Generally, the fashion calendar operates at least six months ahead of the calendar year, meaning designers have already showcased their styles for the upcoming season, behind the blessing of Vogue editor in chief, Anna Wintour.
This year, fall is all about bold colors and prints, said Cucinella. “The trends are going to be a lot of prints and color, color, color," she said. "Fall used to be lots of earth tones, but we will see color this year. Designers are using yellow, which is unusual for fall, as well as pink, rust orange and green."
However, if someone wants to show they are up with the times, they need to wear prints. "People are very skeptical about prints; they do not want to try them all," said Cucinella. In many cases, the print is usually a floral or an abstract design. "Many customers’ reaction is 'I don't wear prints'," said Cucinella. However, that reluctance seems to fade away once they try them on, she notes. "We have sold so many items to people who’ve never worn prints before. It’s so important to try a dress on because people can’t picture themselves in it. They need to be open minded and try new trends."
When updating their wardrobe, Cucinella stresses it's not about subtraction, rather addition. "People don’t need to get rid of anything, they need to introduce new things," she said. "Fashion evolves all the time, and trends do not change abruptly."
What's going into her wardrobe this fall? In addition to the must-have prints, she likes a contemporary take on a classic fall hue. "I’m loving the rust, orange and green combinations," said Cucinella. "Once people see it…or better yet, try it on…they’ll fall for it just as I did.”