RED HOT At his fall runway show, Oscar de la Renta showed the ladylike look in the color of the moment. Large, shield sunwear tops it off.

Herald the comeback of the lady. She will wear ladylike dresses, coats, and suits. She will relish ladylike eveningwear and accessories like gloves, fedoras, and made-to-match handbags. A passion for luxe dressing up is what most major designers have predicted for fashion this fall.

"People will want to look affluent and feel good about things instead of looking tired and bored in black," says David Wolfe, creative director of D3 Doneger Design Direction, a trend forecasting and buying service in New York City. "That trend has just reached the end of its lifespan."

The resurgence of more opulent dressing is possibly an effect of stronger economic times-or perhaps a rebellion on the part of designers and consumers against the sea of basic black silhouettes that have crammed the stores in the past decade. Whatever the reason, we can all look forward to a season of sexy, dressy shapes, eye-popping colors, and a wealth of lush accessories.

"It's a very ladylike, pulled-together look," says Ellen Campuzano, a trend forecaster based in New York. "She will wear a suit, a pump on the feet, jewelry, and a handbag-accessories are going to be really important."

Some designers have gone back through all the 20th century decades for inspiration and resurrected the best opulent and bold trends for the season. The '20s-inspired drop-waist shapes and sheer dance dresses. The '40s-inspired retro-vintage prints. The '50s-inspired ladies-who-lunch suits and pins. The '60s-inspired legwear in colors, prints, and patterns. The '70s-inspired disco styles. And the '80s, surprisingly making a big comeback, inspired power suits, big earrings, and nouveau richness. While the decades' influence is important this season, many of these elements are often all mixed together in one outfit. Thus, which decade they are paying homage to is much less evident.

"I really think it will be more subtle and tasteful than going directly into the decades to resurrect the trends," says Wolfe. "Fashion is becoming more grown up and sophisticated. For example, it's not so vulgar as the '80s. It's a bit dressier, but not overdressed. And a lot more polished. It's a welcome change."

PATTERN MIX Oscar de la Renta pairs stripes and paisley patterns in fall's color palette. Suede boots and sunglasses are the perfect accessories.

The Silhouettes

One of the most important pieces shown in many designer collections this fall is the suit.

The range of well-tailored options is, however, mind-boggling: from a slim, long line in charcoal at Jil Sander to a feminine, tight, softly striped, and belted version with fur collar detailing at Prada.

Many suits this season are belted with unattached (self-belted) versions. And there is a plethora of color and fabric choices-buttery fitted leather in tan, wine or brown crocodile embossed; plaid, houndstooth, tweed, and Prince of Wales prints; and even fur jackets over full skirts.

Some designers are offering the trademark '80s linebacker shoulder pads in their suit jackets. However, many fashion aficionados feel this remembrance of the days of "Power Dressing" will be hard for consumers to swallow. "The return to the '80s looks like bad-taste luxury," says Campuzano, "particularly when it comes to the jewelry (like the large, gold charms) and the big shoulder pads in suits."

Pants and pantsuits are both strong this season, as are shirts and shirtdresses. Long, belted coats in luscious colors are also important, often with fur trim. Even blouse-style jackets will crop up (seen at Gucci in leather with large detachable bows at the neck).

	GLAM IT UP Emporio Armani by Giorgio Armani combines edgy leather with a chic fur boa.

The Fabrics

The snakeskin craze that shook the summer fashion season transitions right into fall with more opulent and sophisticated options. Some of the biggest news in fabrics is the variety of leathers and skins that will hit the market this season. Versions will include lightweight leathers in embossed patterns and natural colors, crocodile, ponyskin, toned-down python, and shearling.

Fur, albeit controversial, is also in demand (in both real and faux versions). It shows up in coats but mainly as detailing on jackets and pants or as the main ingredient for accessories, as in a fur handbag or fur boa.

Luxurious fibers are also a large part of this trend-in all clothing and accessories. Cashmere, pashmina, alpaca, and mohair are important.

The Colors

With black finally in the background, designers are making fashion news with a bold palette of colors this season.

"Color is driving the business," says Campuzano. "The key is that it's not about only one shade in a family of color. Instead, it's really utilizing an entire family. There will be a lot of tone-on-tone dressing."

Red is definitely one of the strong colors firing up the fall fashion. But besides all the red, Campuzano says there will be some surprises: "The purple/wine family is very important, and camel is a vital neutral that is seasonless." She also notes the emergence of a variety of greens, browns, and rusts.

CASUAL BUT COOL Calvin Klein offers men casual looks in one the season's hottest colors: burnt orange.

Sixties-inspired geometric and Pucci-esque prints showed up all over the runways for fall, as did other bold graphic and chevron designs. As noted before, classic, preppy prints like houndstooth, tweed, plaid, and Prince of Wales patterns are prevalent as well.

The Accessories

After years of spare and bare-in response to the futuristic, millennial bent many designers have illustrated-accessories are back. Gloves, hats, shoes, and bags, bags, bags have all become works of art in their own right.

"There are a lot of important accessories," notes Wolfe. "There's a big return to important jewelry and the continuation of building up an extensive wardrobe of handbags and shoes." He also says that there will be lots of fur accessories, and a swing back to gold from silver and platinum for hardware on bags and shoes as well as for jewelry and eyewear.

"So much of the color looks warmer this fall for clothing and accessories, and it is much better accented with gold," he says.

	EARTHTONES RULE Oscar de la Renta features muted earth tones in a soft, striped jacket and leather pants. Sexy shields add an air of mystique.

The Men

The sex that has truly embraced the term "casual" in the workplace is men. What began as "Casual Friday" has somehow shifted into an entire week of casual wear. While comfort is still obviously important, many forecasters and designers say that there will also be a return to a more sophisticated sense of dressing for men as well as their female counterparts.

"We were recently in St. Tropez and noticed that most of the women were very dressed up and flashy," says Wolfe. "And the men were very dressed down. This created a very interesting-looking couple. The women were in great shoes and put-together outfits, and their men were in cargo pants. It was a strange match."

While many high-end fashion designers believe that they will change this phenomenon for fall with a new array of dressier clothing for men, Wolfe believes that there will be only a slight move away from the casual men's trend to a more "business casual" look. "Men will be comfortable wearing slightly more formal business attire," he notes.

Regardless, Wolfe says, "The well-dressed man is going to be a good accessory for the well-dressed woman."

The colors for men's fashion is a similar palette to the natural and neutral directions of women's clothing mixed in with shots of bolder color. There will also be a resurgence of preppy styling and a shift in the preferred metal for status watches from silver to gold.

The Eyewear

In many cases, sunglass and eyeglass design for fall follows the same direction as clothing. There is an opulence and a status-seeking style being resurrected in eyewear. Larger-sized eyeshapes, covering more of the face, lend an elegance with a bit of mystery.

	GRID LOCK Emporio Armani features gray trousers with graphic-grid patterned sweater and rimless shields.

Shapes are mainly rectangular or square-and the oversized shield continues to be a strong seller. Even the massively oversized styles (� la the '60s and Sophia Loren) are truly hip in dark brown lenses or in gradient tints.

Tinted lenses pick up on the season's color trends-from wine and light brown to rust and dark green. Frame colors are also following this direction in zyl and metals-deep greens, burgundy, tortoise, and rich red.

Elegance and sophistication show up in details like crystals, jewels, and beautiful etching. Women's frames are also becoming ladylike.

For men, gold coloring will be important (as it will be for women) and a new direction. And the success of the aviator in larger eyesizes will also continue. This style can be updated for men with a light gradient tint or subtly colored lenses-in green, brown, or rust.

Whether consumers choose to play dress-up with their eyewear, accessories or clothing-or all of the above-there is a vast assortment of new colors, shapes, and detailing (often inspired by the old) to drive business. This change in direction-and color-will bring fashionable customers into the stores looking to update their clothing or eyewear wardrobe. FB