Actress Sarah Jessica Parker, model Kate Moss and the female cast of the CW television network’s popular “Gossip Girl” series have helped popularize one of the season’s hottest fashion trends: knee socks.

In her Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel, “The Color Purple,” Alice Walker wrote that God gets angry “if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”

Many Americans will be heading to consignment shops and thrift stores this holiday season, thanks to an economic downturn, shop owners believe.

It’s not unusual for some fashions to raise eyebrows.

The NPD Group, a global provider of consumer and retail market research information, recently released its latest survey on eating patterns in America. According to the survey, Americans are consuming 22 percent fewer beef dishes than they did in 1984.

While diamonds will always be a girl’s best friend, she won’t have to break her bank account to get the latest trend in jewelry.

What you wear to work depends on the culture and customs of your workplace, fashion experts say. “But whatever you do, you should look your best,” said Denise Leach, an affiliate broker at Innovative Realty Group in Chattanooga. “I believe first impressions make a big difference.”

Knit scarves, knit cardigans, knit leggings, knit skirts — as long as it’s knit, it’s in style this season, said Suzanne Bishop, owner of Frankie & Julian’s on Frazier Avenue.

Blouses have gone girly. The super-feminine fall look “reflects the mood of the season, which is very feminine,” said Ralph Ray, manager of Belk at Hamilton Place mall.

A fashion photo shoot, though labor-intensive and sometimes grueling for models wearing winter fashions in the September sun, offers a great opportunity for the photographer and reporter to get out in the community and make new friends.

Traditional coats have been updated with feminine details for fall and winter. Joan Hirsch, executive vice president of Gallery, a leading designer and manufacturer of coats, said coat bodies have been given a new feminine reference, such as a shirring or a special button.

Shelve the baggy britches and oversized shirts.

Denim lasts from season to season, but cuts and colors are constantly evolving, fashion experts say. This year, look for dark denim and high rises. Dark jeans, particularly, will be showing up in department stores this fall. They are listed as a fall 2008 trend on Belk’s Nine Most Wanted list for fall and Web sites teenfashionabout.com and collegefashion.net.

Some Chattanoogans are exploring a new Chinese healing technique called Qi Gong.

Get out the hairspray, bobby pins and teasing comb. Holiday dos are going to be big — literally.