Shop our guides to puffy winter coats, Jessica Alba’s green blazer and flared jeans, and crossbody bags on sale at Shopbop.

Shop our guides to puffy winter coats, dresses for Valentine’s Day, and chunky knit sweaters.

Get after it.

Don’t you love cheat sheets? Knowledge is power, girls, so here’s mine to you, with all of the fall 2011 trends you need to know. Now, I’m not saying you need to buy every single one of them, but, I did pick pieces, all from Topshop, that fit the bill and your wallet.

Check them out, and give your wardrobe a little easy update. Plus, get free shipping at Topshop on orders over $75.

Check out more fall trends, get caught up with this week’s best sales and deals, online sample sales and best find of the day picks.

It’s getting really chilly in New York, but the weather is still totally unpredictable. That’s why I love this Spun Scarves Striped Poncho Shawl—you can swear it as a cool cape if, say, it starts to rain or gets really windy. But then if, say, you’re wearing it and it gets too hot out or becomes too bulky, you can just fold it differently and wear it like a scarf.

Voila!

Talk about getting your money’s worth: it’s just $60 at Shopbop.

We covet Rachel Zoe’s wardrobe–hell, pretty much her whole life. So when the Rachel Zoe clothing line debuted, we died. And then we came back from the dead, because we needed to try it on.

When she says things about the Rachel Zoe clothing line on her show like, “This collection is for every woman,” I always think: Really? Because everybody I know has a different body type, and with Rachel herself being so skinny and having a taste for oversize dresses and crazy-tall heels, I wondered how it fits on real girls who are not sample sale sizes or stylists.

SEE THE ENTIRE RACHEL ZOE CLOTHING LINE here.

Zoe describes her line as “Uptown chic meets downtown cool, Parisian elegance and London fabulousness.” When she talked to Good Morning America a few weeks ago, she said, “It’s all about how you wear it and who you are. You can take four or five different women with the same pieces and it will work on all of them.”

So, Charlotte and I, being the intrepid reporters we are, hiked to Saks at 11:30 the other morning, land of the heavily perfumed and over-dressed, to find out. Both size 6s with very different body types, I’d describe mine as average (I’m 5’6) with kind of a big bust while Charlotte, also a size 4 or 6, is 5’11, and model-like, with stems to kill for. Seriously, you’ve gotta see the street style photogs when she walks by–they can’t help but shoot.

Back to the clothes!

The quality

RZ ain’t kidding around! The price tags can get a little hefty, ranging from $150 to $575, but this isn’t a collaboration for Target or Kohl’s, people. This is the real thing: leather, fur, boucle, you name it, it’s there. An array of flowy maxi dresses, a few evening gowns, pants, silk tie blouses, and serious blazers, the line also boasted a few gorgeous winter coats and mini dresses that weren’t skimping on the sequins.

The fit

Disclaimer: Please excuse the quality of the photos/cropping.

There were several gorgeous little mini dresses, but they were just that: little. I  felt a little bit like a sausage in my size 6–the length was ok, but it would be more comfortable in a size 8. Charlotte looked like she was missing part of her dress. Too short! Patterned sequin dress $475 at Saks. Tuxedo blazer – OMG this is the. most. amazing. blazer. ever. No wonder it’s flying off the shelves at Saks. The second I put it on, I was in love. It was true to size, but the sleeves were a little long, so get a tailor. BUT it’s worth it! If I had extra cheddar lying around, I’d RUN to Saks and buy it, then wear it every single day. I felt like a Rachel Zoe doppleganger in it, too. Added bonus. It’s now sold out but you can get the tuxedo jumpsuit $575 at Shopbop. Coat – Sleeves were a tad long but OMG what a show-stopping piece. $550 at Shopbop.

The Rachel Zoe tie neck blouses fit true to size. No complaints here! Rachel Zoe tie shirt, $295 at Shopbop. Pants – Um, Charlotte is 5’11 and they were still long on her. Unless you love to wear 5″ heels a la Rachel, you’ll either need a great tailor or stilts to pull these off. That said, they were well-made and looked cool on her. If you’re into the heels, these are definitely for you. $375 at Saks. Knit Cape - I wanted to love this cape, and I did: it was chunky and warm, in a great camel color, but on my body, it was definitely more matronly than I would have liked, especially with the belt. If you’re tall and thin, do it and you won’t regret it. See it on the model. $450 at Shopbop. Sequin one shoulder dress – Too short on Charlotte, too tight on me. If you’re tall, go up a size, if you’re busty, go up a size. $295 at Saks.

Halter dress – I was in love with this jeweled neck evening gown. It was incredibly flattering but small in the chest, so again, got a bigger chest? Go up a size. Gorgeous details, though, and a really awesome tie waist. I felt like RZ herself in it. $575 at Shopbop. Panther Maxi dresses – These were definitely oversized. While Gypsy-like in person, when Charlotte put hers on, it was actually cool, and we could see how styling with lots of amazing, chunky jewelry would really elevate the look. That said, it was SO. LONG. So unless you’re wearing hooker boots every day, at this point you should employ a live-in tailor or skip it. $495 at Shopbop. Coats – The coats were a little snug on a larger bust. I usually wear a size 2 or 4 in coats because most designers cut theirs a little big, but these were definitely made for West Coast girls who don’t have to pile wooly mammoth sweaters under their coats. Go up a size. Sophia Chain military coat, $495 at Saks.

What’s selling out

The guy working our section, without knowing we were planning a post, told us everything he knew about the line: apparently it’s super popular and they just can’t keep some things (like the Rachel Zoe tuxedo jacket, which is sold out, but the tuxedo jumpsuit is available, Rachel Zoe faux fur vests and Rachel Zoe pumps) in stock. PS: Saks guy, if you’re reading this, sorry we snapped photos, didn’t buy anything and kinda left the dressing room a mess. No hard feelings – we were doing it for the people. Think of us as the Robin Hood(s) of shopping.

Check out all of our Rachel Zoe coverage, plus our guides to blazers, the best faux fur, all of this week’s sales and deals, our favorite fall trends, skinny jeans, over the knee boots and leather jackets, and all of our best find of the day picks.

Capes are cool. A little bit ’70s (think Love Story) mixed with modern elements, like the fact that you can actually move your arms under there, unlike a regular winter coat. Seriously, have you ever tried running errands while wearing a coat? It’s practically impossible. Anyway, capes are having a real fashion moment, and it’s easy to see why: they’re different, without being totally out there. Here are our picks for the best fall capes for women–don’t worry, no one will mistake you for Batman.

See more jackets, like our favorite trench coats, military jackets, leather jackets and all of the booties we love. Shop this week’s sales and deals, online sample sales and best find of the day picks, too.

Buy a cheapie coat and you’ll be paying for it in other ways–you’ll freeze at first frost, and won’t hold up after many dry cleanings. Don’t sell yourself short. Go for the gold with these gorgeous designer coats–the’re marked down seriously low, and they’ll keep you warm on a cold night. Lesson: get a fancy coat without paying full price…what do you have to lose?

Our editors spend practically all of their free time creating these awesome shopping guides so you can find the best trends in just minutes. Check out our newly-updated guides to military jackets, trench coats, booties, jewelry, desert boots, bright handbags, the best peacoats, as well as the best bras and oxford shoes.

While a classic Burberry trench can cost you your entire tax return, lucky for us, there’s a new spring jacket that’s taking over this year–the anorak. A little bit sporty and lot functional, with a cool neutral palette, an anorak says “I’m up for anything.” And today at Nordstrom, they’re on sale. Check out our favorite anoraks below, and tell us which is your favorite in the comments.

Feeling more classic? Shop our guides to the best trench coats, nude shoes and skinny jeans around.

Pretty soon, you’ll be able to ditch your winter coat–but instead of going for the same old boyfriend blazer everyone’s been wearing for several seasons, give your wardrobe a much-needed jumpstart. The ladylike jacket is where you should start– this BCBG Generation Bias Cut jacket looks like something Coco Chanel would wear, with an updated (read: not old lady) print and without the four-digit price tag. This one is only $103.99 from $148, and it’s still available in every size.

Wear it with skinny jeans and pick your shoe poison–from wedges or nude shoes to cut out shoes.

OMG, could Kate Middleton get any more perfect?

Apparently, finagling her way into the royal family isn’t the only thing Kate Middleton is good at. While she holds flowers and flips pancakes during a charity event in Ireland, she still looks incredibly put together. Thanks to her Burberry trench coat of course, which sold out immediately. But while the rest of us don’t plan on giving up our rent to buy one, we’ve found plenty of lookalikes you can copy–blue blooded or not.
Check out more of our favorite celebrity styles. Shop our guides to the best trench coats and the best sunglasses. Subscribe to SHEFindsMail for exclusive updates.