Fashion week is over in New York City and fall styles have been released. It always amazes me to be talking about fall styles when spring has not even sprung yet. Here it is! Colors are dark and neutral but accessories are sizzling and spruce up those colors of the evening. There is plenty to keep from this winter season and plenty to get rid of.
Let us start with colors. Think of nightfall when it comes to fall color according to Pantone. The colors are very dark and neutral. Black is always in, dominated the runways by far from other colors. Brown known this season as Italian plum is still big. You will see a touch of garnet, spicy orange and purple drab. You may have to look hard, but they will be there. There will also be doe, a taupe color and griffin, good old gray. The color that tops all and is a must have for the season is deep cobalt, otherwise known as navy. Navy is being paired with all of the above including brown. You will see navy sweaters with brown skirts. Black dominated but had a touch of one of the colors above added to the outfit. There was plenty of play with different shades of black; it is not just solid black this season. Find it in shears, embroidery, and used in all different ways.
So pack away your blacks and browns from this season and pull them out in the fall. Add to your wardrobe plenty of navy and a touch of gray. There will be a touch of animal prints. Leopard is always a popular choice but zebra is the season's hottest choice. Get a short zebra pencil skirt (along with a black one) with a black or brown sweater or a jacket with faux fur trim; add opaque black tights and knee high boots and you are on your way to being in fashion for the fall. Remember a little animal print goes a long way. You want it to accentuate your outfit not overpower it.
Spring fashions have brought in a-line skirts, full skirts and bubble skirts. These will be carried over into the fall so hold on to them. The fall will add mini and short pencil skirts. Black pencil skirts are a staple for your wardrobe. Shirt dresses and sheaths are back and looking very sophisticated. Dresses have been making a come back the past year and are still riding on that trend. Grey trousers are a must have addition. Pants waistlines are on the rise, still at the hips but not as low as they were. Pair them up with a great fabric belt with a fancy buckle to set it off. No more boot leg cut, skinny pants and jeans are in. Hold on to the jackets, they are still a big item. Velvet and suede jackets are hot as well as any with faux fur collars. Cashmere coats trimmed in faux fur or shearling will be a great luxury item.
Colors and clothing for fall are the styles of the night. So drab you say? Not really, they are sexy, feminine and sophisticated. Accessories and embellishments will set them apart and make them exciting. This will be the year for fabulous accessories that will bring those nighttime colors into the day. Of course, they light up the evenings also.
2005 saw the first signs of a property slow down, and even the reverse of sharp gains in holiday home prices over recent years in Spain and Portugal, with owners unable to sell their property likely to drop their asking prices in 2006 to secure a sale, and buyers in their strongest negotiating position since the mid to late 1980’s when prices dropped by nearly a third on the Spanish Costas.
Europe’s worst drought in living memory had an affect on the markets in Spain and Portugal earlier this year, with many would be buyers wondering if they would be able to use their pool in years to come, with consequential rentals possibly tailing off.
‘Some buyers rely on renting their holiday home out as they take out a mortgage to buy’, says Roger Munns of Tribune Properties, ‘and if they can’t rely on this it creates doubt as to whether to buy or not. Some buyers were taking the view that they should wait to see what happens’.
But it isn’t just the possibility of more droughts and unreliable rental income that is beginning to see prices drop in some areas, according to Tribune Properties.
The emergence of new European markets in the former Eastern Bloc has seen British, Dutch, Belgian and German buyers head for countries like Bulgaria where apartments and houses can be bought at a fraction of the price of Spain and Portugal.
‘Second home buyers are seeing properties offered in Bulgaria at less than half the price they thought they would need to own a home overseas, and the traditional markets of Spain and Portugal are losing out.
Already we have seen villas in Menorca drop in value by around ten per cent, and they could, and probably will, go lower still.
In addition the rate of new builds on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca hasn’t slowed down to any great degree, and before long there could be a price correction as there is going to be quite an oversupply in the market.’
European Tax Havens
In contrast to lower prices on the Spanish Costas and Menorca, Tribune forecast that prices on the Algarve and Malta are likely to stay steady or increase as their domestic markets are strong.
The two countries they see in Europe with growth potential for 2006 are the tax havens of Andorra and Monaco.
Monaco and lesser known Andorra both offer no income tax for residents, and Andorra has seen double digit property price inflation for the last two years, with the 2005 figures likely to match. After a slow start to the year Monaco has seen strong buying in the last quarter.
With the new government in Germany increasing the top rate of income tax, Tribune forecast demand continuing through to 2006.
‘Andorra and Monaco are small countries with little room to build new property’, says Tribune’s Managing Director Roger Munns, ‘Despite the German economy being slow for the last few years it remains a very important market. The raising of the top level of tax will mean more Germans seeking residency in a country with low tax levels. Andorra and Monaco are the two most likely candidates for them to buy in and take residency’.
Tribune’s advice to potential overseas property buyers is to find out how long a property has been on the market for, and to make provisional offers of between five and ten per cent off the asking price on a shortlist of three or four properties as one owner is likely to accept. Their longstanding advice is to always employ an independent lawyer to handle any sale and deposits.
Both Mary Bailis & Roger Munns are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mary Bailis has sinced written about articles on various topics from Women. Mary Bailis is a designer and owner of Alexi, a successful customed designed handbag retail store. Her exclusive designs are currently availble at