It’s time to move beyond those trendy, lightweight, loose, fringed scarves that have been hanging around since summer. It is chilly (or will be soon) and you need a substantial scarf to stay warm. A classic, beautiful scarf that will stand the test of time, that is.

1. Calvin Klein wants to hug your neck, snuggle your chin and warm your ears, with his luscious cashmere logo scarf in blue, brown, camel or gray ($90, above left).

2. Ralph Lauren hopes to be equally close to your vest, but with a Polo logo and a prep attitude from his lambs wool argyle scarf  (charcoal or cypress, $60, above right).

3. You won’t get bright colors or wild stripes from either of those boys, though. Let’s do a little bit of global warming and visit Novica.com, with handcrafted work from around the world. A beautifully striped Alpaca wool scarf is created by Patricia Anaya in Peru ($60, above left).

4. Another Novica find, a blue and burgundy Alpaca scarf named Peacefulness (above, center) is made by Alfredo Falcon.

5. From India, an artist named Sajad works on a traditional Kashmiri loom, as did his ancestors, to create  hand-woven wool scarves, also from Novica ($43, above right).

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New boots are a heralding of autumn, a shout-out that you’re moving into the other side of your closet to make the seasonal switch. In honor, we’ve found five pairs of fabulous boots to inspire you. Not booties, or peep-toe gladiator fringed platform Mary Jane type booties, but real, wonderful boots.

1. Christian Louboutin ‘Forever Tina’ fringe boots: If you’re going to wear fringe, then wear it! Black suede and a five-and-a-half inch heel with that CL signature red sole that you show off when you sit back. $1,575 at Neiman Marcus.

2. Prada Degrade riding boots: Hunting or riding boots are a comfy addition to your boot lineup, and this pair of ombre leather beauties are so hot that Saks will only let you buy three of them every 30 days. They’re $1,250. (more…)

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.

Nike athletic shoes are always popular, and they are always introducing new shoes into their lineup. The top seven new men’s athletic shoes sold by Nike are:

1. AJF12 Premier men’s basketball shoe: A hybrid of their Air Jordan shoe design and the Air Force One shoe, it’s $160.

2. Nike Air Pegasus+ 25 men’s running shoe: This variation is part of Nike’s nod to the 25th anniversary of this classic running shoe, with light mesh and full-length Air Sole unit. It’s $85.

3. LeBron Zoom Solider II men’s basketball shoe: Another variation on the popular LeBron series, this has a full grain leather upper portion with perforated areas for breathability, and a new herringbone pattern. It’s $110.

4. Nike Air Max 360 III men’s running shoe: This is Nike’s fully personalizable shoe: you pick the colors, and select a symbol or your own ID. It’s $165 (pictured).

5. Nike Air Zoom SPARQ TR elite men’s training shoe: Described as the “ultimate training shoe” this has a breathable mesh upper and a Zoom Air unit in the heel. It is on sale for $62.99

6. Dwane Wade team signature United We Rise men’s basketball shoe: This one must be hot. It’s limited to one pair per customer and is excluded from all promotional discounts. It carries an Olympic theme with red, white and blue colors and a Beijing-inspired tattoo print. Cost: $110.

7. Nike Air Zoom Vapor V men’s tennis shoe: Nike’s solid tennis shoe styling, with four colors of trim, for $115.

In the world of fabulous handbags, there are two must-have sizes: diminutive clutchs and huge, almost-like-luggage, carry-everything-you-can think-of, I-think-I’ve-hurt-my-back really big bags. Let us focus on the latter.

High-end designers have many beautiful, but expensive, offerings:

• Bottega Veneta has a lovely leopard print jumbo bag for $5,500
• At Net-a-Porter, Jimmy Choo’s patent shoulder bag is wonderful, and it’s $2,495
• Tod’s has a buttery gray leather bag at eluxury for $1,675 (pictured)
• A  snazzy Sergio Rossi patent leather duffle for $1,550
• For some perspective, Ralph Lauren’s pretty alligator Ricky bag is $16,995
• And for a little more perspective, you can snatch a coveted Hermes Birkin bag on eBay for $42,500
• Back to reality: Michael Kors has a lovely deep red patent Astor tote for $348
• Cole Haan’s light tan tote is on sale for $237 at Bluefly
• There’s also a succulent Prada lambskin tote on sale for $1,608 (yes, it’s expensive, but it was $2,010)

Coming in a tad cheaper:

• There is a buttery soft equestrian Juicy Couture shoulder bag ($395), and a precious Kate Spade satin (white or purple) bag at ebags for $150
• Tignanello has a multi-pocketed shopper in many shades for $139
• Jessica Simpson has some cute patent satchels at a mere $98
• But our favorite big bag deal of the day is Simply Vera’s Vera Wang hobo at Kohl’s for $62 (pictured, right)

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.

There has been a pitched battle for Olympic gold going on 1,222 miles from Beijing this week, but it’s likely only aficionados or little girls have watched. The equestrian competition ended in Hong Kong with Germany coming out on top with three gold medals (the U.S. won two, including a gold). Anyone who watched the events marveled at the sheer strength, skill and hutzpah of horse and rider, but in case Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin distracted you, there are lots of little girls who live and breathe horses. One person even attempts to decipher the riddle of why girls love horses on Yahoo!Answers. Now all these girls are going to need a horsey fix: If she’s around 6 to 8 years old, get her the “Fashion Angels” equestrian sketchbook ($15) from Toys’r'Us, or the Equestrian Challenge for PC for $20. If Barbie is her thing, the omnipresent doll has a complete equestrian outfit for $50 from etoys (if you want the horse and tack, that’s extra). There’s even a lovely book from the American Girls library, Girls and their Horses for $9. Mom, do you remember how much you loved horses? Maybe it was because of the classic movie National Velvet. Lest we forget that Jackie Kennedy made equestrian style chic, England’s Equestrianism.net maintains the standard. More recently, the O’Halloran Co. turned it into couture styling. (If you pay attention to fashion, you’ve noticed the riding boots that designers are churning out, such as Burberry’s $995 pair.) If the grown-ups have become enamored of dressage, this classy coffee table book shows you how to put the horsey into your home décor ($41). Finally, to make sure the holiday’s are just right, grab a Little Girl Riding Horse ornament from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland for $6.

There’s a lot of grumbling out there about the Apple 3G iPhone that came out in July. It seems that calls are dropping, like rocks. They’re blaming it on a German-made chip in the phone, and Apple is promising a software fix will be on iTunes soon. On top of the irritation at lost connectivity, Apple has sold so many of them, they’re not so special any more. Everybody seems to have one. So now how do you elevate yourself above the masses? Pop a fascinating case or cover over it, of course. You can go the basic route with leather or silicone skins,  or get one in a snazzy color for $25. Since you were aiming for a high tech look, the Invisible Shield by Zagg ($25) is made of a thin polyurethane film created by the military for helicopter blades. Cases.com has lots to choose from, including a snappy red leather crocodile cover for $127 (pictured). Not content to wear your iPod on your arm, now you can slap your iPhone on as well, with a $30 sport armband from Belkin (or their Spiderman-ish micro-grip, which is coming soon). A Web site called iPhone3Gcases.net certainly has to have a lot to pick from, such as the colorful Golla Calla fabric cover for $20. Get snazzier with the iWood by Miniot, carved from a single piece of wood and monogrammed with your logo or a personal message, for about $125. And if you really want to flaunt your phone, get the monogrammed Louis Vuitton leather holder for $320 (but check back because they’re out of them online right now - we guess everybody wants one, just like you).