Designer options expanding

One of the best things about late August is the arrival of fall fashion in stores.

This fall is shaping up to be no different from the last few in the Triangle, at least when it comes to designer fashion. Local boutique owners and store managers continue to raise the fashion bar by bringing in designers that are either new to their store or new to the market.

As usual, Uniquities is not disappointing this season. Among the biggest scores at the North Hills store is the revived Herve Leger brand. (Max Azria brought it back for fall after showing the collection for the first time in New York in February.)

Don't know the brand? You might if you looked closely at celebrity photos in the magazines. A number of them are pulling off an Herve Leger dress will surprising success. Surprising because these dresses look as if they are made from bright bands of elastic that are strategically wrapped around the body.

The result? Skin tight and slinky, the stuff that stops traffic.

Hardly a look real women can pull off, right?

But the word on the street is that while these dresses may look like they show every figure flaw, they're really hard at work sucking everything in. Go figure.

If Herve Leger is not your speed, Marc Jacobs' diffusion line might be. Marc by Marc Jacobs has arrived at Uniquities' Cameron Village store. Jaime Goodson, the store manager, says the line is kitschy and perfect "for that fashion-forward girl that loves a more retro look."

In the store now: T-shirts with sentiments, black skinny jeans, and a few "quirky-meets-classic quintessential jackets."

Uniquities has also landed Stella McCartney denim.

Meanwhile, over at Gena Chandler in North Hills, store owners Chandler Woodall and Gena Fajgenbaum Combs have added two NYC Fashion Week favorites: Catherine Malandrino and Rebecca Taylor. And if you love anything by Diane von Furstenberg, you'll appreciate the new DVF shoes that Gena Chandler has for fall.

Vermillion has added a new brand of cashmere sweater by fashion newcomer Koi Suwannagate. These aren't your mother's sweaters. Each one is almost of a piece of art, often made with a three-dimensional element, such as a row of delicate rosettes running down the back, to set it apart.

Kristen's Shoe Boutique also has been busy picking up new lines. New for fall at the Cary shoe boutique: Pucci, Christian Lacroix, Delman, Jeanne Jarvaise and Lucchese boots.

Store owner Kristen Greczyn was also able to score the new Tracy Reese handbags.

And finally, it might be worth a trip over to the Belk at Crabtree in October to check out the new Kristen Davis line.

The "Sex and the City" star signed a deal with Belk this year to lend her name to apparel, sleepwear, loungewear, shoes, handbags and jewelry that will be sold only at Belk. The fall line is the first of the collaboration.