My recent fantasies have been of the lame and tame variety:  sleeping in on weekends, eating as many Dairy Milk bars as I want without gaining an ounce and perfect, bouncy hair when I roll out of bed.  I used to be much cooler.  I used to fantastize about being a rockstar, complete with groupies, paparazzi-infested waters around my private yacht and all-nighters poppin' Cristal.  For reals.  Isabel Marant has inspired me to at least dress the part of the über-cool rocker babe by pairing a striped sweater with cropped skinnies, pointy pumps and silver accents.  It's the perfect go-to outfit for the morning after trashing your hotel suite...or rolling out of bed after your toddler's kept you up all night, with those five extra pounds hanging on for dear life and a wicked case of bed-head.  Real Life Runway Tip:  This look will go for miles in your wardrobe since each piece is a stand-alone star.  The rugby-striped sweater is weekend-ready when paired with leggings and flat boots and if you can't wait for this one from Aritzia (it's not in stores until November), I saw a super similar version at Jacob this week.   The key to making this outfit really sing is all about the sparkle.  Dangly earrings, a cool silver belt and a little shine on your wrist will take you from back-up singer to solo artist without missing a drumbeat.   

When my mind turns to back-to-school fashion, I always remember those outfits from Northern Reflections that were so popular with my classmates.  You know, the ones with some bucolic scene of a horse or river otter or matronly beaver.  The sweatshirt would of course have its own matching turtleneck, socks and scrunchie, and no matter what anyone thought of her, the person wearing the outfit could rest wholly assured that in any light, by anyone's measuring standard, she knew how to match, darnit!

In-the-know fashion folk have, as long as I can remember, looked at people that match their accessories to their shirt or their lipstick to their dress as lacking creativity and style savvy.  This season, the rules of the fashion game have unequivocally changed.  Designers like Stella McCartney, in keeping with the pared-down aesthetic of the season, have fallen for tone-on-tone looks and I think for once, matchy-matchy is right on trend.  Take that, fashion police! 

Real Life Runway Tip:  I'm not saying you should run out and grab yourself a loon sweatshirt and all of its loony accoutrements but take your cues from the runway and match your top to your trousers and your tote to your toes.  After all, taupe nails are where it's at this fall.  I love Joe Fresh Beauty's polishes in Caramel and Storm and at 3 for $10 (or $4 each) you can test out the trend without breaking your budget.