Fall 2008 Fashion week in New York is finally a wrap, and, as usual, we were right in the virtual thick of it. 

Of course, it was the same madcap romp it’s always been-- as exhausting as it was exhilarating, what with all of the backstage mingling and front-row hob-nobbing , the nightly party-hopping, cutting up with the Fug Girls and dishing with Perez.

But, as you know, for us, it’s really always been about the clothes, so most of our time was spent at the shows to get that all-important glimpse of what lies ahead.

And, while we’re not going to spend a whole lot of time obsessing about Fall 2008 when Spring 2008 hasn’t even really started yet,  you know how we always like having a horizon to watch to help us keep our bearings as we make our way through the current season.

So what emerging trends did we see?

The good news:  There was nary a legging in sight. 

The bad news?  That those godforsaken booties and “turtleneck” sandals aren’t going away anytime soon--so if they haven’t started growing on you yet, you might want to think about some good fertilizer, because this is where shoes will be headed for a while.

A “turtleneck” Mary Jane at Philip Lim

And the little boxy shifts and waistless jumpers that have been so hot for the past couple of years?  Gone. Done.  Buh-bye.
  In fact, there seemed to be fewer -(gasp!)- dresses of any kind.  Instead, there were tons of pants (remember those?), and a good number of them were wide and slouchy, almost to the point of bagginess, like these at Marc Jacobs:

Skirts were strong as well, and hem lengths generally seem to have come down out of the thigh-high stratosphere to hover much closer to--and in some cases over--the knee. 

Pencil skirt and sweater at Michael Kors (or, as Heidi Klum pronounces it on Project Runway, “My-kool Korsss"). 
Btw--Don’t you just love the glasses?

Of course, with so many different collections and designers, it’s hard to make many generalizations, but the overall vibe from the trendsetting crowd  (Marc Jacobs, Michael Korsssss, Philip Lim, Proenza Schuler, Doo Ri, Thakoon, Narcisco Rodriguez, Derek Lam, etc.) seemed to be a lot less girly and a lot more grownup (or dowdy, depending on your point of view) this time around.   
Or, as Marc Jacobs put it when asked about his “inspiration” for the collection:  “Calm. Glamour. Casual. Beautiful Women." 

And, really, who can argue with that?