what to wear to high point fall market

High Point Market has been compared to Fashion Week, but for home decor.  And believe me, people who work in the home decor industry usually have distinct personal styles of their own.  Among Mr. Q's clients are a woman from Florida who always rocks a hat and brightly colored blazer and a gentlemen, also from the sunshine state, who always wears a crazy tie - that's his trademark.  This year his tie had horses on it.  If horses become A Thing this year, we'll thank Tom.  The sales reps (Mr. Q's clients) at Market are dressed for business - in suits.  There's another category of people at High Point that I aspire to emulate in my style choices - the designers and interior decorators.  Usually they skew a bit younger than the sales reps and look flat-out classy due to a few well-chosen items.  I've found some images from around the web to illustrate some of the fashion trends I observed among the women of High Point Market!

FabYouBliss

The outfit on the right would fit right in at Market - the "uniform" for young women this year was a long belted shawl-collar cardigan or sweater dress in a fall color, skinny black or brown pants, and riding boots.  I saw a lot of women pair black pants with brown boots just like the model in the picture.  Very few women wear jeans at High Point - it's simply not that casual.

Hush UK via Suburbly Chic || The Blonde Salad

My signature High Point Market look (I know I've only been attending as a guest for two years, but let me feel experienced here!) is a big scarf over my outfit.  A scarf automatically makes me feel put together, whether it's in a print or a rich jewel tone.

RDuJour

I saw quite a few fur vests at High Point, paired with sweaters, skinny pants, and riding boots.  I think the trick is finding faux fur that doesn't look like you skinned a teddy bear.

Wendy's Lookbook || Merrick's Art

Camel is such a popular neutral color this fall - camel skinny pants look so chic paired with a neutral top, shoes, and an envelope bag.  I also saw a lot of this year's color of the year, tangerine - mainly in the form of pants and bags.  I guess it stands to reason that designers and decorators would want to show that they follow the color forecast.

Women of Charm

I've decided that next year I want to carry a clutch instead of a shoulder bag - I was constantly in fear of breaking something expensive with my bag swinging around everywhere.  This envelope-style clutch is perfect.

Whipped Style || Tory Burch Boots

I saw multiple women at High Point Market wearing Tory Burch shoes.  The best advice I can offer women who will be attending High Point Market in the fall or spring is to wear your most comfortable pair of cute shoes, whether that means riding boots or flats.  I wore a pair of cap-toe flats from Target and was in shoe heaven; my friend who was wearing boots ended up with blisters from all of the walking.  I did see a girl (in an awesome herringbone print dress) wearing the exact shoes on the right - that gold stripe looks AWESOME in person - just subtle enough to not be like "look at my shoe bling!" but shiny enough to be noticeable.

What I DIDN'T see at High Point Market:

- Maxi skirts

- J. Crew Bubble Necklaces

- Open-toed shoes

- Jeans

- Chevron clothing

What do you reach for when you want to add polish to your fall outfits?