Back to School Supplies

Fashion’s star pupils will stock their lockers with bolder touches in order to make the grade for fall.

By Maureen Mancini Amaturo

Fashion’s star pupils will stock their lockers with bolder touches in order to make the grade for fall. Minus the shoulder-duster earrings, versions of these trends are available in sizes from elementary school to class mom. If you’re a student of style, you’ll want to take notes on at least two of these new touches to upgrade your wardrobe and supply that fashion thrill that fall is famous for.

Bold blazers

Skirts, pants, jeans in checks, plaids, prints, super-thin stripes, brocade, and bold colors.

Shoes: Mary Janes and T-straps. Heels of every height from platform to wedges, chunky to slim. Free to choose whichever you can walk in. Flats and pumps in patterns, out-there colors, and metallic leathers.

Exposed socks. Ankle-high, knee-high, and over-the-knee. With dress or casual shoes, boots and booties, even high heels from chunky to stiletto.  

Jewelry: Bangles and brooches, bangles and brooches, and bangles and brooches. Stacked, paired, multiplied, you just can’t have enough of them this fall. Wear three small pins in a grouping. Theme them. Mix silver and gold, or metal and color. One of the most fun fall trends is something I’ve been doing for years: mismatched earrings. Hope you saved the leftovers from all those lost pairs. The other fun earring for fall: long. The longer the better, 1980s-long.

Hair: Pulled-back styles, to show off the earrings no doubt.

Fabrics: Prints, textures, patterns. Plaids, stripes, dots, tribal. Experiment with a patterned top over solid pants or grab a patterned accessory from purse to scarf, or flat.

Colors: Green (emerald, mossy lichen, and yellowy linden), acai purple, Greek island blue, samba red, orange leaf, dark coffee. And the pop color, vivacious pink.

What to Study

The Eighties. From neon colors, to print pants, to shoulder-duster earrings. Other subjects from that era will pop up: the puffy sleeve and puffy shoulder, tiny floral print dresses (remember Betsy Johnson’s ’80s prints?) and oversized, slouchy blazers a la “Miami Vice.” Big looks: skinny jeans with a long blazer, sweater, or blouse: boyfriend jean (looser cut) with a slim top. When you shop, listen for Cyndi Lauper whispering, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and the bouncy B-52s telling you to “Work That Skirt.”

What to Major In

Being a girl. Finally, if you have curves, you get an A+. Test out the fitted, lace, and peplum dresses that work the female form with body-hugging silhouettes. And if that isn’t girly enough, floral headbands, hats, and gloves are wiggling into the spotlight.

You might want to shorten your coat sleeves to have a little more fun with gloves. Pick a pair of opera-length, exotic print, textured, or bold-colored. Even better, a vintage pair. Lucky me, I kept most of my gloves from the ’80s with bead, feather and fur trims, lace ruffles on leather, and bright, bold colors.

And finally the girliest girly-girl get up: those exposed socks. Ruffled anklets with laced shoes or pumps. Lace, patterned, prints, bold colors or black, embellished, knitted, knee-high and higher. Watch for them with Mary Janes, oxfords, wedges, pumps, ankle-strap shoes, booties, combat boots, and every form of high heel.

Today’s Lesson

Alliteration. Fit your figure and the fashion will flatter you.