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NEW YORK (CBS/AP) ― Sunny-yet-crisp autumn days help with the transition of the seasons. Come this fall, so will a slim pencil skirt worn with a cocooning fur-trimmed sweater.

That's an outfit that bridges the gap between the voluminous looks designers have been pushing for the past few years and the sleek and slim ones we seem to be headed toward.

Style watchers also saw a renewed interest in polished and chic clothes on the runways of New York Fashion Week, which finished up Friday after more than 100 previews.

This fall, look out for architectural shapes, tailored suiting, fur trim, cropped jackets and long coats with swing. Mix textures and fabrics, and traditional daytime pieces (a tweed skirt suit, for example) with a nighttime separate (beaded or metallic top), and vice versa.

As for colors, you'll see black and brown, with pops of purple, cobalt blue, dark yellow and blue, and lots and lots of gray.

"Gray -- I don't know when that became a color, but it did and it's a very important one," said Candy Pratts Price, executive fashion editor at Style.com.

"I noticed, especially after leaving Ralph Lauren, that the American fashion you're seeing is quite defined. There's a sense of grooming and polish, almost patrician," Pratts Price said. "It's not about rock 'n' roll or grunge and it's not about a sequined gown, either. ... It's a fall that looks like fall. You don't wonder, `Where am I supposed to wear this?"'

Pratts Price already has picked out a few things for her personal shopping list, which will be posted for the world to see as a lookbook on the Style.com Web site:

--A long and lean pantsuit from Marc Jacobs, and possibly a long and lean tunic, too.
--An embroidered cropped jacket from Proenza Schouler.
--A velvet and mohair dress with a sweetheart neckline from Calvin Klein, though she might see if it comes in a color other than green.

There's also a case to be made for a sweater-style knit dress.

And Michael Fink, women's fashion director at Saks Fifth Avenue, thinks there are a few other must-have items, especially a dramatic jacket or coat -- "one with a lantern sleeve, or a full volume back, or a rounded shoulder," he suggested. "What looks new is when you layer this over a slimming pant, pencil skirt, or body conscious dress."

A touch of glamour, either something metallic or covered in sequins or paillettes, will liven up a wardrobe that is otherwise dominated by the serious suits in dark colors, Fink added, and a patent leather pump is the shoe to buy. "It's the perfect shoe for any outfit and any occasion. No more clunky shoes."

Other accessories to complete your look will be riding-style boots and a hat. It could be cloche, knit, beret or even a wide-brim hat -- both Marc Jacobs and Nicole Miller sent those down the runway.

Probably the most noteworthy thing about this round of fashion shows is that the clothes looked mostly like classic American sportswear instead of an effort to mimic the more abstract and artsy designs of Europeans.

These are clothes American women feel confident and comfortable wearing -- something to make both the women and retailers happy.

For the designers, they're able to carve out an identity for themselves. It was probably easier than ever before to see a layered tulle look and declare it a Vera Wang, a dress with cutouts as a Narciso Rodriguez, a knockout gown as a Bill Blass and an architectural suit as a Calvin Klein.

"There was no fashion trickery," Pratts Price said.

(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)