Bloomington’s heat wave is finally on the downhill and the first day of fall is approaching in less than a week. As campus ramps up for the peak of Hoosier football season, warm chili at Saturday morning tailgates and streaming Gilmore Girls for another rewatch — we are all anxiously waiting for sweater weather.
Are you prepared for another season of the infamous UGG Minis? Or is something else approaching in the fall fashion forecast?
Denim nominated MVP
Classic blue-jean is invariably a player in each season of the fashion cycle, but as days become shorter, denim rises in the ranks to starting quarterback. This fall season, we can expect to see a peak in its playing time.
The retro, grunge, ankle-length denim skirt was re-introduced at the Sept. 2022 fashion weeks for spring and summer 2023. And sure enough, the semi-casual-semi-formal bottom is here to stay for another season. Pair with a sweater and boots, the midi-length jean skirt smoothly transitions into this fall.
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Bright-red you can’t miss
Kristina Rutkowski, a Vogue journalist, has coined this season as “Tomato Girl Fall” in reference to the bright, orange-red color appearing on runways and now in department stores. The color was introduced with fall 2023 ready-to-wear collections in Milan. Designer brands Ferragamo, Gucci and Loewe all featured the vibrant red in their looks.
In blazers, sweaters, loafers and even bottoms and jeans, red is proudly being worn this fall. Lucky for Indiana students, we already have plenty of crimson in our closets.
Ribbons and bows
A look known as “coquette” fashion has made itself known on Pinterest, TikTok and by fans of Lana Del Rey. “Coquette” fashion takes hints from hyper-feminine, romantic and pastel pieces. The key accessories to nail the look are ruffles, lace and ribbons.
Ribbons are by far the most accessible adornment to the “coquette” look. A roll of ribbon can be purchased for just under $3. Trend-setters are seen online tying ribbons to just about anything — western boots, shower-curtain hooks, shoelaces and of course pony-tails.
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An open trend mindset
It isn’t realistic for most college students to be able to adhere to each new trend — nor is it sustainable. The “Bring Your Own Business” (BYOB) organization at Indiana University encourages students to recycle lightly used clothing with their monthly events to make money or buy what they need for reasonable prices.
“Our mission is encouraging student entrepreneurship, building business skills, negotiating and pricing yourself, knowing how to brand yourself and market yourself,” said BYOB Co-President Mia Liss. “And along with that also comes sustainability. This is a thrifting event, so it's reusing clothes rather than purchasing from mainstream boutiques online.”
Liss and Habash share that with the organization’s new rise in popularity, they decided to host a second event for this month from noon to 3:30 p.m., Sept. 24th in Dunn Meadow. Future events can be found at “byob.iu” on Instagram.
“We’ve built a really cool community,” Isabella Habash said, fellow BYOB Co-President. “Actually, a lot of the sellers that attend our events come to every event, so we've gotten really close to them. And a lot of people have wanted to get involved more, which has made us really happy.”
Habash encourages shoppers who plan to attend the events to bring their own reusable bags in order to minimize packaging and plastic waste.
Now, happy fall styling (in good conscience)!
