Fall Fashion Trends Run Gamut from Androgyny to Elegance, Burnt Colors to Neutrals

Fall Fashion Trends and Winter fashion offers such a smorgasbord of style choices, you can build on what you own to create a look that is all yours.

All of us may be glad to learn that wide leg trousers, comfortable and flattering to many mature figures, are a major presence.

What To Wear If You Are Sporty and Casual

If you prefer sporty and casual wear - the Artemis fashion archetype - designers are offering man-tailored tuxedo suits, bulky knits, mid-calf and maxi skirts, and military-style coats.

Feminine Aphrodite will like this season's pleats and frills. Plunging necklines will appeal to bolder Baubo, as will a smattering of sheet blouses.

Bohemian Styles Sustain 70s Influence

Your inner Hecate, the eternal Bohemian gal, will be reassured by the continuing revival of this 70s theme for winter fashion.

To achieve this look, wear different textures - corduroy slacks with a satiny, embroidered blouse and a tapestry jacket - in some of the season's boldest colors, such as burnt orange.

On the other hand, sophisticated Metis can choose another updated legacy from the 1970 - the look of elegance. Choose draped blouses and dresses, often for evening wear.

Elegant Dresses Are Good Choice for Sophisticates

I'm old enough to remember that draped dresses borrowed from an even earlier period of elegance - the undraped gowns of the 1920s. This cutting edge style that broke sharply with the structured garb of the Victorian and previous eras that corseted women in whalebones.

Asian-inspired fashion, with decidedly Western interpretations, are another way to achieve classic simplicity and be on-trend.

What Colors To Wear For Fall Fashion Trends

Lavendar-blue, featured by some of the top international designers, is a calming and elegant shade. Soft melon and taupe are other colors that express Sophia's inner peace.

Winter white continues the spring-summer theme past the traditional Labor Day deadline.

Bold colors break with the typical fall-winter palette or neutrals. Even basic black is replaced by a preference for gray and brown, a relative newcomer.

Red remains a constant on the fashion palette. It's always popular from December through Valentine's day. This year's trendiest shades are in the burgundy family - darker, richer, with a touch of blue to make it a bit more purple.

Burnt orange, rust, and other burnt shades will enliven outfits that start with brown. Shiny fabrics are being shown; my prediction is that few older women will be attracted to these for daytime wear.

Maxi Skirts Are Warm, Practical, & Stylish

Hestia, the domestic diva, is another sign that will like the midi and maxi skirts that characterize Fall fashion trends and winter fashion for 2011-12.

These longer skirts often are shown with pleated and ruffled tops in soft fabrics. Add a nice belt in a faux-animal print for pizzazz.

Stand Out in Prints, Leather, and Faux Fur

Kali will like leather and the emphasis on faux fur. These are becoming more and more realistic. Meanwhile, real fur often is dyed and made to look fake - perhaps to soften criticism in these environmentally-aware times.

Especially trendy women may like the wide choker necklaces and cuff bracelets that current Fall fashion trends and winter fashion accessories.

A jolt of lemon yellow, featured for the past two spring-summers, also brightens some winter fashion ensembles.

To Wrap It All Up for Fall Fashion Trends

It's easier than ever to dress the way you want and still be in style. Designers are offering a little something for every fashion archetype.

Take stock of your lifestyle, your wallet, and your tastes and dress your inner goddess to express the real you.

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