The first day of fall is officially Sept. 23 this year. As a result, fall fashion ideas have been circulating for about a month. 

According to Kathryn Reiley, professor of apparel design and retail merchandising at the University of Minnesota, fall fashion trends consist of loose-fitting silhouettes, especially for college students. Cargo pants and wide-legged jeans, for example, are predicted to gain popularity this season. Reiley added that these kinds of pants are expected to be paired with casual pieces such as crop tops, baggy t-shirts and formal blazers. 

Coming back in style again are peplums, short strips of fabric placed on the waist of shirts and jackets. As the temperature continues to drop, puffer jackets are also expected to be worn more, Reiley said, along with predicting the color of the season to be red, in all different shades. 

After interviewing students, the verdict is that the University’s campus is on track to be on trend this fall. 

Emma Bedard, a strategic communication major with a minor in fashion studies, has been wearing a lot of light layering. Bedard said she often layers tank tops with long sleeves, lace or sheer tops. 

She believes layering is “fashionable but also realistic” as the colder months approach. Layering has not been limited to clothing. Bedard added she has been seeing a lot of people wearing jewelry in a layered fashion, often mixing gold jewelry with silver jewelry. 

Bedard’s personal style and observations line up with Reiley’s stated fall fashion predictions, as the ‘90s were a time when layering clothing and jewelry was very popular. 

Shivangi Pandey, a University mechanical engineering student, describes what she has been wearing lately. It does follow Reiley’s general description of fall fashion trends. Pandey said she has been wearing a lot of knitted sweaters, turtlenecks and crewnecks. She often pairs them with flare pants and leggings. Pandey enjoys dressing in the fall because she gets to “try different combinations before the winter time rolls in and [her] jacket covers everything up!”

When it comes to what she sees in her classes, the specific clothing descriptions are not as glamorous as the predictions are — Pandey said many people in her classes wear “‘groutfits’” (all gray outfits typically consisting of sweatpants and sweatshirts).

However, when it comes to focusing on the silhouettes, Pandey’s description of her classmates’ outfits does match the predicted fashion trends, as sweatpants and sweatshirts match the baggy silhouette Reiley described. 

It seems it does not matter what people are studying, they will somehow manage to be on trend. 

These fall fashion predictions are not random guesses or wishful thinking. Trend predictors and fashion companies use theories to help predict fashion trends. The example given by Reiley was the “theory of Fashion Cycles.” This theory states fashion styles come back around every 20 years. 

While a bit more than 20 years ago, Reiley believes the 1990s fashion will become even more popular as these kinds of clothing become more accessible due to thrift and vintage stores. 

Pay close attention to what people on campus are wearing, you’ll start to notice almost everyone is wearing a fall fashion trend.