MyShingle Fashion: Trend Alert: Warming Up For Fall/Winter 2010!

It’s deceptively warm out there, and I, for one, am not complaining. I adore autumn, but I abhor the fact that it precedes winter…and is usually so short, not giving me ample time to resign myself to the first snowfall of the season.

But the mornings are surprisingly nippy sometimes, even as midday temps hit the lower seventies, at least, in Chicago, where I am. That works out well for me, though, because I love fall coats. During the winter I basically wear my down jacket, and, no, I don’t play into the Corporette argument that professional women should avoid ‘puffy jackets.’ Forget that noise. This is Chicago, Frank Sinatra’s kind of town, and during a mild winter, the temperatures recede to a generally ‘eh’ twenty below. So if Corporette wants me in a thin little wool coat for the sake of looking dignified and like a professional woman, they’re paying to amputate my toes. I’m just putting that out there.

But in the fall, I can choose from a far wider array of coats, equal parts cute and functional. It’s not cold enough to worry about my toes, since I lack any sort of biological control mechanism even remotely resembling homeostasis, and I can afford to pay attention to things like material and cut and style. Because, I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but down jackets basically come in one style: marshmallow-with-toothpick-legs. That is what you look like when you wear one.

Personally, I don’t dress for trends. I prefer timeless, somewhat ‘basic,’ I guess, pieces that will transcend seasons of fashion. I like to take good care of my clothes and wear them until they start to look a little ‘off,’ at which point they’re either donated or relegated to puttering-around-the-house-yelling-at-the-plants clothes.

I yell at the plants a lot. That’s probably why they all die.

But I do like to work a couple trendy items into my wardrobe at a given time, and I always have a fall coat that is perfectly on-trend. Last year – or was it two years ago? – military coats were a big deal. So I got the prettiest yellow peacoat from, wait for it, Victoria’s Secret, that had military-style buttons down the front AND back, and I loved it to bits.

This year, for Fall/Winter of 2010, we have a TON of different coat choices to pick from, and I’m going to provide a little workshop in what’s out there. A CLE of sorts – Coat Learning Experience. Get out your notebooks, ladies, because there will be a quiz at the end!

The runways were crammed like my double-closet with amazing outerwear, and we saw some familiar pieces: trenches and parkas always manage to join the party each fall. But the season’s most on-trend piece is easily the aviator jacket.

You get a great textural contrast with the fuzzy shearling and the super-soft buttery leather, and with an updated cut and the totally oversized collar, this coat is the season’s most coveted piece.

If you’re worried that it’s still a little too out-there for the office, it’s still great for after-work functions. I felt I should include it even though some might easily pass it up because I couldn’t even attempt to talk about current trends without mentioning this one.

Here are some of the options to choose from:

For ethical reasons, some of you may not want to wear leather. (I apologize for basically only posting leather shoes and bags so far – I shall make more of an effort to find vegan leather pieces for you.) I have a friend that’s an environmental activist and started working for the EPA during law school; she gave up meat and dairy and leather and wool for vegetarian and alternative clothing options because she felt she couldn’t very well get up on her soapbox about protecting our planet if she ate chicken wings during the football game and marched around in leather pumps.

These two jackets are faux-leather, even though I mistakenly labeled the second one as ‘faux-fur.’ Speaking of which, faux-fur is also a big trend this seasons. Footnote!

Anyway, one’s in dark brown and one is in black, even though it’s a little hard to tell from the pictures. You can see that these jackets are cropped: that makes them great to toss on over pants, skinny jeans, skirts, everything. Aviators are a great way to toughen up a printed blouse or pencil skirt, too.

Not feeling the chocolate or black? Go for this color and real leather from ShopBop at just under $800.

Want to drop even more coin?

Then hit up Bergdorf’s for this little beauty. And while you’re at it, send me a big bag of money, too – I’ve got federal loans to pay off and ponies to buy. And also friends for the ponies. Thank you!

What’s up next as far as 2010 trends? The camel coat, of course. I’ll be devoting a full post to this color and it’s domination of the fall season, but for now, let’s just look at some of the popular coat choices out there.

These coats first appeared last fall and they’re back with a vengeance this year. There are TONS of options, from super-long coats to wraps to little cropped pea coats. Just be sure to try them on in front of a mirror and take a good, long look when you go shopping so that you can pick the shade of camel that goes best with your skintone.

Here are a couple of options, all linked, of course, to give you some idea as to the shades and styles available out there.

See how different they all are in terms of cut and style and even color? Trust me, there are so many options out there, and you’re sure to find one that you love and that totally flatters your figure.

What’s next? Cape coats!

Personally, I blame Stephanie Meyers and the stupidity of our nation’s youth for this one. The vampire craze is finally dying out, though, but not before it translated into fashion.

Wait.

Vampires still wear capes, right? Or did they give that up once they started sparkling in the sunlight and being all emo? Ugh, on second thought, please don’t tell me. I’d rather not know, and preserve the classic Dracula of my youth before Edward Cullen and Bill Compton et al ruined everything.

Still, I promise I’m being serious when I say that cape coats are in, and I promise I’m not going to send you out into the world looking ridiculous. This season’s cape coats look something like this:

See? Nothing outrageous or weird.

This coat is cozy and comfortable and comes in a myriad of different styles – military, floor-length, fur-trimmed, and more. Since this coat is so loose and billowy up top, though, keep the rest of your silhouette lean to balance it all out.

I have to admit, I really like cape coats. I think they’re adorable. I received this coat this past spring, from an up-and-coming Chicago designer, and it’s so wonderfully on-trend for this fall.

Here’s the picture (linked in case you want the purchasing information). It’s hanging in my closet right now!

And yes, it’s adorable. Especially with the leather sleeves. I get a ton of compliments whenever I wear it, and it’s surprisingly warm.

Also, how scary-thin are that model’s legs?!

Moving on, we turn to the military coat. This trend is still going strong, and Marc Jacobs really emphasized the motif in his showing this fall.

Again, these coats are available in a wide variety of styles, and I’ll show you a couple of them.

See? What did I tell you? Tons of choices.

I’m going to skip one of the season’s trendy jackets, parkas, because I don’t like drawstring waists and all the fussy details. And I don’t like the army surplus look. I’m a big fan of menswear inspired items (argyle, oxfords, vests, dress shirts, tweed) but not so much when it comes to army-inspired. It’s just not my thing.

So I’ll round out our survey of trends with oversized trench coats.

These are a perennial favorite, and this season they’re turning up with wide lapels and big belts. Go big or go home, ladies.

See? Look at that dramatic spread collar. Expect to see more of these popping up everywhere.

And there we have a (nearly) complete survey of the trendiest coats this season! I did say there would be a quiz at the end, so put away your notes and get out your #2 pencils and answer the following questions.

1. Was this post at all helpful?

2. Which style is your favorite?

3. Post a link to the trendy coat you’re coveting!

4. Send me a big bag of money. Or a pony. Either one is acceptable.