| | Published August 31st, 2011
| The Ease and Elegance of Fall Fashions for Lamorinda
| | By Moya Stone |  | | For the adventurous a faux fur scarf from Tart
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Although it may feel like summer has only just started, for fashion followers summer is a dim memory and it's on to fall. So what's hot for the biggest season of the year? More importantly, how do the national trends translate to Lamorinda? Three Lafayette boutiques spoke about local style and what fall trends fit into our community.
When it comes to fashion, the must-have for Lamorinda women is ease. "It's got to be easy," says Lafayette resident Claudia Ross, CEO of Cross Marketing PR. "I dress for the lifestyle out here, which is very laid back." Claudia lives in maxi dresses from Tart and J Brand jeans paired with blouses and chunky sweaters. Although she's in a high profile business that demands a sense of style, Ross says she doesn't take fashion too seriously. Her closet houses plenty of Chanel and Prada for work, but when she's hopping around town with her two sons, it's more important to Claudia that she fit in with the Lamorinda look of effortless chic.
Jamie Finegold agrees with Ross. "Women here are conservative," says the designer and owner of the local boutique Tart. "They want fashion, but they don't want anything over the top." Finegold explains that Lamorinda women are not interested in making a style statement. With that in mind he waits out trends to see what's going to hang on. Finegold says faux fur was big last year and it's coming back. For his fall 2011 line, he included faux fur jackets and vests as well as cashmere and wool coats with faux fur trim and, for that rare more adventurous customer, Tart offers a faux fur scarf in aubergine.
Erica Perez, proprietor of Duchess, is also on top of the ease factor for her customers. She describes the Lamorinda style as contemporary casual. "It has to be easy and wearable," Perez says, "and not all trends are wearable." Dresses are a favorite for the Duchess customer. "Because they're just one thing to think about," explains Perez. The look in dresses this season is bright colored patterns. Perez expects skinny jeans to remain popular, but in colors such as red and chocolate brown. Flares are the new jean silhouette for fall, which she says are more figure flattering.
Black is the new black (again) according to Roya Bayat, owner of Posh. Classic black and nude basics topped with colorful accessories were all over the European runways for fall. Bayat attends the fashion shows in Europe and she says this season it's all about texture and detail. "Women want casual elegance for just around town," says Bayat. Posh specializes in select clothing customers won't find elsewhere. For fall, Bayat has stocked full-length cigarette pants, tuxedo style blouses, quality t-shirts with beaded detailing, and coats and vests from Paris made with textured fabrics. Recently hemlines have been inching up, but for fall 2011 Bayat says mid-calf length will hit their stride.
There we have it straight from the experts - fall trends tailored for Lamorinda include the ease of dresses and mid-calf skirts, flair jeans and detailed tees nicely fitted under faux fur vests and jackets. Go forth in style.
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 | | Flared jeans with faux fur vest from Duchess
Photos Doug Kohen
|  | | Fall 2011 trend in dresses from Duchess
|  | | Fall 2011 trend in dresses from Duchess
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA