ARCHIVES

A fashion love story.

When the idea of devoting our fall fashion issue to the way women and men relate through clothes came up, we thought, Why not? The male-female dynamic is only the most perplexing relationship in our culture.

Now that all the fashion shows are finished, next fall’s trends are official. Color is out, capes are in—yes, for real—and hemlines are on the rise. Also on the horizon: emphatic shapes (like the masculine suits at Comme des Garçons), bold combinations (black with white, strong fur trims), and a view of fashion that leaves little room for sweet.

The New York shows are over, and the muted mood of fall 2006 has begun to emerge: dark, stormy colors, big sweaters, and a scattering of blasts from the eighties past. From leggings and booties to a little velvet dress, here’s what you need to know about the shape of things to come.

Two topics will reliably bring general conversation to an awkward halt: fashion and money.

New York has had its say about next spring (cool, artsy, neutral). Now the Continent speaks. From the Paris and Milan collections: crazy shoes, humongous bags, and the disappearing shoulder strap.

The spring 2006 collections have walked the runways, and your fashion future has arrived. Whether your shopping spree is the real deal or a fantasy, or if you simply love to watch the parade, here are the ten trends (from the neutral colors and generous shapes to that particularly puzzling plunge of the hemline) you should know by heart.

Fall Fashion 2005.

Halfway between that stiff, sweat-trapping blazer and those comfy but overly revealing tank tops lies an ideal way to dress for hot-weather desk duty.

The European collections have wrapped up and the picture of the fall to come is complete. What emerged from Paris and Milan? Some of the trends that began in New York—volume, for example, and fur—picked up steam, but there were new ideas, too. Exquisite couture-level details came down to the ready-to-wear level. The mod look is alive and well. Perhaps the best news: Black (that is our color, after all) was everywhere, often in the form of that perennial little dress. Here’s what you’ll be wearing, Part II.