KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lisa Garney is quick to recite her priorities for fall shopping.

"More platform shoes and wide pants," said the fashion-savvy Kansas City, Mo., business owner. The stilettos look great with wide-legged pants and are "good for feeling thin."

Welcome to a new fashion season. Garney, like many women, is going through the spring and fall ritual of considering new fashion options.

Garney, who owns developer L.M. Garney Co., has a wish list that includes a skin-tight leather jacket and Burberry Prorsum black-studded or patent-leather gloves.

This fall, be prepared to spiff up and put more thought into how you put things together. Chaotic dressing is out. Grown-up, pretty clothes are back.

We don't expect even the most avid fashion followers to pack up their jeans in light of this cleanup campaign. But we suggest moving the frayed, worn and faded to the back of the closet. Dark denims seem more fitting for the moment.

We've culled a list of fall fashion tips that articulate the ins and outs of fall fashion to help you look up-to-date.

n Continue to look for big names at chain stores, as fashion is more accessible than ever. Target rotates trendy designers every couple of months and has Isaac Mizrahi year-round. Celebrities are lending their names to collections at trendy low-cost stores. Sarah Jessica Parker and Venus Williams are at Steve & Barry's. Low-cost chains such as H&M — the Swedish company known for collaborating with pricey designers — are spreading across the country.

• The '60s were not the most attractive decade on the fashion front. But leggings, tights, layered knits, graphic prints and mini skirts now reflect designers' fascination with the era.

• You don't have to wear a traditional matching skirt suit obligatory for church christenings or job interviews at law firms. But suits with a coordinated top and bottom are cool again.

• Silhouettes run a wide gamut, including skirts and tops in bubbles, cocoons, fly-away shapes or sleek and simple.

• Sleeves may be short, puffed like a child's, bubbled or straight and minimal.

• Dresses, whether you find them in vintage or specialty stores, are the center of the world of chic.

• Updating your look can be as simple as adding opaque tights to your skirts and wearing cropped pants.

• An ankle boot with some kind of heel can be another instant way of saying "I know what's going on."

• Full skirts and wide belts are adding pizzazz to dresses and suits. Ditto for dirndl shapes.

• High waists or empires are still around, but many more designs are styled with natural waistlines.

• Wide-legged pants are on the incoming fashion wave on everything from suit pants to denim jeans. They may be very full or trouser cut. They look especially pretty with soft, silky shirts. But be cautious: If you are not very tall, the wide legs could easily overwhelm you.

• If you want one color in the fashion sphere, make it gray. If that is not the best hue next to your face, add a more colorful blouse, sweater, scarf or necklace. Consider pink, pale blue, red or even gold.

• For your second choice on the color chart, make it black.

• Leather gloves are not just for keeping your hands warm. They add that polish characteristic of the new season.

• High heels bring glamour to the table. But flats can look good with short skirts, long skirts and cropped pants.