Disclaimer: Please do not take anything I say in this post too seriously. It is purely for fun, to draw a humorous awareness to the current fall fashion scene.
I had a fashion post planned this Friday like I always do, but when I saw the photos I scratched it...first time ever. Now not all of my fashion shoots go as planned, but I usually still post them. Then I'm surprised when they get a lot of hits or pins. Sometimes I am my own worst critic and the outfits/pictures I dislike the most will often be the most popular. But this time, no, never. The outfit did not look stylish at all and looked like something I'd wear milking cows...I know flannel is "in", but I just looked fat and frumpy. My husband however was very disappointed when I decided not to use the photos, because he really liked them. Of course he would...they involved flannel, a chainsaw, and his wood pile...why wouldn't he like it? Perhaps if I wasn't being viciously attacked by mosquitoes during our photo shoot, I would have gotten better pictures and thought otherwise. But the mosquito attack made me frown at the camera and hasten our photo shoot.
So I was going to skip a fashion post this Friday since I had no pictures that were "Blog Worthy". But then I started seeing all these fashion posts in Blog Land like "What You Must Have This Fall!", or "New Fall Trends!" etc., etc., etc., and then being the fool that I am I would click on them only to discover there was nothing new at all and it was the same old stuff. And that's when a light bulb went off in my head of what my Friday Fashion Post would be...how there is almost nothing new for fall!
Lets start with jackets. The Must Have Jackets this fall are denim, moto, and the utility jacket. O.k. now are any of these options new? How many years have denim, moto, and utility jackets been trending now? Lets go back in blog memory lane shall we.
Denim. Always classic, never out-of-style, but it was really trending about three or four years ago when I first started fashion blogging. In fact, I had a hard time even finding a denim jacket in stock, they sold out so fast. I ended up settling for one that was too expensive and ill fit. Proof? My very first fashion blog post written July 1, 2013. The sleeves are so short, I can only wear the jacket with the sleeves rolled up to hide it.
 |
| See Original Post HERE |
Since then I've accumulated two more denim jackets: a Levi trucker jacket and a white denim jacket.
Next. Moto jackets. I have a gazillion of these in various colors: black, burgundy, white, silver.... but my very first one ( I think) was purchased for $15.00 at Forever 21 three years ago and I'm still wearing it!
 |
See Original Post HERE
And lastly, the Utility Jacket. I can't tell you how many posts I've seen this week about how everyone must get a utility jacket this fall. Really, you don't have one yet? I already own two, one is a shorter, more fitted jacket from Dress Barn (shown HERE purchased three years ago) and another I received from Stitch Fix (see that post HERE) two years ago.
In all fairness, I also must mention the bomber jacket. This jacket appeared on the scene last season and really picked up steam this season. I would love to add one to my wardrobe, but I haven't found one yet that I feel flatters me; I refuse to give in to a trend if I don't think it looks good on me. I love this one from Forever 21, but I would need a different color as I already own a moto jacket in this color.
So now lets move on to actual fall clothing that's trending right now: Flannel, fall florals, turtlenecks, velvet, long cardigans, and sleeveless sweaters or sweater vests. With the exception of velvet and fall florals, most of these items have also been in style for quite sometime...especially flannel shirts. I mean come on, how long now have the popular teen stores like American Eagle and The Buckle been selling flannel shirts? I remember walking past the American Eagle store in our local mall when my daughter was in High School (which was many, many years ago) and mockingly saying "Oh look, there's the flannel shirt and jean store!", because that's all they seemed to sell. But, I will admit, flannel just keeps getting hotter and hotter every year, and shows no signs of slowing down. If only I could wear one without feeling like a slob! Sigh.
Here is my very first flannel shirt post, of which I posted many thereafter. Heck, I even went out and bought another flannel shirt (that was suppose to be today's post), that's how much I'm trying to wear this trend. This post was written March 28, 2014 and you can find it HERE. |
O.k. so we all know flannels are nothing new, but what about the rest? How about Fall Florals? This one is new to me. I have never done a fall floral post before, probably because I generally don't think of flowers in the fall and winter months. But, fall florals on a dark background is definitely trending, and I can't wait to wear my new fall floral dress I received in my last Fix
HERE.
What about turtlenecks and velvet? Well, they aren't necessarily new...they've both been around for ages. I remember wearing velvet dresses as a little girl, a teenager, and in my twenties. I even remember owning a couple velvet blazers in my thirties (darn it, I wish I hadn't gotten rid of those).
And turtlenecks, do they ever go out of style? No, again, they are just trending, but they are considered a classic closet staple. Now, I'm not fond of either of these trends to be honest, although I did invest in a couple of turtleneck sweaters this season and last (they are more cowl necks rather than turtle necks). As for velvet, I almost bought a velvet dress last year but I put it back because I thought it made me look fat . I'm not sure I'll invest in any velvet clothing. I've always found velvet to be a lint magnet and uncomfortable to wear. I did buy some cute velvet chokers from Forever 21 and I might be open to velvet shoes or a velvet bag...but that's about it.
How about sweaters? I remember when the big Nordstrom anniversary sale was going on awhile back and everyone was so excited and kept posting their picks. I found the whole social media event quite humorous because I literally saw nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing new. Everything looked like the same stuff from last year, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hype was all about. And those prices? Holy Crap! Do you ladies actually consider spending $150 dollars for a cardigan a sale? That's what I would spend on a dress to wear to my first born child's wedding! A sale for a cardigan to me would be $19.99 or less! Oh, and the same sweaters you purchased last year are still on sale this year...long cardigans especially. So if you didn't grab any long cardigans last year, your in luck, cause they are still in style this year!
 |
| See Original Post HERE |
Now lets talk sleeveless sweaters. There I see a slight change, and for the better. Last year they emerged on the scene in a chunky knit and cropped. I purchased this one pictured below, but I never really liked it because the thick knit, again, made me look fat, and also the shortness of the sweater. My husband never liked this sweater either.
 |
See Original Post HERE
This season sleeveless sweaters are all longer and come past the hip to elongate the figure and you can find them in various knits to suit your preferences, not just a chunky knit. See my previous fashion post HERE for a thin knit, long sleeveless sweater.
When I was shopping for fall clothes with a friend recently, I found many items that I purchased late in the season last year still available this year. I bought this cute suede vest after Christmas, but I did not get to wear it much due to an early spring. I was so happy to still see suede vests for sale in all the stores. |
Sweater vests are also still popular, again, another thing I'm thrilled about since I hardly got any use out of mine last year.
 |
| See Original Post HERE |
What I haven't seen yet are fur vests, and I will be very disappointed if those don't make a comeback because I bought two of them last year and barely wore them. But, it just could be too early to see fur yet. When I was in Vail in May all the women either had leisure wear on or a fur vest with tall boots. So I'll keep my fingers crossed that I won't have to toss them in the charity pile!
Now what about shoes trends? Again not much new. Booties are dominating the shoe scene more than ever, especially when worn with dresses. Even though style bloggers have been wearing booties for years, I think it took mainstream women three years to catch on to them. But I already own more booties than I can count. In fact these booties I bought last year are still available this year!
 |
See Original Post HERE
Although I already own more booties than I need, I still wouldn't mind adding some more booties to my collection. I would love a burgundy pair, another pair with cut outs, or more chunky heeled booties.
Sliders are new and huge among style bloggers. I wouldn't mind trying a pair of these, but I haven't seen in any in my local stores yet. It might be another season or two before they make it to up north to us hillbillies.
Finally, lets talk about color. Colors trend season to season just like style. Every year I look forward to finding out Pantone's Color of the Year! This year their Fall Color Report (see the full report HERE) projected blue, grey, red, mustard and others as the trend for fall of 2016. But what colors am I really seeing trending on the street, in stores, and on fashion blogs? The same as always: Olive Green and Burgundy. Except everyone seems to call the burgundy color by a different name: wine, Merlot, Bordeaux, fig, plum, maroon, oxblood....I'm getting so confused! It's all the same color isn't it, just with different variations of browns and purples added to the red, can't we just agree on a name? Whatever you decide to call it, if you want to be "in" this season, you need this color in your closet, along with olive green, because they are the "IT" colors this season, just like they were last season, and the season before that. They are fall colors! There are only so many fall colors right? I mean burgundy, dark green, rust, burnt orange, reds, browns, mustard yellow: they are all colors we expect to see in fall fashion because we see them in nature every fall. The colors don't change, just which ones are the 'hottest' that year. And this year it is burgundy and olive!
Handbag from H&M HERE, Olive Green Dress HERE
So what does all this mean to you, the consumer? Well, if you've already purchased most of these trends in the past few years your wallet is going to be a lot heavier because you really don't need to go shopping for much, if anything, new this season. And if you missed out on some trends last year, well your in luck, because you can still pick these items up this year. As for retailers, I don't see them making much profit this year since the styles have not changed too much. But I'm not an economist, so what do I know? What I do know is that the fashion industry better get a little more creative in providing women of all shapes, sizes, and ages with new styles, or they will be running out of business!
So what about you? Have you seen any new trends that I've missed on this post? I'd love to hear from you!
Have a Great Day! Amy
Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE! |
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
SaveSave
