Fall 2010 Fashion Trends: Your One-Stop Style Guide for This Season

With summer and winter as bookends, fall fashion trends for 2010 are finally showing off their own library of designs and colors.
Here is your one-stop style guide to the top fall 2010 fashion trends happening right now.

Apparel
Fall 2010 features trends bearing a lot of contradiction this season, whether it's in the colors, mixtures of prints, or in styles. This blend of traditional with elements of surprise makes it for a most fascinating fashion season this year.

Styles: Fashion statements making a comeback that are also vastly different from each other in nature are the minimalistic, military, and leopard prints. The minimalistic trend can be described as outfits without any embellishments or detail, simple and chic. Best minimalistic styles are featured in neutral tones, such as gray, black, white, and camel. Military style clothing has been in the rage for quite some time, but it reaches its peak this fall, apparent in everything from jackets to cargo pants. Leopard prints, although more difficult to pair things with, are being fervently exhibited on heels, clutches, belts, and gloves.
Trendy styles for bottoms are 50's style full skirts, maxi skirts, high-waist pants, and menswear such as cuffed shorts and trousers.
Tops that are making a statement this fall are chunky sweaters, lacey detailed tops, leather jackets, dolman knit tops, and tailored blazers.

Hues: At the fall 2010 fashion week in NYC earlier this year, there were the predictable fall hues featured, but then there were also some bombshells. For the more conventional colors, gray has been dubbed the new black for this fall. It is notable in the Giorgio Armani Privé collection, Banana Republic, and non-designer brands as well. Black on black seems to be a popular fall 2010 trend as the minimalistic theme is setting in (such as Bottega Veneta and Marc by Marc Jacobs), but gray has dominated as the fashionable neutral color to wear. Camel tones, basic red, and gold have also made their way back into the fall trending color palette and are perfect for dress, shoes, and outerwear. The surprising colors for fall 2010 fashion trends are olive green, light blue, and jewel tones. Olive green is a fashionable color this fall because of the new military theme. Light blue was remarkably noticeable on the Chanel and Dior catwalks at fall 2010 fashion week and is now popping in retail flagships such as H&M. But perhaps the colors that reign supreme for fall 2010 fashion trends are the jewel tones-deep purple, midnight blue, emerald green, and turquoise. Jewel tones have been sighted everywhere from silky evening gowns, feminine tops, shimmering eye shadow, and nail lacquer.

Materials: Favored materials for fall 2010 fashion are velvet and lace. Velvet and lace have become fall fabric staples for dresses, blouses, and designs on shoes.

Accessories
The extra details that you add to your outfit this fall are all about lace ups, utility, and making a statement.

Shoes: When it comes to shoes for fall 2010 fashion trends, lace up boots, brogues, wedges, and clogs are taking the headlines. Shoes with lace up details are clearly trending with the boots and oxfords, while utility and statement not only are significant with boots, but clogs as well. Wedges are fitted on nearly any kind of shoe this season-on sandals, sneakers, boots, you name it. All of these trendy footwear styles can be sighted from brands such as Forever 21, Jeffrey Campbell, Sam Edelman, Steve Madden, and Aldo.

Thigh-high stockings: Wearing thigh-high stockings with shoes is a summer trend that has extended into the fall. Most popular thigh-high stockings colors are sheer black, heather gray, or even white with print. Popular retail brands that offer this fun sock vogue at great prices are H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Forever 21.

Purses: Satchels with handles are dominating the accessory category for this fall, and these styles can be found in fall 2010's latest colors and prints, such as leopard or a green jewel tone. Sophisticated and designed with sleek hardware detail, this popular style of purse is offered at places such as Zac Posen, Burberry, Michael Kors, Max Mara, and even at your local thrift store or vintage boutique.

Makeup
True to the fashionable colors governing this fall, nail polishes, eye shadows, and lip colors this season are flaunting what are popular-jewel tones, metallic, reds, and royal purple hues.

Nail Color: Some good examples of trendy nail polishes to pick up this fall are OPI's Glizterland (gold shimmer), OPI Nicole's Too Rich for You (vibrant green), Ulta's Devious (deep purple), and Butter London's Victoriana (vintage blue).

Eye Shadow: As for eye shadow, check out L'Oreal's Studio Secrets Color Smokes in Colbat Smokes (blue) and Maybelline's EyeStudio Color Plush silk eye shadow in Legendary Lilac (purple) to showcase some fashionable eyes this fall.

Lip Color: The must-have colors to doll up your lips for fall 2010 are deep reds and purples. Lip shades to look out for this fall are Givenchy's Rouge Interdit in Illicit Raspberry and L'Oreal's Infallible Never Fail Lip Color in Beyonce's Red.