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Want to Look Good This Fall? Birmingham Merchants Tell You How

With Fashion's Night Out this evening, local retailers and salons reveal the season's hottest fashion trends.

With fall well on its way — and from 6-9 p.m. today — many Birmingham stores have ushered in new apparel, shoes and accessories that pair well with the change of season.

Birmingham Patch picked the brains of many Birmingham fashionistas to figure out how to keep up with the times and walk with style this fall. According to local retailers, bold fashion statements can be made in the coming months with colored denims, bold accessories, deep jewel tones and a pair of boots.

Dress for fashion success

Short dresses are still in demand more so than long dresses, according to Paulina Harb, owner of , but the styles are trending toward a plain base showered in sequins — a look meant to draw attention. Dresses are coming out with a lot of shine from metallic colors, such as dark cherry, purple and black, Harb said. Likewise, one-shouldered dresses will continue to be popular throughout the fall.

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Sweaters, capes, fur and lace are also sweeping into the stores this fall, said Karen Daskas, co-owner of . “There really never is just one look anymore,” Daskas said.

In the tops department, sheer blouses and shrunken sweaters are popular as are high-low hem shirts, said Jillian Lenko, women’s buyer for .

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“Shirts that have a higher hemline in the front and lower in the back is a strong trend right now. That trend has now bridged and they’re doing skirts like that as well, which are adorable,” Lenko said. 

As for pants, the women’s denim display will be daringly different this fall with a range of colors, said Lennon Caruso, owner of Caruso Caruso. By winter, he said, even brighter colors will make their way into stores, including fluorescents. 

For now though, deep jewel tones and high-rise flairs are big, Lenko said. “It’s very throwback to the ‘70s kind of a look. It’s sexy, introducing a woman to her hips again,” Lenko said. “We’re also seeing a lot of skinny, colored denim.”

Denim in shades of red, cherry red and cabernet are in stock at Caruso Caruso as well as a variety of greens. Browns, camels and other earthy colors have already been a hit as well. Though colored denim isn’t new to the market, Lenko said it usually pops up with spring and summer and is out of fashion come fall. This year, however, Lenko is excited they can switch things up a bit.

Don’t forget the accessories

In the shoe department, Daskas said boots of any size, shape or style are trendy this season, from knee-highs, flats to mid-calfs. Harb agreed, but noted high-heeled boots and shoes make the biggest statement. She also noted feathers and flowers are adorning many of the popular shoes. Metallic colors are great for fall, Harb said, as are other deep tones like navy blues and charcoals.

Big, bold jewelry pieces are every where on the market and long necklaces and earrings pair well with understated apparel, Harb said. Pearls and jewelry made up of large stones are hot at the moment while bold but lightweight scarves will be sticking around into the fall.

“As the dresses get more simple the accessories need more power and to be bolder,” Harb said. “So it’s stylish to spice a look up with bold, interesting pieces of jewelry.”

Top it off with a new 'do 

The tousled look is out this season while the polished, well-kept look is in, said Nina Dimachki, hair stylist at . Though length of hair is dependent on one's face shape, Dimachki said hair falling just below the collarbone is a popular length. In terms of color, clients are opting for richer tones.

“We are adding a little bit of brown or caramel to blonde and if they are already brown (we're) adding a spicier cinnamon veil to warm the color up a bit,” Dimachki said.

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