There’s a new matchy-matchy combo this season — pants layered with a matching skirt. The skirts can be long and graceful for Contemporary customers or short and sassy for Juniors. Many of the skirts tie-on apron-style, but some are created with built-in panels. Perhaps the look got its start with all the dress-over-pants layering seen on the streets — and emerging on runways as well.
In troubled times we need our blankeys. Luckily cozy wraps uptrend for next fall, whether it’s a big plaid throw worn shawl-style, or versions cut as ponchos, ruanas or capes. Jacquard wovens ensure that both sides are worth showing, and fringed or bound edges add to the authentic blanket feel.
The penchant for fringe and the lust for glitter come together in tinsel-like trim. Sparkling strips enliven fringe skirts or are used as an allover look to create intense texture. The festive strands — whether they are sequin-covered, metallic yarns or cut from Day-Glo plastic — work for everything from ironic Coco-inspired tweeds to smooth techno pieces. Most beguiling, perhaps, is the mysterious allure created when long tinsel peeks out from beneath a menswear suit. 
The padded scarf has been edging its way onto runways for a few years, but this season it seems to be taking hold. There are rich jacquard versions, floral prints, leopard patterns and reversible solids. Some take the shape of a shawl (like a tiny portable duvet) or a shawl-jacket hybrid. Embellishments include fringed edges, toggle drawstrings, or pyramid-shaped brass studs.
