September 2007Click here to read issue contents

Photo courtesy TJ Maxx



Photo courtesy MAC







Photo courtesy Dominic Michael Salons

     by Laura Kruty and K. Aleisha Fetters

     Simple Styles: The top fall trends in fashion will have your legs looking great and your top warm and cozy

     Fashion begins and ends with jeans, according to Kevin Glazer, co-owner of Play apparel boutique. Whether you dress them up or dress them down, they are the perfect contribution to your fashion - and your lifestyle.

     "Start with a great pair of jeans," Glazer says. "When you look good and feel good in your jeans, that gets you in the right perspective."

     Don't settle on a pair of jeans if you're not truly happy with them. "If you don't like what you see from the waist down, everything else is kind of tainted," he says. Luckily, there's a jean for every body type and age group. With some determination, you can find yours. "Women just need to hunker down and decide that they are going to find something they like," he says.

     This fall, wide-leg jeans are making a triumphant comeback. Settled slightly higher on the waist, they are form-fitting throughout the hips, butt and upper thighs, and maintain their width down to the toe. These trouser-cut, dark denim jeans with a clean line can lend a luxurious look to the most casual tops. They can step in for charcoal or black pants for a night on the town. And with a focus on simplicity, steer clear of embellishments. Glazer suggests Pierce and Chip and Pepper styles.

     Once you have the right jeans, "everything else falls in place," Glazer says. That's when it's time to pick out the perfect tops to layer. Sweaters will be perfect for fun, dress and even sports, Glazer says. It all depends on what you wear with them. You can pair these lightly patterned cashmeres and cardigans with athletic pants, jeans, a dress, or tights and boots.

     Sweaters cut in double-breasted styles can be worn to provide a more refined look to an otherwise casual outfit. They can also stand in for conventional coats because layering can give you all the warmth and fashion you need for a chilly day.

     Since the most fashionable of sweaters will be in rich, dark colors such as navy blue and chocolate brown, Glazer suggests bringing in soft, lighter colors such as white and cream for accents. "It's a more of a Manhattan style of dressing," Glazer says. The layers under your sweater will provide more than warmth: a glimpse of lighter tees and tanks beneath your sweater can add depth and interest. Let them show around your neck and even out the sleeves. You can pair them with wide belts and scarves to add even more color and polish off an outfit without cluttering it.

     Girls' Night Out: Everything you need

     When it's time for a brisk, fall night out on the town, most women don't know how to dress up without dressing down. For such women, Kevin Glazer, co-owner of Play has one word: Sky.

     "Women walk through the door, grab a Sky top and a pair of jeans and feel like they are ready to go out," Glazer says.

     Paired with your perfect pair of jeans, these luxurious tops can provide enough warmth for jaunts outdoors without burning up indoors. They come in the same classic colors as the rest of your fall attire, so you can rearrange them for any occasion. And with simple designs and subtle details, they have enough, but not too much pizzazz, Glazer says. It's just the right combination for your out-on-the-town collection.

     Color Your World : Capturing your inner mystery

     Women are all about mystery. So from purple and pink shadows to smudged navy blue liners, fall makeup trends are designed to capture the inner "playfulness and mystery" of every women - not just models, says Jai Wilson-Tull, a Lanc™me representative at Dillard's and past Chicago runway and photo shoot artist.

     The best way to capture this model-worthy look is to make your eyes the focal point. "Makeup should intensify the traits that the person has," Wilson-Tull says. He suggests sweeping dark burgundy or purple shadows on the lid, and then highlighting the eye with lighter colors like pink or gold. This pairing will create depth and make your eyes pop.

     To finish off this look, "diffused liner" is the perfect tool. Wilson-Tull suggests lining your eye with a traditional eye pencil and then smudging and lifting out the liner to blend it with your shadow. "It goes with the mystery," he says. "It's not smoky, but foggy."

     With so much intensity around the eye, it's best to match this look with sheer and simple lips. A neutral gloss works great, Wilson-Tull says.

     If you prefer a more intense look, "a dark lip with a dark, matching nail is popular," Wilson-Tull says. "Not black, but so close you can hardly tell." Dark burgundy is popular, but forest green can create a stunning effect, too.

     To create a perfect palette for all this mystery, go natural. That means using mousse blush, Wilson-Tull says. "You can get a very natural look with cream that you can't get with powder," he says. It blends into your skin instead of sitting on top of your face like traditional powders." Oily skin types might want to stick with powder to avoid too much shine.

     If you are like most women, you probably stick to your browns: brown shadow, brown liner, brownish-pink lipstick. So a change to purples and golds might be a bit overwhelming. Wilson-Tull suggests going subtle with any changes you make to your makeup palette. Try altering the placement on your lid, or slip a hint of color in with your normal shades. You can also trade out brown or black eyeliner for a navy blue or plum pencil, adding a hint of color.

     It's about a few simple changes, Wilson-Tull says. If after a makeover, his clients go home with two new products or two new ideas, that's success, he says. It doesn't take a lot to be mysterious: just a brush or two - and the inner you.

     The Eyes Have It: What should be at the top of your list

     Whatever your makeup style, no beauty regimen is complete without eye cream, according to makeup artist Jai Wilson-Tull. "Eye cream is simply number one," he says.

     But most women skip this vital step when trying to hide dark circles. Applying concealer or foundation without first using this must-have can highlight imperfections like fine lines in the skin surrounding the eye. It can even make them worse. "Women tend to get so dehydrated around the eye," he says. Makeup can clog the oil glands surrounding the eye, denying the skin much-needed lubrication.

     Adding eye cream to your routine is all you need to reverse the cycle. It can replenish moisture and balance to the skin, making your makeup smoother, lighter, and your skin healthier.

     Head Games: Spice up your look with fall's hottest style

     If you've been thinking about taking the plunge and sporting a shorter 'do, you're in luck. The bob, while never completely gone from the hair scene, has re-emerged as the hot style for fall. Finding the style that suits you is easier than ever, thanks to modern interpretations that offer a flattering and versatile look.

     "It's sort of a retooling of the classic bobs," says Dominic Bertani, owner of the Dominic Michael Salons in Clayton and Chesterfield. "They are a bit more rounder, there's more layering; the shape still comes to the face on the sides. They're more textured."

     If you've always thought you couldn't pull off a shorter style, don't worry.

     "For some time now, a woman's ability to wear a hairstyle has to do with the texture of the hair and her facial shape," Bertani says. It's just a matter of finding the right length and tweaking it to get the result you want.

     For those with fine hair, "shorter to mid-length bobs make almost everyone's hair look its thickest," Bertani says, meaning the hair ends around the chin. A style at this length can maximize width.

     Curly-haired women can wear bobs, Bertani says, but they need to make sure they can live with some of the puffiness that may occur.

     "When textured hair is cut into a bob, it generally creates a lot of width," he says. "A woman with a fuller face may not want this explosive bob that shoots out at the side."

     Layering can help minimize width, if desired, or, in some cases, it can enhance width, Bertani says. If you want bangs, steer clear of short, wispy ones, as that can look old-fashioned. Instead, go for longer bangs you can sweep to the side.

     Regardless its length, hair can change during the cooler months, so take steps to adjust.

     "Your hair is generally smoother in the fall and winter months due to lack of humidity," Bertani says.

     If it's too flat for your tastes, a volumizing shampoo can help. Hair can also become dryer in colder months, so Bertani suggests a moisturizing shampoo to keep it looking healthy.

     Whether you sport a bob or not, it's important to keep your hair in shape with all the stress it takes on from the blow dryer, flat iron, coloring and the environment. That means regular visits to the salon.

     "If someone comes in every five weeks, their hair is going to be in optimal shape," Bertani says. Preschedule your next appointment as you're leaving the salon to avoid putting it off.

Article appears as published in the St. Louis Woman Magazine September 2007 issue.