More is more this fall

More layers, more textures, and way more colour – there is much to be excited about when it comes to back-to-school fashion. Brights have finally made their way back into the fall colour palette and the new hues are a great excuse to get shopping.

Local designer Tressa Heckbert says this fall she’s seeing “lots of subdued basics punched with really intense colours. Like subdued earth tones with punches of indigo and chartreuse and bright oranges or corals. Whereas last year it was a little more, I think, centred around jewel tones.”

Heckbert is co-owner of Meese Clothing on Perron Street. Meese is hosting a free fashion show Wednesday evening to debut the fall looks.

While the resurgence of neon is certainly a nod to the decade of excess, Heckbert is quick to note that the trend is not the head-to-toe look of the eighties. She suggests incorporating bright colours in small doses. “Wearing it in a more adult way, a way more responsible to the eye,” laughs Heckbert.

Patterns of every kind are also front and centre this season, showing up on sweaters, shoes and even denim. Heckbert is seeing prints from really petite florals to larger geometric styles.

Layering is nothing new in fall fashion, especially in our cool Alberta climate, but 2012 is ushering in more than just the standard stacking of tanks and tees and cardigans.

Heckbert says that layering has become more interesting this year, mixing it up with textures like combining netting with velvets with raw denims.

When it comes to layering for autumn, the textures are varied and so are lengths. Hemlines will fall along with the leaves this season.

“Some dresses are becoming a lot longer this season, and the ones that are a little bit on the shorter side tend to be now worn with like either a straight-leg jean or skinny jean or a legging,” says Heckbert.

The fashion freedom with lengths and layers this fall is also spilling over into accessories where Heckbert says this season, “more is more.”

“I think the mixing of the metals is still really strong this season and also layering again,” she says. “Layering the necklaces, layering the bracelets.”

One thing that hasn’t changed for fall is the popularity of the student wardrobe staple – denim.

“A great jean can take you from school to work, and obviously to play,” says Heckbert.

And those who didn’t exactly embrace the skinny jean trend with open arms can breathe easily once again with the rise of straight-leg styles.

“With the boot cut coming back and even just more of the straight leg becoming a stronger jean, I think that’s a big change definitely this season,” Heckbert says.

Over at Gorgeous Girls and Famous Snowboards, co-owner Lee Severin says that when it comes to guys jeans, she sees a large spectrum of customer preferences. It all comes down to personal taste.

“We have customers that come in and all they’ll wear is a slim straight and then you have other guys that are like, ‘I feel like I’m wearing leggings,’” Severin says.

While some like slim denim styles, Severin says others prefer the relaxed fit jeans they carry. Slim or relaxed, Severin says the trend for guys right now is a crisp, clean look for fall. Droopy bottom denim and sloppy outfits are making an exit from fall fashion.

“They’re wearing their sizes,” she says. “They’re definitely cleaner cut, they’re definitely thinking about what they’re wearing. They’re not going for that grungy, ‘I don’t care’ look.”

If the term “clean cut” conjures up images of chino pants and plaid shirts, you’re right on the money. Severin says that chinos and button-up shirts, along with the ubiquitous hoodie are all fall fashion staples.

“It’s pretty basic,” she says of fall trends for men.

Where fashion gets a little more interesting for guys is in footwear. While Severin says the slimmer profile skater-style sneakers remain popular, high tops of every shape and size are also hot right now.

“I think high tops are big still for the fall,” she says. “Doing a Supra high top or Converse, that would be a trend that they’re going towards. Supra high tops are very popular.”

Fashion isn’t the only area where trends abound for students. Future Shop general manager Haroon Mahmood says that when it comes to technology, the top items for fall are smartphones, tablets and ultrabooks.

Each of the three items is useful on its own, but their ability to work together is the icing on the cake for students.

“What people are looking for now, especially students, is connectivity,” he says. “So connecting the three.”

Students can stay connected to each other and to social media via all three devices and there are some especially cool connectivity benefits among the three.

For example, Mahmood says that students can use a smartphone as a hotspot for their tablet, or use their smartphone to record a lecture and then sync it with their laptop or ultrabook.

While junior high and high school students are more likely to have smartphones and tablets and maybe a more basic laptop, Mahmood says that college and university students are definitely into ultrabooks.

“The biggest thing about ultrabooks is the long-life battery, plus it’s light and it’s very powerful so you get all three in one, and that’s essentially what people have been looking for for such a long time,” Mahmood says.

Just as students can customize their outfits, they can also customize their technology. With a variety of skins, designer bags, and cases made of everything from metal to rubber to fabric, students can personalize their technology.

“Everybody’s different and they like to have that power to customize things the way they want to, so definitely it’s a trend out there,” Mahmood says. “Students want what’s trendy and what’s cool.”