{winter.trends}

Hey everyone! As you may know, I am a big fan of window shopping. It keeps your eyes current, you get a good idea of what the trends are (but not the ones that are like wildfire and will get old, boring and cliche too soon) and where the good deals are. Today at the mall, they were putting out all the new clothes for the winter season and putting last season's clothes into clearance. I love clearance shopping- even if you are a season behind, a lot of the time last season yielded some unpopular styles that will likely be in fashion next year- finding classic pieces that are always popular are a surefire way to get great deals for next year. Also, I like to decide for myself what I like and what I don't- some trends last for years in slow growing popularity.

Anyhow- I was in Winners, and found some fabulous loot!

Steve Madden Wool Military Jacket

Winners; $79.99



I've been loving the military jacket trend for quite some time now. I think it may have been the use of military button style coats (a la Sgt Pepper) used by Coldplay and Britney Spears in recent years; though I like them less embellished than that. And I have had a growing love of pea coats since last winter, but ones that fell about mid-thigh, just above the knee and were fitted at the waist. My first had a cinching belt there, but I disliked the bisecting aspect of the belt and often didn't use it. Military pea coats look more tailored and sleek.

Statement eyes. Eyes are always my favorite thing to highlight, and I prefer the look of a nude lip most of the time- it has the allure of the morning after. However, one of the great things about a light lid and eyeliner is that it looks really great with a nude lip, or with a statement color. I'm still sort-of trapped in my matte pink phase (I'm using a great purple-pink shade from Shiseido- a huge splurge on my part, though NYC sells a similar shade for a tenth of the price). Deep to dark reds are very popular this fall, though I would reserve them for evening use- they're a little much for daytime wear.

Maybelline Eye Studio 24hr Liquid Eyeliner
Walmart; $9.99

Now, not to seem biased, but sleek hair has been in for quite some time, and while I am a huge fan of that trend (it eliminates so much of the work and somehow always looks fabulous) my fondness is waning. This is the one time I actually like sleek hair. On longer hair, lately it feels too artificial, and really is more time consuming. At the moment, I have shoulder length curly hair, though I usually keep my hair about chin length- because it is so much work. However, I am really loving curly hair right now! Here are my top picks for fall:

A la Phantom of the Opera, I have always loved Emmy Rossum's sculpted curls, especially when they were not pulled into a 'do of any kind. Sculpted, but left free and wild to roam where they may. The sculpted curls look sophisticated, while leaving them to free movement lets them look more natural and sexy.

Drew Barrymore's short do, with ringlets is exactly the kind of hair I love. Though the hair itself is sort-of big, it reminds me of the kind of style you'd see on Mad Men- cute but sexy- and I love it.

For wavy hair, I really like the tousled rocker look. I've never been a fan of bangs, but I'm really starting to fall in love with them, used right. I think it started with my Bettie Paige obsession- but the more textured and choppy the look, with more layers, the better. When you wake up in the morning, throw in a little styling mousse, and nobody will be the wiser.

The french braid! This look is almost always reserved for summer, especially with hair that is left down. But I love it in updos for fall, especially when they are used in new and interesting ways, that still look natural.

Until next time!