Leaves are beginning to change color. The air is getting cooler. It comes without saying that autumn is in the air. But the season is not the only thing changing. Fashion trends are shifting from the flashy and flirty attire associated with hotter months to the cozy and warm outfits of the fall season.
Although some students are known to wear pajama pants to class, others are more fashion savvy. Senior fashion-merchandising major, Christina Dang is one of those students.
Even as a child, she knew she loved fashion.
“It is about style and reflecting yourself,” she said. “You have to cater it to your personality.”
Although the president of Fashion Moguls Memphis did emphasize originality, she also listed a few basic trends and dos & don’ts for autumn.
According to Dang, boots are a big plus.
“We’re shying away from combat boots, and wearing more Chelsea boots with the lace,” she added.
But for the vice president, Lena Evans-Ray, boots become a fashion crime when used for incorrectly.
Evans-Ray, also a senior fashion-merchandising major, listed “shorts and Uggs” as the biggest fashion no-no of the season.
Charla Folsom is an adjunct professor for the fashion-merchandising department. According to her, open-toe booties with metallic heel accents go great with eveningwear in the fall.
Dang, Evans-Ray, and Folsom all listed darker earthy colors as autumn-appropriate. Collectively, they mentioned colors such as sapphire, jade, magenta, crimson, emerald, wine, cream and camel.
“Nudes are always in,” Dang said.
And according to Folsom, black is classic.
As far as the “never wear white after labor day” rule, Dang doesn’t agree.
“There are rules. You can break them. You just have to know how,” Dang added.
Men and fashion have stereotypically never mixed well, but it is just a stereotype.
“There are lots of men that are fashionable,” Dang said. To validate her argument, she referenced the growing popularity of vintage styles among male students including round glasses and fedoras.
Folsom said men are wearing slimmer-fitting pants.
“Many men are afraid of fashion because they think there are not options for them,” Evans-Ray added. She suggested they follow male fashion on social media sites for guidance.
All of them listed plaid and prints as a common theme in male and female apparel.
Many students may not be able to afford the next big fashion statement, but Dang and Evans-Ray spoke highly of the popular craze of “thrifting.”
Thrifting is the act of shopping at thrift stores and vintage shops to get a better bargain.
“I absolutely love finding thrifted items because you are able to be unique and cheap all in one,” Evans-Ray continued.
Dang also suggested hitting up the sales racks of clothing stores.
“It’s not as much as shopping cheap as it is shopping smart,” Dang added.
Folsom promotes mixing highs with lows. “Buy your basics at Target, and something classic that you’ll have for a longer time at a more expensive store,” she said.
Apparently make-up and hairstyles correlate with fashion.
Dang suggests wearing subtle shadows with a bold lip color such as burgundy.
And Folsom said people should shift from lighter and redder hair colors in the summer to darker tones in the fall.
Folsom emphasized the importance of year-around etiquette.
“Never have your undergarments showing, don’t wear clothes that do not fit, either too big or too small and look clean,” she said.
Even if you cannot afford to dress up everyday, Folsom said she believes everyone should always try.
“Whether you like it or not, you’re going to be judged by your appearance,” she continued.
“Before you open your mouth, people see you. You can be neat and clean with inexpensive clothes.”
