FALLING FOR FASHION

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The fashion for this fall has a very schizophrenic quality about it. Just when you think you’ve pinpointed a central theme, its polar opposite pops up to disprove your theory. Slick patent leather offsets soft feathers and fur. Jewel tones meet their contradiction in black-on-black textures. Low slung, wide-legged pants offer a rebuttal to the high-waist, skinny silhouette.

If you prefer consistency, take solace in the ubiquitous color this season: gray. Oddly enough, the all-over-the-map tendency of the upcoming trends manifested the color’s dominance. “It’s safe and simple,” said Tom Julian, director of trends for ad agency McCann Erickson. “Gray works best with the merging of all these worlds: ’50s, modern, vintage. It’s a balancing act.”

On the extravagant end of the scale you have feathers, fur and fringe. Each has only been offered as trimming or detailing for accessories in recent seasons. Their dominance this time around represents a move toward indulgence, according to Julian. Luxury, whether authentic or faux, rears its pretty little head in several forms at all pricepoints. But the trend forecaster sees feathers as the “artistry” of the season. Those who fawned over embroidery and crystal accents of past seasons will be the same ones tickling their outfits with feathers this fall.

Most others will favor “minimalism over ornamentation,” Julian said. That translates to understated garments with subtle yet charming attributes — shift dresses with pleats, empire waists cinched with wide belts, scooped necklines, three-quarter sleeves and ’50s era tailoring.

Designers haven’t gotten off that easy by simply borrowing from past trends. Both metallics and patent leather test their creative prowesses and, in most cases, they pass with flying colors. Metallics show up in every hue imaginable and patent leather arrives in forms unimaginable as the primary focus of dresses, blouses, skirts and more. “Patent leather now has been played on a technology note,” Julian said. “It’s now soft, in a tissue weight and can work on outerwear.”

For those who have very patiently waited for the high waist to make an appearance, this is your season. Although, designers and editors told us two seasons ago that the new waistline had returned, they still couldn’t be found in modest-priced stores. As of press time, Banana Republic, Nordstrom and Urban Outfitters all carry styles under $200. Keeping right in line with the countering nature of this fall’s trends, each retailer boasts just as many low-rise styles.

According to Julian, one thing designers can’t be accused of this season: lack of selection.