Perhaps you are a baseball fan - or possibly you live with someone who is, obsessed with stats and RBIs and the like.

Right now, you (or they) are oh, so happy because the playoffs are here. Want to talk ball? Here, start with this: It’s going to be one of the best Fall Classics ever.

If you’re a Chicago Cubs fan, you’re so happy you could cry. The Cubs have not been in the World Series for 100 years — that’s right, a whole  century. But now, they have the best record in the majors and this could be the year! (Disclaimer: My whole family are Cubs fans, and we were singing, “Go Cubs Go!” the day they clinched the division.)

Aside from the Cubs, the upstart Tampa Bay Devil Rays are putting on a show, and the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Philadelphia Phillies are in the thick of it. Oh, there’s also a possible Los Angeles series between the Dodgers and the Angels. All that, and there’s still the Tuesday tiebreaker between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins to see which team gets the last slot.

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Tonight’s first debate between Senators John McCain and Barack Obama is the equivalent of Opening Day or the Kickoff Classic for the election season. Then we have the VP debate on Oct. 2, followed by two more presidential debates on  Oct. 7 and 15. So put your game face on, gather up your fellow political junkies and throw a debate-watching shindig.

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There they sit, in the dish, all innocent in yellow, orange and white, plotting. They have the power to ruin your dinner and send your diet over the cliff.  You know this, and yet your hand still creeps toward the tri-colored demons. The battle is lost. And for heaven’s sake, it isn’t even chocolate.

Resistance is futile when it comes to candy corn, and the candy’s time of year draws near. Did you realize that an estimated 20 million pounds of it is sold every year, (and that Oct. 30 is National Candy Corn Day)? Therefore, in an effort at diversion, we offer candy corn fanatics some alternatives to the evil little triangles of tubbiness made of corn syrup and sugar.

Juicy Couture is on the job with a pretty little candy corn charm that says, appropriately, “Live for Sugar” on one side ($42).

Proclaim your allegiance with an “I Love Candy Corn” T from Café Press ($20), or  hang your feelings on the door with Lillian Vernon’s candy corn wreath and garland, where giant candy corns are all dressed up in silk leaves and organza ribbon. Crate and Barrel creates candy corn cookies ($6), of all things, as well as a candy corn tray ($15) and candy corn mugs ($5-$9).

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Blame it on Elvis. He made jumpsuits stylish in the ’60s and ‘70. Of course, technicians and laborers (not to mention prisoners) wear them still. In the past, designers have dabbled with the jumpsuit idea, but they never fully commit. Spring 2009 may change that. Jumpsuits (and rompers) were all over the runways at the recent New York shows. It’s as if the fashion elite all jumped on a conference call and said: “Hey, let’s all make jumpsuits!”

Thanks to the skilled eyes at WWD, and the thorough runway coverage of Style.com, we’ve found some examples of the jumpsuit parade. Some looked pretty, sleek and elongating, like a black one by Ralph Lauren (pictured right), a shiny white one from Proenza Schouler or a draped gold satin one by Diane von Furstenberg (pictured left). The drape of a pale taupe one-piece from Derek Lam and a fabulous Halston take on the style looked wonderful (maybe because with all the draping and looseness, you couldn’t really tell they were jumpsuits). (more…)

New York’s Fashion Week is going full steam under the Bryant Park tents, with more than 250 runway shows planned (there and in other scattered locations around the city). The shows of styles for spring 2009 started Friday, they begin every hour from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., they almost always start late, everybody pretends not to look at celebrities and pundits are wondering what the top American designers will trot out in such touchy economic times.

A few well-knowns have already shown their stuff, including Nicole Miller (pictured), DKNY (who is celebrating 20 years next spring), Herve Leger by Max Azria (can those bandage wrap dresses get any tighter?), and Diane von Furstenberg (who was inspired by Diana Vreeland for spring).

Today some of the heavy hitters emerge: Carolina Herrera, Isaac Mizrahi, Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs. If you really want all the details on every show, you’ll need a subscription to WWD. If you want to know, but not shell out the dough, you can find slideshows and details from The New York Times (don’t miss Cathy Horyn’s daily blog - she’s a snappy writer and she’s great at spotting stars and trends), Style.com (the online iteration of Vogue), InStyle.com (with live coverage all week) and the Glam fashion bloggers.

The official Web page of the shows has information, as does Fashion Week Daily (they’ve got video). Other fun sites and blogs to watch include TeamSugar, New York Magazine, and who knows which bloggers (ShinyStyle is there and a fun read).

You’re in the mall. You’re on the Web. You’re attempting to decipher the completely mixed fashion messages in the fall collections: Clothes are black and white, unless they’re grey; trends are sleek and minimalist, except when layered and chunky; silhouettes are classic, except when ragged and asymmetrical.

We hear, we know, we understand. We can make sense of it. Breathe, order a latte and get comfortable as we list scene-stealers for your closet this fall. Want all the details? Read our whole story.

Here’s a quick summary:

1. On the A-List: the waist: Start those sit-ups. Cinched waists are back, accentuated with wide belts.

2. Outrageous lengths: from very short to very long, but don’t stay in between.

3. Mixed messages: Don’t be shy with this trend, mix plaids with florals, fur with feathers, slick with bulky.

4. Over our heads: The season’s most forgiving style - big, bulky, oversized sweaters.

5. Open up the vault: OK, perhaps you don’t have lots of jewels, but jewel-toned evening dresses are in and shining.

6. Plaiditudes: Anything, everything is plaid. Scarves, dresses, coats, sweaters, skirts, anything!

7. Going long: Of course long, leggy models look good in body skimming long pants and dresses, but opt for a monochromatic look and you can be Giselle Bundchen of your neighborhood.

8. Showing our bias: This may be a one-season wonder, but skirts and dresses are showing a lot of angled attitude in their hemlines.

9: Gam chic: Show off those legs with over the knee boots in varied fabrics and hues.

10: Coats to cuddle in: Look like you stole your husband’s, boyfriend’s or dad’s big wool overcoat and you’ll be right in style.

Want all the details. Read our whole story.

Did we hear right? You think you’re finished with warm-weather clothes? We beg to differ. You did not spend all those hours in the gym to bail on summer now. Do not be ridiculous. You belong in this grape popsicle of a summer dress from Searle ($349), with its open back, ballerina neckline and banded hem (the better to highlight those Stairmastered legs), or this cherry-flavored matte jersey dress that skims all those hard-earned curves ($59). Take a whirl on the dance floor at a black-and-white wedding in this Alice + Olivia Goddess Dress ($385, pictured) at Bloomingdales, and just watch how quickly they worship at your, uh, feet.

Not quite enough dress? Wet Seal has you covered, then, with its printed halter dress ($24.50), as does Travelsmith with its Perfect-Fit cami halter dress ($49). Swimsuit tan lines? Try on this pretty-in-hot-pink open-back tie dress at Neiman Marcus ($261), with its graceful diagonal lines and perfectly placed strap across the back, or this Adrianna Papell babydoll dress ($168), which is a bit more modest but still comes down far enough in the back to show off.

We confess to flirting with Tommy Bahama’s Indonesian paisley sundress because of its beachy print and smocked back ($128). And we adore Levi’s 100 percent cotton white tea-length halter dress ($88), which shows just enough ruffle to be girly and just enough skin to be all grown up. Are you getting the picture? We want to see your trapezius, and we want to see it now.

There comes a point in every presidential campaign when the candidates are closely scrutinized by a curious country with a single question: What does your necktie say about you?

Barack Obama has said he doesn’t like neckties and is frequently seen without them, even when wearing a suit. When he does wear a tie it’s usually muted, a solid pale gray or blue, or one with slim stripes. John McCain is more necktie-friendly. He wears all manner of striped ties (albeit subdued) and sometimes opts for bright colors such as yellow or orange. Since we’re going to be seeing a lot of them, we’ve rounded up some nice ties that might give the candidates a few style points:

• Starting at the higher end, Armani Collezioni’s navy tie with thin light blue stripes is natty for $140
• A more conventional striped tie from Charvet can be had in red and white stripes on a blue background ($185)
• Salvatore Ferragamo’s red, white and blue striped necktie is a little more striking
• If you’re rich, snap up the Stefani Ricci silk striped tie with a dominant red tone for $210 (pictured, right)
• A pair of ties that don’t scream American but would work for either candidate are the Armani delicate striped red tie, or Ermenegildo Zegna’s lovely Italian silk blue tie with tiny white dots
• A little more down-to-earth, pricewise, is the Calvin Klein deep red “digi square” tie for $69.50 at Dillard’s, or the blue “microbead” striped tie, also $69.50
• Also very striking and a lot less costly is Target’s Merona houndstooth blue tie for $20

Some serious but excessively patriotic ties include:

• Krisar’s American flag tie for $10
• A stars and stripes look from Sterling Apparel for $18
• Jos. A. Bank’s boldly striped tie on sale for $30

A tad wackier:

• The waving American flag tie at Wild Ties for $15 and their tie festooned with presidential portraits for $35
• Zazzle’s ties dotted with the presidential seal

We even found an Obama tie for $17 on Wild Ties, but try as we might, we could not find a John McCain tie, although there are lots of nice apparel options from his website (like a snappy navy windbreaker). We did stumble upon a tie that might tickle a gung-ho GOPer (pictured, above), and for the racier Republican, there’s one decorated with a picture of a young Sarah Palin for $30.