Gallop SoleFor fall, boots are prominent, and...

Gallop Sole

For fall, boots are prominent, and Giorgio Armani’s collection is no exception. He’s grounded his wide, full pants and urban-inspired silhouettes with the pony boot--a rounded-toe version of the Chelsea--in solid black and a cheetah printed synthetic skin ($260). “It’s a new direction for our shoes,” says a spokeswoman. “They’re chunkier, bolder. They make more of a statement.” See them up close, along with the rest of the fall collection, in a preview next Thursday and Friday at Emporio Armani in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa.

Strings That Bind

Fashion culled from closets of blue-collar workers continues with the butcher’s apron. Drawing from the streets and nightclubs where the cotton broadcloth originals are worn, designers have cut versions in dressier fabrics. Some have stretched its functional intention from something thrown over bell-bottoms and a Tee to a silhouette that stands on its own. Take Barneys New York’s private label apron dress in black rayon ($98). “It definitely comes from work wear, but, done in a feminine way, it’s a wardrobe basic,” says Laura Sullivan, an assistant buyer for the boutiques. Coming soon: styles in fall fabrics.

Forward Classic

Remember those wonderful golf shirts Dad used to wear? The Santa Ana-based design team of Natalie Rigolet and Clayton Matthews at 24-7 does. They have come up with a fine gauge cotton knit ($70) that they think will pass the test of time better than those “permanent press” acrylic versions of the past. They also added an element of cool for the new generation of be-boppin’ hip-hoppers who dig vintage styling and color combinations such as navy or lime with chocolate trim, black with red or chocolate with bone. “It’s a tribute to the modernist school of thinking,” Matthews notes. “We like classic European quality and styling, but we love incorporating American.”

Extra, Extra

Come next weekend, fans of the Irvine-based street-wear line 26 Red can head to the label’s first signature boutique. Sales manager Jim Duval and his Southern California rep, Doug Witkop, have teamed to open the 550-square foot space on Laguna Beach’s main drag. The tiny store’s whitewashed walls and hardwood floors will allow “the clothes to do the talking,” Duval says. In addition to stocking the entire collection, the store will feature one-of-a-kind designs and “vintage knickknacks and doodads.”