STYLE Accessories in array of vibrant colors jazz up fall fashions

Color should be used to accent outfits this season.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Color fashion for fall with vivid crayon splashes here and there. Deep yellow and earthy mustard. Fire engine or tomato red. Pure purple or exotic emerald. Rich burgundy and cobalt blue. Pair them with heavy doses of ever-popular black, chocolate brown or rich olive.
Designers are injecting jolts of color via accessories, instead of entire ensembles. They can add immediate dash to an otherwise monotone canvas of black or brown.
"Color is being used more as an accent than a base," said Allen Ferrell, the 2003-'04 president of Color Marketing Group. "Red is very strong."
So are hues like adobe, gold, spring grass green and yellow. He characterized them as "jewel tones, but softened."
Consider yellow, a tricky shade to position near many a skin tone.
Incorporating this hue away from the face is as simple as sporting one of this season's most important accessories: gloves. They have emerged as fashion statements in such raucous shades as bright yellow, red, and green. As they flash by positioned next to a black or brown backdrop, the overall outfit assumes a new personality.
Handbags
Another nominee for color creativity is the handbag. Look for an abundance of croc (crocodile). Or mock croc. It has assumed a brand new identity by parading these days in mustard, purple, green and other shades.
Colorful croc has crept into footwear, especially boots. Some are real showstoppers, with bright shades spreading from toes to above knees. Trendy thigh-high styles are communicating similarly colorful messages.
And no updated wardrobe should be without these basic pieces -- a black jacket, skirt, trousers and turtleneck.
A white blouse remains a staple and will help dilute black. Or accessorize the blouse with a chunky necklace, perhaps made of crystals sparkling with majestic jewel tones. Top your look off with a pair of stylish drop earrings in a knockout color.
Follow the lead of designer Ralph Lauren, who subtly injected purple beneath dark menswear fabric by adding a lush scarf. Or copy designer Adrienne Vittadini, who enlivened a black croc-motif jacket with a patterned red, black and white scarf.
And for true drama, imitate designer Carolina Herrera, who paired a brown fur jacket with a wide swath of ruby satin encircling the waist.
The color possibilities are nearly limitless. So alluring are the hues that it might be tempting to wear a rainbow all at once. Instead, use exclamation points like red or yellow to punctuate your look.