Golden Girl of the West: October 2010

One thing is for sure; I cannot wait to start wearing my fall wardrobe! I'm beyond done with the Arizona heat, and I still have until mid October to even remotely think about putting a sweater on, but you can believe I am counting the days. I love wearing the fall and winter seasons clothing, coats, suits, hats, boots and cute closed toe shoes! Hats and coats are no doubt a few of my favorite winter accessories, but trousers, sweaters and wool skirts are also some daily go to staples. Oh! and I can't forget- I get to take out my stockings too! Fully fashioned- seamed, knit, printed or fishnet, they just always add that feminine, finishing touch to a fabulous fall wardrobe. I just love all the different lace patterned style tights in fall colors like brown, gray and burgundy, that are currently available in stores. I'm like a kid in a candy store of tights! I especially love to wear tights paired with my looks inspired from the 1930s.

The comfort of wearing a sweater in any style, cardi or crop, always looks adorable with a pair of trousers or a cute skirt, a timeless classic ensemble you can never go wrong with. Women have so many options for what style of bottoms to wear, whether based on personal style preference, a favorite era in fashion, or a flattering look on a body type. Sweaters are so multi-tasking and forgiving, and they can look amazing with a 1930s below the calf- bias cut skirt, a menswear style 1940s trouser, or a full mid-calf 1950s style circle skirt. The sweater girl look comes with many options!

According to what's current in the high fashion world, the 1950s inspired mid-calf, full skirt and sweater girl look are "in" this season. Although, it is nothing ever short of flattering, to see this timeless look appreciated on the runway! Fellow lifelong lovers of vintage clothing, myself included, would appreciate and incorporate this look into their personal style wardrobes anyway, long after it's old news to the high fashion industry.

When the feeling of fall dances in the air, it's only natural habit, that I start to think of the color palettes that comfort my mood dressing. Warmer shades of brown, gray, navy, green and burgundy are just a few of my favorites, along with the usual staples of black and red. Really, when styled with a creative eye, all colors can be worked into a fabulous ensemble. Heavy fabrics like wool and gabardine blends are ready to come out of the stuffy closet for some fresh air, and prints of plaid and argyle grace the textiles of our garments.

All of these things mentioned above, I LOVE and as we dive further into the season, my goal is to contribute a weekly piece, focusing on a different fall/winter fashion topic or look, which I happen to be a fan of, or just love to talk about! So to kick off the fall/winter season of fashion. I will start with, well...... what else? Of course, my personal weakness- shoes! I am so excited about all of the shoes out this season with a vintage aesthetic. Believe me- I love to own a pair of mint condition vintage shoes, but we all know, it's not luck on a regular basis, to find a pair with all three factors. Number one being- they are your size, number two-they are in wearable condition, and number three- they are in the right price range for the condition their in. Sometimes that's asking a little much and usually it's one over the other. If you scored all three factors, well honey, what can I say, you done good! That luck happens from time to time, and I've had my share of treasure hunting "scores", but you can't count on it every-time, so to speed up the process, I have searched high and low to find the cutest vintage-esque shoes out there.

Thankfully, designers have taken much inspiration from the past, to recreate with a vintage aesthetic, the cutest brogues, booties, oxfords and t-straps, and indie shops like Modcloth and Anthropologie, know just what the vintage-style-loving people want! The timeless look to incorporate into your personal style, without having to cope with the heartbreak of them not fitting (maybe I'm being just a little dramatic...). I have your shoe fix here folks, whether your dressing it up and need a pair of oxford style pumps or sporting a more casual look to match your preppy penny loafers and brogues. Hopefully, you will find the all the shoes your eyes can feast on here! All of these shoes would look amazing styled with any of the seasons signature pieces I mentioned earlier. Oooh... I can't wait to pair my favorite shoes with a skirt, sweater and tights!