirty and offered in a huge array of colors and prints. They look great dressed up or down with jeans, leggings, slacks and even mini-skirts. With ample room in the midsection, they're perfect if you've unexpectedly gained a few pounds or just need a good place to store a watermelon.

5) Big jewelry: chunky necklaces, cuff bracelets, earrings made from spare auto parts. I LOVE jewelry that's bold, colorful, makes a statement and works your major muscle groups. My mom used to always say that accessories are just as important as the clothing they accompany. You can do so much with a basic outfit by adding a jewel-tone splash of color like a large pendant on a gold chain, or a belly button length double strand of pearls or even a stack of bangles or beaded bracelets.

Places around here to shop for these looks are, as mentioned above, Belk, JC Penney, KMart. Also visit Rue21 (new in the Mall) and Maurices - great for big jewelry.

I'm still trying to add pictures to this blog. Arggh. It's not working. Well, I'm sure you can picture these great fashions in your mind.

Angela Weight, Your New Passion 4 Fashion Blogger

Hello Out there, loyal Courier Herald readers and local blog enthusiasts,

Though it hasn't officially been announced yet, I'll be taking over some of Your Courier Herald's blogs, starting with Your Passion 4 Fashion. It's kind of ironic because I never pictured myself as a fashionista unless you get that status by wearing clothes that at least match and are absent any visible stains. If that's the case, then I've nailed it. However, I am interested in style trends in many areas, not just limited to clothing. As CoCo Chanel once said (which I won't try to pass off as my own) "Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Sounds pretty cool, huh.

In this little corner of the Web, we'll keep an eye on fashion trends, poke merciless fun at clueless celebs, highlight local artisans and designers and uncover some of the stranger elements of fashion; like the article I found the other day about people who make jewelry out of cicadas. I wonder if cicada earings would make that ear splitting mating chirp? Oh, and yes, I'll have a full panel of fully qualified fashionistas on board to offer their expert opinions. Speaking of that, if you think you've got fashionista in your blood, shoot me an email. I'd love to run some ideas by you.

I'll be updating Your Passion 4 Fashion daily, so check back often for news, insights and meaningless style trivia.

Until later.

Angela