OK, it's time to get serious. Fall fashion is about a proper suit, long leather gloves, an oxford shoe or a power pump and a structured handbag. It completes the 180-degree revolution away from the loose and carefree bohemian styles that were all the rage mere seasons ago.

The word that best defines the new look is polished -- which is, of course, an old look.

"It really is a head-to-toe look with matching handbags and shoes. When was the last time we saw that?" says Sandra Wilson, accessories fashion director at Neiman Marcus. "We feel good about ourselves when we dress like this. It just looks right. There's no more messiness -- I feel that's the period we're in right now."

It's a reaction we've seen before: In the 1990s, for example, grunge in the early part of the decade was replaced by super-sleek styles as we headed toward the new millennium.

Goodbye, gray: Spring collections are awash with color at New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK (AP) -- After a season of gray, expect spring fashions to pop in technicolor.The runways at New York Fashion Week were awash with color last week, from candy-hued magentas and yellows to muted shades of blush pink, light tan and dusty blue. It's a far cry from the gray that dominated the fall lines.Sunny yellow and candylike pink and blue created the palette for Miss Sixty (where the skinny jean lives on), while standouts at Bill Blass came in blush-colored silk-satin and gunmetal silk organza. At Nicole Miller late Wednesday, stained-glass prints and earthy colors dominated.Michael Fink, fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, said it wasn't yet clear what the big color story will be: candy-colored brights, subdued cosmetics colors or black and white. The only mistake, he said, would be to wear any of them head to toe.New York Fashion Week lasts eight days, previewing the spring-summer looks of 60 designers for fashion editors, retail buyers and stylists.