I've done my usual study of it all and I found some trends.
One that is big is menswear looks for women. Even the less expensive lines are showing pants, vests and blouses for fall.
The vest is key. It is big and wearing it over even T-shirts is happening. The vest is worn over blouses, dresses, even sweaters! There are ties for women, and even Gap, (who has a new designer,) will be carrying these "looks."
Checked skirts and pants are everywhere.

There is a boom to wear less expensive clothing. Because of gas prices and food prices, many woman cannot see themselves buying that hugely expensive bag, or coat. Designers are designing inexpensive lines for inexpensive stores because no one will pay the big bucks like they used to for their higher lines.
Fashion reflects life and now will be a time when young people will dress like street kids in the twenties and even the forties. There are scraves that will remind you of that period and fingerless gloves of dull colors will be popular.
Blouses will have bows to tie at the neck or other decor at the neck to make them more conservative. Fashion is showing the war, and the cost of living.
Pea coats, short sleeved sweaters over blouses, and hair that is not so "done," are ways to update your look. Or, get a tie, take one from your husband or brother, and wear it with your shirt and slacks and you'll be happening!

Dancer,

It all looks a lot like the poor in the movie "My Fair Lady," and the dressy things do too!

I've seen almost everything you're talking about at the local mall. Saw the ties too. What a hoot. Not so sure I'll be doing that.

What about color? I shop for color and I walked through our Gap on the weekend and didn't touch a single piece of cloting for my daughter or myself because the colors were all so dull. I walked in the side door and out the front. It was disappointing.

Meredith, anything new for the holidays yet?

Back in 1995, my husband worked a six-month contract job in Bermuda. Vests made out of men's ties were all the rage there. The front of the vests were made up entirely of men's ties, but arranged in different designs and colour schemes - no two were alike. Most of the backs were made out of plain silk with a specific design, such as a star or lighthouse or animal (I saw parrots, butterflies, dragonflies, dragons and more) - even a quilted landscape, all made out of pieces of ties in the same colour scheme as the front. They were very eye-catching, very popular and very expensive! I couldn't afford one at the time, but to this day still wish I had bought one. They were quite elegant and distinctive.

After my Dad died, we had a hard time throwing away all of his ties too. I saved enough to make small cushion covers out of them (using Dad's shirts as the backings), one for everyone in the family. But we ended up taking most of his ties and suits to Cuba to give away to some of our friends there - most of whom would never be able to afford to buy suits and ties. What really delights me is that those Cuban friends remember, and often wear the ties while we're there - they know the ties belonged to my Dad and they wear them as a caring gesture to his memory.

But sometimes I still wish I had made at least one pillow cover for myself...that's another idea, Cookie. Then when you miss your Dad you can cradle and hug the pillow close to yourself.

Cookie, Make roses out of them into a bouquet. If you know how to make ribbon roses, you can make tie roses. OR lay them out if you have enough, side to side to make a circle - you can fold the tops under to make it whatever size you want to frame. If you don't have enough, just skip one place one, skip one place one etc. Use a nice piece of silk underneath for a background. Put your Dad's picture in the middle and you have a beautiful keepsake.

Chick what a neat idea.
EH, good work, as usual.