The shape of things to ensue this fall -- full-on-top.

The shape of things to ensue this fall -- full-on-top, slim below - - exhibits women plenty of options below the belt in the season's major trends: skinny jeans, straight-leg pants, pencil skirts, leggings and patterned trousers -- all anchored by funky advantages round- toed high heels and ballet flats.

The season's "big from one side of to the other little" look borrows from the big shirt/ stirrup pants craze of the 1980 moreover this time around the silhouette earns a sophisticated spin from elegant fabrics and a dark, monochromatic color palette of black, dark gray and of great depth heather and blue tones.

Here's what to wear from the waist down, paired with layers of long-sleeve T-shirts; tunics; easily moulded girly shirts; oversize sweaters, and cleverly chop jackets:

SKINNY PANTS

If those couple words made you groan, take heart.

"Skinny is a scary word for any people," says Nordstrom's Aimee Lippencott. "We're also seeing pants that are narrower, further not super skinny. You just want to create that longer line forward the bottom, and a longer leaner pant that pendants straight from the knee works just as well."

A chance of women are cringing, says Melissa Ryan of Marshall Field's, shortly to be Macy's. But, "It doesn't ne to be super- cigarette-pant skinny. There are definitely pants available this fall that are a little leaner nevertheless by no means skintight. I think women ne to be fearless and try it before they discount it, and make abiding the fit is right. There's a haphazard of volume in terms of jackets, capes and coats, and the skinny pant is the balance to that. It's beautiful."

Jim Wetsel of Jake says the proportion shift to whirl on top and narrow onward the bottom flatters plus-size women and provides camouflage for baby boomer whose assets have shifted since their last go-round with this appellation silhouette.

"It makes a woman contemplate leaner because you immediately anticipate at the skinny legs while the [upper body] masters lost in an oversize sweater or swingy dress" Wetsel says. "Problem areas are instantly dissolved in this oversized silhouette. With a bootie, or a avail or a pump, you learn longness of leg and instead of thinking, 'Her pants are too tight,' you instantly think, 'Wow she examines slim.' "

Fall's skinny jeans are in darker colors; wear them with heels or pulled into boots.

LEGGINGS, TIGHTS, HOSIERY

Leggings are worn as a layering piece with short, swingy dresses; subordinate to miniskirts, city shorts; over tights, and essenceed into boots. Fashion-forward women are already wearing leggings subordinate to summer dresses as a transition to fall.

SKIRTS

The pencil skirt, high-waisted and belted, may be worn with patterned stockings -- lace, herringbone, stripes. Also, this season's manners include knee-length pleated, tulip, horn and swingy trapeze skirts, worn with tights and benefits "Full skirts carry over," Lippencott said, "with a great legging and not necessarily in black. Missoni picked light colors -- "dusty sad pale green."

WALKING SHORTS

Shorts will issue in heavier fabrics than last spring's patterns and may be worn through the whole extent of opaque or textured tights, with heels or profits Cropped pants and gauchos achieve the same treatment.

WHAT TO WEAR upon TOP

With skinny pants or leggings, wear prolonged tunics or sweaters that go on foot halfway to the knee, belted, or minidresses. With skirts, feminine high-necked shirts beneath sweaters or hipbone-length jackets.

"It's the best of the '80 with the bad fashion impetuss removed," Wetsel says.

Indeed, this season brings in a classy touch to titles of the past.

"There's definitely a of the same height of sophistication that wasn't around the first time," Ryan says. "The first time around it was about frolic and whimsy, and this time around it's definitely all about voluptuousness and sophistication."

lbaldacci@suntimes.com

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