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Fall is a great time to start a new project, especially when it’s fashion-themed, like a seasonal wardrobe update.

To help in this worthy endeavour, we’ve put our reporting skills to the test, asking local fashion experts to pick a single, favourite trend for fall.

Here then is a sample of what they told us — three favourite trends for women and for men, from Edmonton-based designers and retailers.

FOR WOMEN

Plaid - Edmonton designer Kelly Madden loves plaid, so she’s glad to see it in lots of collections for fall, including her own.

“I’m influenced by music — rock and a little bit of punk rock — so it’s fun to bring in a pattern, and plaid just seems to be the one. That was my starting point when designing that collection — that fabric.”

Madden’s penchant for plaid is reflected in two different styles of plaid dresses, plaid paired with black in slim skirts and a blazer and a pair of plaid pants.

Plaid is a great fabric to give classic pieces a bit of edge, she adds.

Teal - This vibrant and versatile shade is a favourite of local designer Kelsey McIntyre for fall. “I love that it’s a jewel tone, and yet, it’s not dark — it still has that pop of colour,” she says.

It’s also flattering on a multitude of women, whether fair or dark-skinned. And it pairs beautifully with most colours, from neutral greys, blacks, browns and creams to mustard yellow, burgundy and eggplant.

“I will wear teal this season,” she adds. “I’m so glad it’s officially a trend this season because I have it in a purse, I have it in a top, I have it in a skirt and I’m eyeing a pair of teal shoes.”

Stay away from head-to-toe teal, especially because it can vary in shade, from a lighter, bluer tone to an almost forest green. For those who don’t want a bold piece in their wardrobe, try it as a top under a blazer, or in a skirt with a neutral top. “I think it will be a good one to slide into peoples’ fall wardrobes that they already have,” she says.

McIntyre has lots of teal in her current Serendipity collection, including skirts, tops and dresses.

Layers - It’s the perfect trend for a cool weather climate like ours — layers, and lots of them.

Layered pieces are a great trend for fall, says Kim Hill, owner of the 124th Street boutique Thread Hill.

Popular lines like Sarah Pacini are layering tunics over pants and sweaters over tunics, she says. Another line she carries, Elisa Cavaletti, is even showing a simple, cotton jersey shift dress with some crochet detail at the hem, paired with a shorter skirt of the same colour over top, so the hem of the dress is visible beneath. Again, layer the dress over leggings and layer a sweater over top. “It’s layering both the top and bottom,” she says.

FOR MEN

Unstructured jackets - Softer, unconstructed, casual jackets are a popular item for fall, says Chad Helm, owner of The Helm, the new, upscale menswear store on 104th Street downtown.

“We’re seeing a lot of shorter, sweater-like jackets in cottons and boiled wools,” he says. “Even our suits that are coming in, there’s not a lot of shoulder padding, they’re quite a bit trimmer.”

While they can still be worn to the office, they can also be worn more casually, he adds. “A lot of my clients come in and they don’t want to show up to an event wearing a suit, and they want something they can wear to the office as well, so they can throw on a dark pair of raw denim or even a cotton trouser and an unconstructed jacket.”

Helm is also starting to see more volume in shirts and pants, moving away from the tight, super-tailored fit popular in recent seasons.

Mixing patterns and textures - Local designer Stanley Carroll’s favourite look for fall involves mixing it up, as much or as little as you want.

“A lot of menswear designers are doing it now, trying to put unexpected pattern and feelings together,” he says. “You can do it marginally far or you can really go to town on it in terms of how strong a statement you want to make.”

The look he’s shown here, of his own design, is probably more pattern than many men would embrace. But even the most conservative guy can incorporate the trend, with something as subtle as a dress shirt with the inside cuff or collar showing a splash of colour.

Because menswear is more limited than ladies wear in the shapes and silhouettes it uses, “you have to rely on patterns and print a lot more to come up with something more unique or interesting,” Carroll adds.

Camouflage - Yup, camo is back, says Justin Der, co-owner and buyer for Foosh on Whyte Avenue.

It’s showing up in lots of brands and in many pieces, from camo pants and shirts to vests, hoodies and shoes.

“Pretty much everybody and anybody can wear it,” says Der. “I think camo’s pretty cool again.”

You’ll see it now on “young, streetwear kids,” soon to be showing up on a wider demographic. Already, many of the camouflage pieces he had in store are gone, with more on their way.

This time around, each brand is doing its own take on the pattern, he says. “For the most part, it’s the traditional camo colour — the black, the brown, the camel, the green — but they’re mixing it up in different patterns, like a tiger camo.”