Fall Fashion

Fall Fashions

Student newspaper, October 8th, 2009

As a child, I’d press my nose against the classroom window, watching as green leaves turned to brown and covered the roads around the village in deep russet. The early dark skies meant, for the first time in months, I wasn’t forced to go out and play, and could instead curl around a cushion, poring over books and surrounded by crayons and thick waxy paper. As the years progressed and any Howard Hughes instincts lessened, my appreciation for autumn developed into an appreciation of what American Vogue calls, ‘Fall Fashions.’ The endless exfoliation, shedding of wanted hair, and prepping of English rose skin could be joyously abandoned, along with too-small string bikinis and old paisley shorts that had seen better days. A summer style is much harder to cultivate, given as there is so little clothing to be worn, and events that would be considered routine in any other season become a sartorial nightmare. Travelling on the tube is a noxious tunnel to Dante’s Inferno; they don’t advise you to keep a water bottle on your person for nothing. Work is another head scratcher, with the benefits of a cool body at times outweighing keeping one’s spaghetti-strapped dignity in a boardroom.

And then, with a gentle transition, autumn is upon us, and any sun is accompanied by an icy crispness that forces one to change their wardrobe accordingly. Coats that have been shoved at the back of chests are yanked out; pockets cleaned of old pens and scraps of paper from its last outing. Favoured skirts and blouses are ironed for their renewed inclusion in the weekday rotation. Thick tights and soft, beribboned vests are unearthed from drawers. Clothes are more expensive, to be sure; the weather will not be forgiving to cheap tie-dye or synthetic brights, but one can justify the purchase of a luxurious camel throw by reminding oneself, and indeed everyone around her, that it can be worn eight months out of every twelve. Most women have the logic by arithmetic attitude to a purchase: “but it only works out at £1.92 a wear, honey”, that makes men shake their heads in despair.

Make-up is spirited in summer, and a reassurance in cooler seasons. The emphasis is to show off not the peacock blue eye shadow, but your face, and I instinctively find myself gravitating towards cool ivory powders and tawny eye shadows, which emphasize rather than overpower. Pale skin can be perfectly offset by a deep lipstick, dark red or plum, and evokes a 1930’s heroine for the nostalgic amongst us. Structure, both in make-up and clothing, is everything, and for those that don’t feel too comfortable baring all in a cut-out one piece (99% of us, surely), there is the wonderful option of layering, dark colours, and structure. Skirts can be long, tweed and tailored, and paired with a biker boot or Doc Marten, wonderfully edgy. Shirts must be crisp, with darts and seams that fit instead of swamp. Not many feel the need for bright tunics on evenings out, instead leaning with relief on the trusted LBD or something equally inky and fitted. Clothes that hold you, envelop you, not in the restrictive nature of Mad Men costuming, but in a way that makes you glad of their presence.

Or, you can abandon any of these elegiac notions and set off down the street in old moon boots, some battered jeans, a huge jumper, and equally huge parka. That’s what I chose last night, stomping amongst the leaves as I set off for drinks with friends, and it admittedly worked just as well. Bring on the winter, I say. We’re ready.