Tonight’s presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama will be heavy on serious, significant topics. A very small, quite insignificant piece of the patriotic puzzle is the ongoing squabble over flag lapel pins.

Much has been made about the little bits of jacket jewelry - an old-school political tradition - during the campaigns. Obama wore a flag pin, then stopped, saying it was a hollow political statement. Then a veteran gave him a pin and he started wearing them again and was accused of flip-flopping. McCain has gotten attention also for not wearing a pin and the blog-o-sphere has railed against him. (Hillary Clinton sometimes skips the pin, Joe Biden usually has one on, and Rudy Guiliani never goes out without one.)

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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.

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.