Trend Alert - Safety Cone Orange

Fall 2009 is in full swing. The NY runway shows are over, trade show season has begun, and the trends are in clear view. These are clothes you won't be wearing for another 9 months, but it's fun to see what the designers have cooking up for us. Color is always the easiest trend to spot and it's amazing that so many designers can be on the same wavelength. Yes, even in this downer economy, designers are taking note and toning down their palettes and creating comfort clothes that you can snuggle up in next Fall. Let's all hibernate until it's over! Maybe when we come out from under our safety zone, it'll all be over and we can resume with confidence.

The runways were flooded with muted tones and graphite was officially the new black (Kate Winslet's Oscar gown was right on target with the gradation of grays and blacks that were hot on the runways.) So glad I added that gray/black Baja stripe to my Fall soybean sweater group at the last minute! But the runways weren't all somber. The refreshing trend was subtle pops of neon color, reminiscent of the '80's. What better way to spice up a gray look than with a jolt of safety-cone orange? I've always been a fan of orange and I'm happy to see it pop up in several designers' runways, for both men and women.

Orange was a huge color trend for Spring '09, so it's only natural that the trend flow into Fall, especially since we're all trying to stretch our trends and dollars. For my Stacia Palm Springs Spring collection, orange was a huge inspiration. It's clean, it's fresh, and uplifting, and unlike yellow, it's much easier to wear. It's funny that safety-cone orange is the new "it" accent color for Fall since I've been on the hunt for actual orange cones for my son's birthday party. And while I'm hunting high and low for these miniature soccer cones, I'm thinking what a great color! Obviously not from head to toe, but as an accent, it's rather flattering.

Michael Kors, always the optimist, was not afraid to have his ladies parade down the Fall runway with crayola colored furs, safety-cone orange accents, and neon pop colors to contrast with the dull, gray crowd. Check out Bill Cunningham's brilliant take on the fashion set at the shows; he pretty much sums it up. So if you must be a downer and wear gray until the cloud has lifted, at least show some optimism and add a splash of color with your scarf or shoe. If it doesn't put a smile on your face, at least it'll cheer up the folks around you.