Deciphering Fashion Trends

Every season it's tradition for most women to open the closet, survey the wardrobe, sigh heavily, and hit the mall for the seasonal clothing update circus.

A lot of fashionable women are horrified by this prospect. Confused by colorful displays calling to you from big picture windows, ostensibly bestowing wisdom of the season's hippest fashion trends, making you stumble around the mall in a daze. The anxiety attack sets in, frenzied grabs for the first items in your size, and the return home with sub par purchases that look exactly like items already in your wardrobe.

Fist to the heavens, you curse the fashion world for making you feel like a walking episode of "What Not to Wear".

There are tips and tricks to avoiding this horrendous experience. You will be able to pride yourself on your fashion savvy and, most importantly, thumb your nose at the industry because the tumultuous seasonal clothing update has been conquered.

Understanding where to pull fashion trends from is the key. You instantly turn to the pages of Vogue and down the runways of Paris. Haute couture is slick, but can you imagine hitting Cubby Bear clad in the hottest from the 2007 fall runway show of Azzedine Alaïa or Dolce & Gabbana? I didn't think so. What you can pull from these two places are the colors and textures of the season.

Hit your local bookstore for the Italian and British versions of Vogue, Elle, and any high-end fashion magazines. It's more than obvious that the Europeans and Brits have it hand over fist in the fashion industry.

Uncovering the actual styles, cuts, and accessories is the real work. Magazines like Elle and Lucky, a fabulous shopping and style guide, are a good indicator of current trends. These always have a lot of non-couture spreads and articles, which have tons of useful information.

Watch Hollywood a few months before you start shopping (that doesn't mean Paris Hilton). Stars like Sarah Jessica Parker (whose new clothing line "Bitten" is now at Steve & Barry's), Nicole Richie, and Scarlet Johansson are known for their fashion savvy and dress in the trends of the coming season.

Also, don't ignore catalogs from the higher end chain boutique stores like Anthropologie. The neckline, sleeve and torso cuts of their clothing reflect current trends.

When all is said and done, pinpoint the stores that carry the merchandise that you are seeking. Some great resources for all budget levels are Nordstroms, H&M, Club Monaco, Delia*s, and fcuk. This will help avoid many wasted hours wandering up and down the corridors of the local mall, unless you enjoy that type of thing.

It sounds like a lot of work, but one afternoon with a few glasses of wine and Vogue can arm you with the power to kick some fashion industry butt. Line your closet with pieces that you will keep and cherish for many seasons to come, instead of tossing them to Salvation Army next year.