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"  This fall, there is no excuse not to make a grand entrance \u2014 and exit. Shrug on a sumptuous fur-trimmed coat by Versace or Dior&amp;#039;s emerald ostrich number and rest assured you&amp;#039;ll leave spectators swooning in your wake. The new batch of coats has elevated the cold-weather essential from beyond basics to major fashion-statement material.  SEE LOOKBOOK: FALL&amp;#039;s BEST COATS &amp;quot;The coat you buy for the season should be absolutely drop-dead gorgeous,&amp;quot; says Chicago boutique owner Ikram Goldman. Coats have become a key element in the style-conscious woman&amp;#039;s wardrobe, and we&amp;#039;ve come a long way from having just one all-purpose black or camel cashmere piece. You can never go wrong with a classic, but why not amp up your glamour quotient with a sampling of the diverse shapes, shades, and sheens from the fall collections? From a sexy croc-embossed patent number at Giorgio Armani to masculine, boxy styles at Derek Lam, designers certainly seem to have mined their creative depths designing outerwear, and we should certainly revel in wearing it. Some of the biggest news to come out of the runway shows was the fresh, forward silhouettes. Overall fashion trends have evolved from girly and voluminous to a stronger, shapelier, more womanly feel, and coats are no exception. Drop-waist and oversize poufed pieces have been replaced by hourglass-enhancing styles and sleek cuts. The more overtly feminine looks are brought up to date with luxe belts, like the dramatic metal corset Dolce &amp;amp;amp; Gabbana paired with a shiny wrap coat or the more refined, simple waist cinchers seen at Proenza Schouler. Volume has been reworked into a more sophisticated, restrained air, like sloped shoulders that give way to a fuller yet more tailored body. The style has a retro but thoroughly modern feel. Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Yves Saint Laurent all perfectly presented how polished it can look. &amp;quot;Whenever we wear a little volume on top, it should be beautifully balanced with something narrow in contrast to it,&amp;quot; advises Bergdorf Goodman&amp;#039;s Linda Fargo. &amp;quot;So whether it&amp;#039;s a slim pant or great black leggings, it&amp;#039;s nice to see the slender shape of your leg protruding from beneath the volume.&amp;quot;  And let&amp;#039;s not forget the whimsical appeal of girlish capes, which Stella McCartney and Zac Posen endorsed for fall. &amp;quot;Capes are a great fashion piece that keep coming back again and again because they are so accessible,&amp;quot; says Sarah Easley, co-owner of New York fashion emporium Kirna Zab\u00EAte. &amp;quot;They appeal to a wide range of women because of the sizeless, ageless component. There is a very European feel to the look of a cape: a little bit Parisian or English country,&amp;quot; she adds. And who wouldn&amp;#039;t want that bit of continental flair?  Texture, too, is a factor this season when you&amp;#039;re looking for a coat with character. Miuccia Prada led the way with a shag-carpet-like wool-mohair material. (It looks so soft and cozy, a PETA member mistakenly protested the label&amp;#039;s show.) Feathers were a favorite for giving outerwear added oomph, whether they were trimming the hem or snaking down the back. Fabrics like satin and velvet, which were once considered evening only, have turned up on everyday toppers, at Lanvin and Marc by Marc Jacobs, respectively. Bold prints had their moment at Herm\u00E8s, Balenciaga, and Etro. Fur, too, appeared in innovative ways (see Versace, J. Mendel, and Carolina Herrera). &amp;quot;Fur was used in dramatic applications,&amp;quot; says Fargo, &amp;quot;like trimmed extra wide on the hem, almost from the hip down. I&amp;#039;m loving it.&amp;quot; And if that weren&amp;#039;t enough, there&amp;#039;s also the promise of fabulous color. Bright, vibrant, and unique eye-catching coats were scattered throughout the collections, proving wearable outerwear is no longer restricted to black, gray, navy, and camel (though they definitely, as always, had a huge presence). &amp;quot;Color is more interesting,&amp;quot; says Fargo. &amp;quot;What stands out to me is that tomato-red, long, lean belted coat from Marc Jacobs.&amp;quot; More shades of scarlet were seen at Gucci, Anne Klein, Valentino, and Luella. Giambattista Valli and Bottega Veneta had ones in bright yellow, while Marni, Jil Sander, Donna Karan, Richard Chai, and Thakoon chose deep purple or cobalt blue.  But let&amp;#039;s get down to it: Our toppers need to be workhorses. &amp;quot;I love coats. They are like the home-away-from-home piece,&amp;quot; says Lanvin&amp;#039;s Alber Elbaz. &amp;quot;There is something very protective about a coat.&amp;quot; They need to go over everything and have day-to-night and work-to-weekend versatility, so can you really wear a hot-pink, cocoon, or fuzzy-textured coat every day? Yes! A standout option can enliven any outfit, and it&amp;#039;s perfectly acceptable to wear it all the time. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a little too fashion victimy to come up with a new coat every single day,&amp;quot; says Easley. So save your basics \u2014 jeans, turtlenecks, trousers, and the like \u2014 to wear underneath. &amp;quot;Coats with a lot more fashion built into them have become a lot more viable as an everyday choice,&amp;quot; adds Fargo.  If you are limited to making do with what&amp;#039;s in your closet, don&amp;#039;t fret; you won&amp;#039;t necessarily look pass\u00E9. Designer Zac Posen suggests some DIY techniques for modernizing an old standby. &amp;quot;Cut the sleeves off, and make it into a vest to be worn with a long sweater,&amp;quot; he suggests. If that&amp;#039;s too much effort for you, a standard coat can easily be updated, thanks to the plethora of cold-weather accents out there. &amp;quot;Because of the explosive new fashion options, there is a domino effect in terms of the importance of gloves and hats,&amp;quot; says Fargo. &amp;quot;The accessories have to be part of the ensemble.&amp;quot; It&amp;#039;s simple to make a timeless double-breasted piece look of the moment with Prada&amp;#039;s color-blocked gauntlets or Karl Lagerfeld&amp;#039;s neon driving gloves.  The truth is, this fall&amp;#039;s options might just be too seductive to pass up. But you can justify your purchases by knowing that if you love your coat, you&amp;#039;re sure to get the necessary bang for your buck. &amp;quot;They are big investments, but they are worth it,&amp;quot; says Goldman. &amp;quot;A woman will buy a dress and wear it once to an event; she&amp;#039;ll buy a coat and hem and haw over the same price yet wear it all the time. Wear your coat! It totally pays off. Your coat should owe you money by the end of the season!&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/a182/best-new-coats-0907/>