Pop Goes the World Last fall, everyone was back in black. Same holds true this year, but some, dare we say adventurous , souls added shots of bright colors to their dark ensembles to liven the mood. Just how much color varied from runway to runway. You can go a little (black with just a few pops, like Abaete) or a lot (we've lovin' the hot pink sequin shorties from Blugirl). Already got a black frock from last year? Slip into some animal print pumps and carry a neon yellow clutch. The last time black-n-bright was popular was back in the 80's but since most designers opted out of adding shoulder pads, these ensembles didn't look the least bit dated.

We All Shine On Last season, we were utterly perplexed by the Balenciaga metal-plated leggings and were glad to see nary a body on the street trying to work them. However, metallics are in even more abundance for fall but in shapes that we actually want to wear. Silver was the element of choice in shiny taffeta and lurex party dresses. Beaded blouses were slouchy and paired with wide leg trousers over at Dolce & Gabanna. Chainmail even made a comeback making us feel like we want to dig the old deco Whiting and Davis metal mesh purse out of the back of the closet.

Jungle Love Animal prints are declared "in" practically every season, it seems. What's different this time around is that it's not just the same old cheetah and leopard spotted pieces. We're also seeing zebra and giraffe, not to mention khakis and safari-inspired gear. Roberto Cavalli showed a little bit of everything while D&G stuck to the spotted cat variety. The 80's were huge when it came to animal prints (everyone from Pat Benatar to Debbie Harry sported them) and safari-styles rocked the 70's, thanks to Yves Saint Laurent so finding vintage items in these flavors should be as easy as shooting fashionistas in a barrel. Or something like that.