(Wearable) Fall 2011 Trends

It should come as no surprise that I read (ahem, look at the pretty pictures) fashion magazines. One of my favorites for years now has been Lucky. It's what I want in a magazine: lots of fun photos and collages of fun trends as well as shopping guides. (And they don't just put in the pricey stuff.) What can I say? It gets the fashion magazine job done, as far as I'm concerned.

(Yeah, I dig the Vogues and Glamours of this world, too, but sometimes you just want to flip through brightly colored pages and "ooh" and "aah" at the items you want, OK?)

I stumbled across this blog post from the online version of the magazine: The Top Fashion Trends for Fall 2011, brought to Lucky by the Budget Fashionista. I decided to put together a quick photo run-down of the looks I've tried in the past, and my assessment. Here goes somethin'!

The Maxi Skirt: Fall's Other Skirt

What was fall's first skirt? I think maybe "the leather skirt." I doubt I'll be going there.

Anyhoo. I like the maxi skirt, even this black number I bought for less than $10 off of the Gap sale rack. I think ideally I should get a clingier jersey-style skirt to keep up with the trend, but I haven't worn this sale skirt enough to justify putting some real money into one. It's hard to ride a scooter in a maxi skirt anyway

Chance I'll try it again for fall: Moderate.

Tuxedo Look: Menswear-inspired Trend


I really dig the menswear-inspired stuff. From button-down shirts to oxford shoes to blazers, it's a trend I can get behind. I even ordered a pair of Dolce Vita penny loafers through Hautelook the other day. But I'll probably keep growing out my hair instead of chopping it into the pixie cut made famous (OK, not really) by my appearance as "Peter Pan." As much as I love the cut on me, it's time to grow out the locks again.

Chance I'll try it again for fall: High. Like, certain. I should probably buy more blazers.

Jade & Teal: The New Colors

I've been a fan of jewel tones ever since I decided based on highly scientific research that they're the best for my skin tone. It involved lots of beakers and microscopes.

Naturally I gravitate toward jade and teal (and cobalt blue and magenta and the like). I got a jump on the teal trend this year when I bought this (almost) maxi dress this summer. I like how I "fallerized" it here, and I'll probably keep taking a stab at the layering.

Chance I'll try it again for fall: Very likely.

Work Dress: The Wardrobe Workhorse

I've purchased several dresses this year, two of them LBD's. But I don't get all fancy about it at work like this lady. I mean, I work with a bunch of engineers and programmers. This is pretty darn dressed up for my office.

Oh, and I like this look.

Chance I'll try it again for fall: Likely, but I should invest in a printed "work dress."

Colored Pencil Pants: The Attention-Getter

Are my pants loud enough for you?

I've had these red cords--which I LOVE--for almost a year now, so I guess I'm ahead of this trend? I know, I know. They're not "pencil pants," whatever that is. (First, it's cigarette pants, now pencils??) But I still dig 'em. Perhaps I should branch out in my color choice?

Chance I'll try it again for fall: Highly likely. They're attention-grabbing!

Trends not pictured:

Emberglow. Seriously, this isn't a color. It's orange, I'm pretty sure. Or a Tequila Sunrise, if you stir it up, maybe? But I admit, I like the color. Oh, I know! It's pumpkin!

The Cape Crusader. Ha! Clever title. You all know that I've tried the poncho thing. It was not a smashing success. I'm pretty sure a cap would go over similarly. I won't write it off, but I also won't bother spending $140 on a not-so-sure thing.

Pencil Skirt: The Office Staple. Similar to the work dress, I just don't need something quite so fancy as a pencil skirt. I know they can be casual, but unless I find one that I love (jersey, perhaps) that's also comfy and cozy, it's not worth my closet space.

Polka Dot: The Perfect Print. Do I really own nothing polka-dotted? ::Does a mental closet scan:: No! I really don't! I think I'd like to remedy this. I mean, it's just such a sweet print. Although, I wouldn't call this a fall trend. It's more of a forever trend.

Leather Skirt: It's Back. Uh, no. Not my thing.

Color Bocking: Still Going Strong. I can't believe I haven't (even accidentally) tried this trend yet. On it.

What fall fashion trend would or wouldn't you try?

Final Sale

Today was packed at work. It felt like I sat down at 9am and didn't look up from my computer till 6:30pm. And I was productive! Churning out content like it's my j--oh, right.

In other news, I bought this top from the Gap the other week. For like $10. Final sale. Maybe a bit of a risk, but I love the tab collar. (I don't know if that's what it's actually called. Anyone know?) Goes well with my new-found menswear inspired looks. Plus, the peachy orange hue is on trend for the Spring, right?

Remember the bootcamp I started? Well, it went swimmingly last week, and then I started experiencing scooter problems this week. The bootcamp is kind of far away from my apartment (too far to walk and too long to ride on the train at 6am), so when the scooter is out of commission, it's too much hassle to get there. But don't worry, I got an "at home" workout plan that my instructor sent me.

 Gap top, Banana Republic cardigan and shoes, gifted jeans, F21 bracelet, Guatemalan ring

But it does bring up a good point. I don't really like it when I have to travel just to get to my workouts. Ever since I started working out consistently, I always had a place to go that was convenient. While living with my folks I had a membership at an women's gym that was on my way home from work. In grad school I used the school gym. Now I either run right from my front steps or go to 24-Hour Fitness, just about a 5 block walk away from home.

This bootcamp is slightly inconvenient.

I'm not giving up, but I will have to wait until Reba (the scoot) is back up and running. Till then, guess I'll be getting up early tomorrow morning to do some at-home weight training!