The glorious colors of fall are not on the trees yet, but they are showing up now in fashions for girls and women. The pastels of summer are giving way to rich green, muted olive green, camel, rust, brown and blue. Plaid is making a comeback. Always popular, black is fresh for the season in new silhouettes and detailing, or paired in innovative color combinations. Heavier fabrics are making an appearance in casual and dressy outfits.
At Carly’z Craze in Teaneck, owner Alene Brodsky Bloom showed me the newest styles from top names including Japparel, KMW, Teela, Point, Maya’s Place, Kosher Casual, Riva Karen, Pinto, Kikiriki, Three Bows and more. Prints abound—patterns, shapes and some florals, again in fall colors. “Dresses for girls are beautiful and feminine. You see lots of ruffles, gold trim and details,” she said as she held out a black ribbed dress with gold stars and a ruffled bottom. Next, she showed me a tiered dress with a green background and a vine pattern with mixed dark and light green leaves and yellow and orange blossoms. Another tiered dress had a black background with vibrant pink, blue and white florals and a ruffled collar. An off-white dress with smocking on top sported bold contrasting black and brown shapes. A simple, dusty blue knit was a head turner with a unique two-layer collar with cut outs.
Dresses for women are similar, with fewer ruffles and more variety in the fit from loose, with or without a belt, to more form-fitting. “We have fantastic prints with gorgeous colors and a little sparkle,” said Brodsky Bloom. She showed me a dress in a rich royal blue and black pattern, with V-shaped ruffles from both shoulders to the elastic waist. “It’s very feminine but strong, with beautiful bold colors.” Another blue and black dress had similar colors but an entirely different style, with a smocked waist. “There’s a little detail and it’s very flattering, easy for anyone to wear. Smocking is very popular; it’s stretchy and gives you a nice shape but very comfortable,” she explained. Animal prints, like leopard, are still popular, she said, as she showed me a dark and light gray tiered example.When you want to mix and match, start with the season’s new skirt star—pleather, also known as vegan leather. Carly’z Craze has pleather skirts for women and girls, in a leather or suede look. “The industry has perfected this fabric,” said Brodsky Bloom. Choose black rust or olive and pair with a beautiful sweater to be perfectly dressed. Another choice is the skater skirt, in fit-and-flare or panel style, popular with both girls and women; Carly’z Craze has a variety of lengths and colors. Coming soon—a mineral wash color panel skirt that Brodsky Bloom expects to be a sellout. For girls, she is very excited about styles from the popular line Vintage Havana.
If you haven’t yet been to Brook Haven Mall in Passaic, it’s fast becoming a worthy destination for shopping. I went to visit Flair, a women’s clothing store with casual-elegant, Shabbat/Yom Tov and dressy outfits. Flair is showing their curated picks of bold patterns and rich colors with elegant details in silky, flowing fabric or rich textures in midi to maxi lengths. If you have a simcha coming up, Flair has excellent choices in all black, vibrant solid colors in lightweight or textured fabric, and combinations like black and white, or black with shimmering gold. Sweaters and tops for everyday and special occasions are shown with matching or complementary skirts and several styles of black skirts. Many summer styles are on sale now.
You won’t miss summer when you see the gorgeous clothes being shown for fall. In addition to the visually stimulating patterns and colors, there are lots of sparkles, shimmer and faux jewels this season that bring seemingly simple styles into designer territory.
