Autumn Accoutrements

Fall has arrived in Edmond, which is obvious driving down the street seeing fall wreaths adorning front doors, or noticing the excessive sales of pumpkin flavored anything. After the summer heat, hardly any Edmond residents are grumbling over the change of season. Besides all the decorations, candles and pumpkin treats, the other surefire way to tell fall is here is with the change of clothing. Hello plaid!

The time has come for women and men to switch their wardrobe from summer to winter. Out with the tanks, shorts and swimwear and in with the sweaters, hats and jackets.

Besides the addition of more layers, fall offers many more opportunities for accessorizing. While this could be exciting for some, it can also be stressful to others because of the additional decisions to be made. There is no need to fear if someone is unsure of their style decisions— there are plenty of professionals in the area who can help anyone find the right look for their autumn closet. Not only should clothes keep people warm, they should also be stylish.

Pretty Patterns for Women

While there are always some good staple pieces to have in every woman’s closet, fashion trends are always falling in and out of style. It’s important for women to decide how to handle the ever-changing trends while holding on to their personal style and what they feel their best in. It can be fun to adapt with the current styles, but it’s also wise to have staple pieces that can be good options to throw on when a crazy day strikes.

Cindi Shelby, owner of R Meyers, loves the trend of menswear in women’s fashion. She loves rich fabrics like houndstooth and pincheck. Along with menswear, any mixing of fabrics is a win in her book. “I love the look of a fitted leather vest on top of a high neck ruffled blouse and a wide leg glen plaid pant.” This look screams fashion.

As far as accessories, Shelby exclaims it’s all about the choker necklaces. “I love them casual with jeans, or fancy with an evening gown. They are super versatile and fun to play with.”

Pam and Teri from Hip and Swanky are looking forward to breaking the rules this season. They like how women don’t have any rules to follow any longer and how they can keep their white skinny jeans out every season.

They share that some of the trends this season are chunky jewelry, lace-up front tops and shirt dresses. As far as shoes, the peekaboo toe is still big for fall, so don’t be afraid to change it up and ditch the boots. Or, try the block heel that will transition through the season.

Staples with Texture for Men

While women’s style is constantly in flux, men’s fashion remains fairly constant and doesn’t have as many trends. One might say that men have it easier by only needing to have a few strong pieces in their closet.

Brent Giles from Steven Giles states that men’s quality clothes are too expensive to change constantly with varying trends. Instead of buying cheap trendy clothing, he suggests purchasing timeless pieces that will last.

This season, Giles recommends every man own a good sport coat. Sport coats don’t need to be super dressy and should be worn more casual—and more often. A nice sport coat with jeans is a great look for men and can be worn to many different type of events. Interesting and versatile fabrics to look for are tweed, corduroy and other thicker fabrics for the cooler season.

Giles shares another trend, as a way to be more fashionable and different, have alternative fabrics in your five-pocket denim. “Try grays or indigo, something besides just the basic,” encourages Giles.

Rohit Mahbubani from The Wardrobe Modern Menswear likes mixing and matching genres of clothing, adding more transitional outfits that can be work or play appropriate. For instance, wearing a nicer shoe with jeans. Flannels and textures are big this season and there is a big resurgence of mixing fabrics, according to Mahbubani. Don’t be afraid to experiment with colors, patterns and textures.

Specific items to look for this fall? “Car-coats are very popular, along with the double breasted jacket,” says Mahbubani. “Also the Chelsea boots will be big, with suede in particular.”

Mahbubani believes men can stretch out their wardrobe by having four or five key items, and simply adding in trendier pieces. He explains you can be surprised at how much you can combine these pieces and make your wardrobe look new again.

Learn more at R Meyers: rmeyersokc.com, Hip & Swanky: facebook.com/hipandswanky.edmond; Steven Giles: stevengilesclothing.com; The Wardrobe: thewardrobeokc.com.