Fall into Fashion
Season brings more urban feel to Eau Claire
Natalie Saeger
Issue date: 9/15/08 Section: Showcase
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Stores at Oakwood Mall, 4800 Golf Road, offer an abundance of choices and styles guaranteed to satisfy any fall shopper. This season's styles are providing a more forward look that's bringing Eau Claire more diversity, The Buckle's store manager Rebecca Fisher said.
Tattoo anyone?
Instead of disappointing Mother Dearest and getting a tattoo permanently etched on your body, consider an alternative.
A big trend this season that's being seen on short and long-sleeved T-shirts are tattoo-inspired graphics. But, before cringing at the idea of skulls and crossbones, Fisher said the designs are going in many different directions.
"Some are musician-inspired … some are nautically inspired with water and ships," she said.
Fisher said there are also nature-inspired designs like birds, crosses, trees and plants.
Jessica Hedlund, assistant manager at Wet Seal, also sees a lot of tattoo-inspired clothing in her store, with graphics featuring rock n' roll and heart images.
Sophomore Mike Ross said he has a lot of tattoo-inspired graphics on his T-shirts and likes to incorporate them into his wardrobe.
"I think they're really versatile," he said. "You can wear them as just a T-shirt and when it gets cooler you can layer them and also pair them up with a button-down shirt, having the design poking out."
Also, at The Buckle a lot of treatments are used on tops to give a more original look, like inside-out screens and paint on tops, Fisher said.
Layer, layer, layer
So many things have layers. Onions have layers. The Earth has layers. Even Shrek, the ogre, has layers. So, why shouldn't clothes be layered?
Many styles this season that are considered casual don't have to be paired up with another casual item, Hedlund said.
She suggests basics for layering: "Pair a dressy vest with a t-shirt or a tank top … also a tunic top with leggings and a sweater is a nice way to layer."
The Buckle Fisher said they like to pair a higher-end T-shirt up with a thermal, such as the ones by Ed Hardy, Filter, Obey or Manchester.
Sweaters, vests, jackets and patterns … oh my!
If the Wizard of Oz group were going to visit the great and powerful Oz at the mall, one would ask for a sweater dress, another would ask for a vest with fur, the third a tailored-suit inspired vest and the last character a military-accented jacket.
Jackets this season have a largely military-inspired structure.
"Many of the jackets are cropped at the midrift and are tweed or plaid, with a lot of cool buttons and metal hardware," Hedlund said.
One of the main items for the season at Wet Seal is the sweater dress. Hedlund said the best way to wear a sweater dress is with a belt under the narrowest part of the body with leggings underneath and plain flats or Ugg boots for footwear.
"Lots of big necks, like turtlenecks and cowl necks, are big right now … military details are big on sweaters, as well as double pockets and button details and almost all of our sweaters are short-sleeved or a three-quarters sleeve," Hedlund said.
Oversized collars and fur-lined sweaters at The Buckle have been popular on women's fashion, Fisher said, adding that men's sweaters are a lighter-weight cable net that are argyle, striped or solid in pattern.
Ross said he was all about the pattern for fall.
"I'm really loving the plaid this year," he said, adding "the argyle
pattern seems to be big every year so you can wear it again every year, which is kind of cool."
At Wet Seal's "fashion society," the theme incorporates the plaid, tweed and hounds tooth patterns. It's like taking boarding-school chic and putting it into everyday life, Hedlund said, adding that there are going to be a lot of blazers and vests.
"Vests can be an everyday key piece in the wardrobe because they can go with almost anything," she said.
Fisher said wool and plaid vests are great for outerwear, and added the tailored-suit vest is a little more cropped and is used "a lot more for fashion than function."
Another pattern showing up quite a bit is the animal print.
Hedlund said animal print pieces are great for going out in. Senior Stephanie Solberg wears it out occasionally.
"I like the animal print, but not a lot of it," she said.
Hedlund said accenting an outfit with zebra print shoes can look really nice.
The denim difference
Wide-leg, straight-leg, light-washed or dark-washed. There are so many options available in denim today, which makes choosing the right pair of jeans a mind-numbing task.
Jeans this season are popular in every type of wash and color, Fisher said. Both Fisher and Hedlund say the more skinny and straight leg are best-selling for the season.
"(The skinny jean) really does elongate your body ... if you create a long line down your body … you'll draw attention all the way down," Hedlund said. "Also, they're really versatile and can be worn with a sweater dress and Uggs for a more casual look."
Fisher said The Buckle's best-selling fit has more of a straight leg and 20-inch bottom opening, adding that color and wash preferences at her store were diverse among her customers. She said the higher-end brands have darker, cleaner washes with pocket treatments being a huge trend on both men's and women's jeans.
"Back flaps on pockets, embellished pocket treatments with fabric overlays such as hounds tooth and oversized hardware are big right now," Fisher said, adding that hem drags are really detailed and that oversized open stitches are also featured on the jeans this season.
Ross said he owns pairs of the embellished jeans already.
"I think they're really exciting. Jeans (for men) used to be really boring … but embellishments are slowly but surely being adopted on the guys side. They're fun to pair up with a more simple shirt … being more focus from the shirt to the jean."
"I really love color."
Fisher said colors are very diverse and can be categorized into collections like bold, earthy and very bright west coast colors. The more fashion- forward look embodies a look of more black instead of the earthy, brown tones, she said.
At Wet Seal, Hedlund said the most popular colors this season are purple, teal and red.
Solberg said her favorite colors to wear are brown, bright and dark blue and gray.
For Ross, color is something that can't be ignored. "I really love color," he said. "The more of it, the better."
Ross said he likes to wear the crazy colors but said neutrals are always guaranteed to look good on everyone and allows people to keep it safe.
Bigger is better
As far as accessories go for the season; bigger is better.
Hedlund said the jewelry trend for fall has been oversized and chunky, with looks involving multiple chains, lots of stones and studding and pieces that are made with pearl and gold accents.
Alicia Zwiefelhofer, assistant manager at The Icing said a lot of customers like long necklaces, but can be hesitant and will at times buy smaller. She also said many shoppers have been buying the smaller earrings.
"I like the bigger, larger necklaces … it enhances what you wear," Solberg said. "Also, I like pearls because I feel like they are more casual now."
Purses this season are fashion-forward rather than casual, Fisher said. But they still very functional because of the space they provide with compartments and zippers.
Every year, clothing's getting more diverse, especially in the denim market, Fisher said. "Fashion has really taken a notch up."
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