Who better to kick off an array of fall fashion favorites than the master of sleek styling, Giorgio Armani? His elegant houndstooth gray suit with a gentle tulip skirt epitomizes the tailored pieces and understated colors – especially gray - that grace many fall collections. (At Neiman Marcus.)

Gray appears again, in a slim wool flannel Vera Wang dress. Accented with a beaded corsage, the interesting fabric shaping at the neckline – likened to origami – appeared on several runways for fall, including Ferragamo, Dior and Marc Jacobs. (At Net-a-Porter)

Cinched waistlines are prominent this season, such as this wool/cashmere/camel basketweave dress from Oscar de la Renta. Again, the hemline falls close to the knee. This dress serves up three of fall’s hottest trends: black belts (frequently patent leather, sometimes slim, sometimes extra wide) at the waistline, longer hemlines and black tights paired with black shoes. (At Neiman Marcus)

Fall’s suits – such as this graceful black knit by Catherine Malandrino - are also showing up with cinched-waist jackets that flare above the hips, paired with a slim pencil skirt or a swingy knee-length pleated skirt. Some are reminiscent of ‘40s styling. (Catherine Malandrino for retail locations)

Three-quarter length skirts with plenty of pleats replace the mini (except for evening wear) in many collections. This Basso & Brooke skirt dresses up its shape with a mix of leather and fabric. (At Yoox)

An Armani Collezioni skirt drops the hemline to the ankle in a draped and shaped pinstripe (in gray again). Armani also includes shorter bubble skirts in many of his fall suits. (At Yoox)

Pencil skirts are also perfect for fall, such as this knee-length one from Womyn. Again tights – these in a gray hue – and black shoes are the perfect complement to the varied skirt styles. Many of Miuccia Prada’s fall hemlines also hover at the knee. (At Nordstrom).

Pants for fall come in two varieties: skin-tight slim or wide-legged. These black Doo.Ri gabardine straight-legged pants are only for the slimmest among us. Armani also offers skinny black pants for fall, paired with oversized coats. (At eLuxury)

Taking the middle ground with pants styles, Piazza Sempione offers a wide-legged gently striped and cuffed pair, topped with a black leather jacket. (At Neiman Marcus)

The opposite extreme of skinny pants are low-slung, ultra-slouchy ones, frequently black and often paired with school-boy styled white shirts topped with a vest or cropped jacket. This pair is by Proenza Schouler. Anne Klein also featured the loose fitting style, topped with oversized sweaters.

A dressy alternative to gray is silver, and that shimmers in many fall offerings for evening wear. Badgley Mischka offers floating liquid silver gowns topped with lavish crystal details. For a slightly more restrained silver style, Jay Ahr lavishes a silver metallic floral print dress with sequin covering. (At Net-a-Porter)

Another evening-wear element for fall is lavish detailing in fur, feathers, liquidlike draping and elaborate beading. Carolina Herrera topped many of her evening offerings with fur. This floating white flapper-inspired mini with feathers at the hem is from Catherine Malandrino. (Catherine Malandrino for retail locations)

Lest you fear all dressy hues are subdued, let Jonathan Saunders’ Wyler floor-length gown make a case for color. A bright multi-colored silk chiffon panel on the front outshines all the gray and black hovering around you. (At Net-a-Porter) Other designers who broke ranks with the gray look for evening include Chado Ralph Rucci with a red satin gown topped at the shoulders with orange feathers, Dolce & Gabbana with some bright red creations and Donna Karan, who used a brilliant blue that also appeared on other runways.

When it comes to coats, brilliant colors are everywhere. Here, a bold blue unstructured cape-like coat makes a stylish statement from Versace. (At eLuxury). Other examples: Valentino selected a wild fur mix coat, while Christian Dior offered a bright green coat with a big bow at the neck.

Capes are an alternative to the coat, and they range from cropped-above-the-waist to dress-length, like this wool burgundy one from Zac Posen. (At Neiman Marcus)

Another fall 2007 trend is the bow, ranging from delicate ones like this topping a georgette silk Balenciaga long-sleeved shirt, to large and brilliantly colored on other runways. (At Yoox)

Here’s a larger, vivid, statement-making bow on a Vivienne Westwood Red Label stretchy knit sweater in brilliant purple. (At Net-a-Porter)

Even the master of luxe, Christian Lacroix, placed a big black bow front and center on a bright red strapless mini dress. The pleated, folded design on front and back harken to the origami-styling spotted in other collections. (At Net-a-Porter)

Chunky, comfy knits and fur are good for casual fall dressing. Here, Saks Fifth Avenue Signature line shows off a cashmere and wool Italian merino sweater with an oversized collar and scalloped details. This is a toned-down version of what appeared on many runways, where designers such as Stella McCartney offered chunky knit cardigans that doubled as dresses, and Missoni showed a chunky wool jacket with mixed color trim.

Enough with the gentle, prim and proper suits and skirts. Roberto Cavelli joined other designers with “biker chic” leather jackets which were accented with patent leather accents and heavy metal zippers. Some of these styles showed up with wide patent leather belts and lots of patent leather boots. (At Neiman Marcus)

Shoes for the season are breaking new ground. Look for oxford style lace-up pumps, ankle booties, tall boots with cuffs and ballerina flats. This “Glania” oxford pump by Bally combines the lace-up vintage look of oxfords with patent leather trim and a substantial heel. The laces end with sassy tassles. (At Nordstrom)

A variation on the lace-up oxford is a black patent leather shoe boot from Christian Louboutin, with more delicate styling and skinnier gold heels. (At Net-a-Porter)

Yet another lace-up “bootie,” this one with rounded toes and scalloped sides by Chie Mihara. (At Saks Fifth Avenue)

Are you getting the impression you need some booties? Cole Haan offers a leather and suede mix with a side zipper. (At Nordstrom).

Gucci’s “royal” high-heeled bootie in cognac suede with the GG detail could win best in show as the epitome of the stylish shoe boot. (At Saks Fifth Avenue)

Boots this fall come with heels or flat, high to the knee or cropped at the ankle, black patent leather or soft suede. Cuffs are showing up on many of them, like these slightly higher than ankle boots from Kors by Michael Kors. These suede boots would go perfectly with skinny pants. (At Net-a-Porter)

The most comfortable shoe style this season is the ballet flat. This block color pair from Miu Miu simply slip on and go beautifully with straight-legged jeans. (At Net-a-Porter)

Here’s a chic shoe from Chloe that combines three trends: patent leather, ballet flats, and that distinctive little strap near the toes. It’s a simple style that should last for many seasons. Marc Jacobs also has a nice version of this style. (At Net-a-Porter)

Again, big bags ruled the fall runways. Some were so enormous they looked like the models were packed for a 2-week trip. Patent leather was the common element for these purses. A comfortable big bag that’s not overwhelming is from Fendi. The patent and latex “bubble bag” can be found at Barney’s New York.

A little return to ‘40s and ‘50s style purses shows up this fall. They look more elegant and in proportion to fall’s longer hems and tailored styles. This one, from Zac Posen, is called a “frame bag.” It looks a bit like a doctor’s bag, but features structured elegant touches like gold hardware and rounded handles. (At Net-a-Porter)

The finishing touch for an evening out? A slim and sophisticated clutch, festooned with beading, crystals or other luxurious details. Roberto Cavalli’s black suede clutch is accented with laser-cut metallic-covered leather pieces. (At eLuxury)