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NEW YORK

The hot looks for fall this year are all looks we've seen before -- ethnic embellishments, romantic tops, chunky knit sweaters, pencil skirts and suede anything.

What makes them very 2002 is how they're put together, says Elaine Farley, beauty and fashion director at Cosmopolitan magazine.

Fall, of course, doesn't officially begin until Sept. 23 but the fall fashion season is already in full swing as retailers take down the clearance signs and load up on cozy cool-weather clothing.

Successful shoppers are eager to show off their new clothes right after Labor Day even if neither the calendar nor weather indicate fall has arrived, Farley says. Her advice: "Slowly weave pieces into your wardrobe. Start with a chiffon scarf."

Farley, Michael Macko, the director of publicity at Saks Fifth Avenue, and H&M Hennes & Mauritz spokeswoman Karen Belva offer their lists of the season's must-have styles.

Farley says the first thing that jumps out at her about fall '02 is the options.

Pants can have narrow legs inspired by the 1980s; comfortable full legs, which look best when paired with a fitted top; cropped legs; and gathered legs, sort of like harem pants.

As for skirts, Farley says take your pick from pleated skirts, microminis, long -- as in almost to the ground -- skirts, full skirts with swing, and slim pencil skirts.

"Choose what looks best on you," she advises.

There are many fabric and color choices, too.

White is OK to wear year-round, but rich tones, such as bordeaux and mauve, also are popular. Mix and match interesting textured fabrics, including tweed, corduroy, velvet and boucle, with something feminine, such as chiffon, or edgy Lurex.

'Opposites attract'

"Opposites attract," Farley says. Play with proportions, wear a small top with a flowing bottom, or vice versa -- "just no tents or sausage casings," she adds.

Farley suggests aiming for a rich, not luxe, look that gives off a warm feeling.

She says some of the pieces generating the most buzz among fashionistas are culottes and fedoras but Farley acknowledges those looks might be a little extreme for the everywoman. "Culottes acknowledge all the options. Sarah Jessica Parker will wear them, but they can be too outfit-y or costume-y. You need attitude (to wear them)," she says.

A trend that is more wearable by the masses is vests. Vests, included in a variety of collections from Carolina Herrera to Gap, can either take on a masculine look, a la "Annie Hall," or be sexy, especially if they replace a shirt under a suit, Farley says.

The "Alfred Hitchcock starlet look," with its pencil skirts and fitted, prim blouses, also is friendly to many shapes and styles.

But keep the super-low hip-huggers in storage. "The new season is too sophisticated," Farley says.

Most people don't expect to fill their closets with an entirely new wardrobe each season, says Saks' Macko. Instead they look for a few key, special pieces that will infuse a contemporary, modern feel to what they already own.

"We approach fashion as an evolution. We take into consideration what our customer wore last season and help them add to it," he explains.

This past spring, Saks' customers bought the prairie skirts and loose blouses that the retailer dubbed the Americana look. These same women can add fall's Heartland garments; Macko suggests a fitted jacket over the blouse or a second slimmer skirt under the flowing prairie version.

"For a prairie girl, it's not a huge jump to Heartland," he says.

Other fall pieces that evoke a similar warm, romantic style include patchwork prints, crocheted hats and scarves, distressed fabrics and corduroy.

Another theme for fall is "folk-luxe," or luxurious folklore, epitomized by Oscar de la Renta's collection that features details found on traditional Asian, Russian, Middle Eastern and Caribbean clothes. Play up this look with fringe, quilting and fur trim, Macko says.

The embellished coats that also fall into this category are selling well "even though its been, like, 120 degrees outside," he reports.

For the woman who has a more straightforward style, a sleeker modernist look centered around strong shouldered jacket is a fashionable alternative uniform.

Women and their trendsetting teenage daughters are still gravitating toward Bohemian looks with ethnic touches, says H&M's Belva. Look for a lot of colorful patterns against deep backgrounds that pay homage to traditional African, Asian and eastern European garments, she says.

Belva expects tunics, worn either as a short dress or with trousers, cardigans and scarves, either light versions that are part of an outfit or long, chunky ones worn as outerwear, to be among the big-sellers.

These styles complement the "vintage" trend, with either means real secondhand garments or those that are just frayed or faded enough to look as if they've already had one life.

Soft fabrics, such as corduroy, suede, faux fur and velvet, and embroidery and beads also play to the vintage look, Belva says. "Once fall hits everyone wants to layer, which lends itself to Bohemian. It works now to do velvet and corduroy together," she adds.

The Bohemian trend doesn't have to be worn head-to-toe. Belva says a long suede skirt or a thick knit cardigan worn over a layer or two of thinner tops instantly creates the look without putting too much effort into getting dressed.

Blouses are another easy, stylish solution to the fall-fashion dilemma. Popular versions this season are romantic, possibly with butterfly sleeves or an asymmetrical shape.

"Blouses are made to be worn with anything. ... You can wear them with suede, corduroy or denim. Blouses also are very decorative. Put them on with jeans and you have a styled look," Belva says.