FashBlog.com

The other day I stopped in my favorite children's clothing store to try to find a new bathing suit for my daughter. Imagine my surprise when I realized there was nary a bathing suit in sight.

It's only the first week of July, I thought-- the dead middle of summer. Yet there wasn't a bathing suit to be had. Instead, the shelves were filled with the latest fall fashions for the well-dressed kid. Long sleeved tops. Corduroy pants. Ponchos. I couldn't believe it.

That's right, folks-- it's time to make way for the Fall fashion preview. If you didn't stock up on summer clothes and bathing suits already, you may be out of luck. No matter that there's still practically two full months of summer left-- summer clothes are becoming hard to find.

Granted, most stores have clearance racks of summer attire. In fact, if you can find any summer clothes the prices are probably slashed. The middle of this summer is a great time to load up on items for next summer if you can figure out what size your kids will be in a year. Or if you can find any summer clothes at all.

After a quick jaunt around the mall and I did find one or two places with a few token bathing suits left. Unfortunately, none were in my daughter's size. I then went to my favorite discount store where suits were 50% off the original price. There I found a suit emblazoned with a popular children's TV character that my daughter isn't a fan of. But we bought the suit anyway. Why? Because it fit and I was tired.

During my travels in search of that mid-summer bathing suit, I got an unexpected preview of the fall fashions. Now I am not talking about the high fashion, runway trends-- I'm talking about the fashion trends for us regular folk. Based on my research during that treck to the mall, this is what I have surmised:

-- Ponchos will be back again this year. Which isn't a bad thing. I wore ponchos as a kid and was thrilled last year when they became all the rage again. My daughter owns two of them and based on the cute styles I am seeing for this Fall she will own at least two more by September.

-- Corduroy seems to be making a comeback. Comfy and casual. Who doesn't love corduroy? Expect to see some cute corduroy jackets, pants and skirts this season.

-- Shrugs will be popular. If you don't know what a shrug is, it's an ultra-short jacket or sweater. Note: "Shrug" is the worst name ever for a piece of attire. I don't like the look of shrugs, either. Rest assured, I won't be purchasing any shrugs this year.

-- Layered tops will still be in vogue. I also like this look, so I'm glad it's back. I'd rather wear lightweight layers than a big bulky sweater.

-- Expect to see a new crop of tie-dyed and camouflage printed items this year as well. Also, denim never goes out of style-- just make sure you get the right cut!