Rachel Bilson’s Fall Trends

Okay, confession time. I have the biggest fashion crush on Rachel Bilson. Not only does she do effortlessly chic, effortlessly, but she is also always on top of the latest trends. In a recent interview with InStyle Magazine Bilson mentioned her three favorite fashion trends for this fall: head-to-toe plaid, period collars and Native American accents. Now, at first glance some of these seem a little far-fetched and hard to afford on a college student’s budget (uh, can I pay with Flex?). Lucky for you, Her Campus Duke has found the bargain deals for you. See below for options from each trend, and our tips on how to wear these as everyday looks.

1.    Head-to-toe Plaid
Let’s face it; this trend has the potential to make you look like you’re on your way to a Barn Party—but done right, it can look like you’re on your way to a Gossip Girl set instead. The trick is to mix smaller plaid designs with larger ones—too much of one sized plaid is not going to work. It also helps to have a common color running through the plaid—so the mixture seems to have some sort of coherency.
 

One of my favorite fashion bloggers, Aimee Song (http://www.songofstyle.blogspot.com/) knows exactly what she’s doing when it comes to mixing this print, as shown above.   
For an easy to find plaid outfit, look below:

–       Manhattan Beach Plaid Shirt from Hollister Co. for $24.75

–       Chloe Classic Skirt from Abercrombie & Fitch for $78

–       Jeffrey Campbell Lita Platform Boot in Tartan from Shop Nasty Girl for $162

1.    Period Collars
They say that history repeats itself, and in fashion this couldn’t be truer. It seems that this fall, it’s time to go back—all the way to Victorian times, where collars were fashion statements. While on the catwalk, these collars have transformed into almost deadly weapons (I’m serious, take a look at the Alexander McQueen fashion show during Paris Fashion Week 2011). The trend can also look quintessentially classic a la Blair Eadie (from atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com).

The most important thing about rocking this trend is to understate it—let the collar be the focal point. Don’t mix ethnic prints and brightly colored shirts—be simple, yet elegant. The look works better with hair up (all the better to see the collar, duh!) 
 
We’ve found you one of the best period collars from shopnastygirl.com (a favorite procrastination tool of mine).

– Margot Cape Blouse from shopnastygirl.com for $48

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1.    Native American Accents
Let’s be serious, a little embellishment never hurt anyone—a little tassel here, a little fringe there, and you can have an outfit fit for the runway. Now the key word here is “accent” because it implies that the Native American theme does not run through the entire outfit—just a couple of little pieces to make the whole look a little more interesting (let’s be serious, we don’t all want to look like Ke$ha and her Native American headdress when we’re walking to class). French Glamour just had a spread entitled, “Eté Indien” (Indian Summer) which incorporated this new trend, as you can see in the picture.

 
My personal favorite Native American accent is the fringe—especially fringed boots, and where else would we get them but from the classic Minnetonka Moccasin.
 
–       Minnetonka Calf Hi-3 Layer Fringe Boot from Zappos.com for $98

With these trends, this fall is sure to bring out the best in your style—and trust Her Campus to be right there with you!

Photo Source: Rachel Bilson: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ca21XCsvg58/TTVeTD_GbQI/AAAAAAAADOo/SpDrAyDRuj…