The Kansas City Star fashion columnist Jackie White is already making some fashion predictions for Fall 2008 based on what she saw at the February New York Fashion Week. What she predicts is also confirmed by other columnists who saw similar trends at London Fashion Week, which is also held every February.

The first prediction is that jacket lengths will be a lot shorter with wide sleeves. Pants are going to be cuffed and some may even have cuffs like tailored shirts complete with buttons. This is not a style that has been really seen since the late seventies or early eighties.

Skirts are also going to refer a bit more to the late seventies or early eighties. Think Diane Keaton in Annie Hall if you are old enough to remember that film. The skirts at night are heavy but silky or made out of cotton. By day they are light, swishy and flounced. The fabrics will be lighter or airier than we have been used to seeing in the Autumn and in smoky or pale colors.

You are also going to see a lot more formal details on clothing such as ruffles and tuxedo bibs on tailored shirts. Long gloves a la a Paula Abdul video from 1984 might be back along with very high stiletto heels. Another throwback to that era will be the corset tops and corset style belts. During New York and London fashion week these were seen everywhere but especially as an elaboration on a simple cocktail gown or evening dress.

Equally seventies or eighties will be the return of wide batwing or dolman sleeves. This means caftans and caftan style clothing will also be in fashion again. You will also see it in glittering woolen or disco style tops with cowl collars, which once again are very eighties.

According to Jackie White hats are back with a fierce vengeance and include tams, berets and fedoras. These hats were perched cockily to one side on the model’s heads. You can also expect to see hats; coats and sweaters embellished with more fur or more likely – faux fur pieces – given everyone’s fear of PETA.

Yet another trend that does not seem to go away is the bubble skirt. Puffing and bubble shaped tailoring is also predated to be found in the tailoring of jackets and shirtsleeves.

In terms of color it is the striking primary type hues that will be in style like Kelly green, wine, deep blue, emerald and yellow. Metallics and especially metallic shoes, belts and purses will also continue to be in style.

If all of this sounds really eighties to you it is. The skinny high heel shoe that is as thin as a nail, the metallic leather, the corset and the little tam hats that were seen on both the London and New York runways were pure early Paul Abdul. The fake tuxedo bib style is also associated with her and also Diane Keaton who were huge stars in the late seventies and early eighties.