I love fall, but mostly I love dressing for fall.

Don’t get me wrong: I love summer, too, but there is only so much I can do with sundresses and cut-off shorts. The transition into fall is the best part of Buffalo’s weather calendar because it’s still warm enough for some skin—and I hate to say it, ladies, but the change has already begun.

This year, I decided to investigate dressing for fall in bright colors and patterns. I usually tend to go right for tan and mocha as soon as the season hits, but this year, I am consciously choosing different pieces. Just because summer is over does not mean color should be drained from our closets. With this in mind I set off on a mission with model Katie Riznyk and photographer Donald Schwartz to investigate The Clothes Bar (4401 Transit Road, Williamsville) and play dress up.

The Clothes Bar is an absolutely enormous store filled with terrific labels such as BB Dakota and Flying Tomato at really reasonable prices! The buying is fabulous here. You can find really fun statement pieces that are not only on trend but also forward-thinking, all mixed in with really unique basics that have interesting details and fabrics. You can really get a sense of the girl that likes to shop at The Clothes Bar—she’s fun, she’s trendy and she’s comfortable. So here are some tips for dressing for back to campus, work or weekending during the most beautiful season in Western New York.

For the first look, I wanted to put Katie in something that she could wear to work in the fall. I decided to use the color-blocking trend that we were seeing a lot in the summer. Color-blocking works great for work wear because you can add personality to basics without going overboard, and the royal blue and bright red are colors that still read classic.

Well I’m sure everyone is well aware now of hi-low hemlines and this trend will not cease. Why should it? It’s comfortable and practical and subtly sexy—a perfect blend. This turquoise dress is a great example of how this hemline should read proportionately, and it’s the ideal dress to try out with your new fall ankle boots.  This outfit also boasts some of the trends that I see moving forward for the next year, including detailed embroidery or appliqué work and ethnic influences.

I love a good and versatile maxi skirt. This is a great piece because of its weight. It’s lightweight for warm fall days but it still makes you feel richly sophisticated with its warm hint of drape.  I went towards my art deco tendencies by adding a geometric blue and orange blouse and a bold beaded necklace which really makes this outfit work by adding some light structure, a hint of pattern and—of course—some striking color.

I love mixing patterns, and there are a couple of very important tricks to pulling this off. Choose pieces within the same color family or with complimentary colors in the patterns, and try to vary the size (one print is small, one print is larger). I still love the tribal dresses of summer: I pulled this one in a muted coral and paired it with a muted mustard-print sweater that picked up the color from the dress print and had a complimentary print running down the arms. This cozy and chic look became very vintage inspired by using these rich fall color combinations.
Look 4: 161, 176, 171

This final look I could not resist! The long-sleeved lace romper had me at first sight, so I paired it with a coral sleeveless blouse acting as a vest and an undeniably awesome Native American-inspired beaded pendant and some rock star ankle booties. This look is romantic, casual and cool perfect for a new fall adventure!