Fashion Turns Over a New Leaf

The trend toward feminine tweed has moved downmarket as well -- the Gap doesn't even offer any tweed in its men's line, but has a lightweight, knee-length, wool-blend tweed skirt for $48 and a very 1950s looking tweed shift dress in a conservative A-line shape for $68.

The Season in Gloves and Scarves

This season, accessories are important, but especially when the weather grows chilly enough to require them. Gloves and scarves are a must.

Leather gloves are an autumn wardrobe staple, but this year, they're more than just five fingers and a palm. Driving gloves, the kind worn by those English road racers of yesteryear, are the hot men's item. Alfred Dunhill -- the British label that first began making gear for auto aficionados in the 1890s -- has a pair of black lamb nappa driving gloves that are a true representation of the classic. If you're looking for something a bit warmer, Coach offers a cashmere-lined driving glove in brown for $148.

The sporty driving glove is being pitched to women as well, but designers have gone in the other direction, returning to more feminine and graceful gloves that end between the middle and the point of the elbow. These new offerings -- usually leather -- come in a rainbow of colors, from hunter green to violet, with linings crafted from silk, cashmere or even fur, which is making a comeback as well. Gucci's fall glove retails for $245 and is made from supple black leather and lined in matching black cashmere. It ends at the elbow and is cinched at the wrist to keep hands warm. If a shorter glove is preferable, Coach makes a stylish silk-lined model for $138 that comes in aubergine and features a thick, violet leather cuff that ends just past the wrist.

As they say, the classics never go out of style. The same can be said of the Burberry scarf, whose patented tan-and-black-and-red plaid pattern has surged in popularity over the last five years. Instead of producing more of the same, Burberry's trademark cashmere muffler, which is 54 inches by 12 inches and costs $225, now comes in pink, purple, turquoise, blue or charcoal. If a scarf just won't cut it, consider a larger cashmere poncho, which is the hot trend this fall. Burberry has a sharp black-and-white number in merino wool for $440.

Don't Fall Too Hard

As any yard sale can attest, today's fashionable flares eventually become tomorrow's bell-bottomed atrocity. To spend money wisely and stay in style longer, be sure to add seasonal elements selectively and avoid trendy extremes, like that all-tweed three-piece suit with matching hat. Don't overdo it, but get ready -- this fall it's time to kiss black goodbye.