But, in the world of high fashion, it is fall. And rapidly becoming winter.

If you want to be au courant, here is your chance. Ebony Magazine's Ebony Fashion Fair is bringing a glimpse of haute couture, fashion at its most exclusive and expensive -$20,000 to $70,000 a pop - to Salt Lake City on Thursday. There will be fabulous clothes to dazzle the eye, as well as suggest the newest style trends. The event is a benefit for "A Taste of Juneteenth Inc." at the Salt Lake Hilton Hotel.

The fair began in 1956 as a small charity fashion show given by publisher John Johnson. Produced since then by Eunice Johnson, the Ebony Fashion Fair is one of the the world's largest traveling fashion shows. Designers include Americans Bill Blass, Carolina Herrera and Oscar de la Renta; Italians Missoni and Dolce & Gabbana; France's Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent; plus Japan's Issey Miyake, and Britain's Sassoon & Mullany.

"These are dream clothes. The Ebony concept is, 'This is what's hot. Look at it. Be inspired. See what you can put together to get the look,' " says Kenneth Owen, the show's assistant producer.

Just back from the European runways, Owen says this Fashion Fair is a combination of spring and fall with "no real motif, but more white clothing, mostly denim, and three-quarter length pants worn with high wedge sandals for spring. Fall will feature knee-length skirts and shorter jackets. And stiletto heels."

Although men's fashions and women's daytime apparel are well represented, it is women's evening dress that brings the ohhs and ahhs. There are sequined dresses, some with ostrich feather trim. A crystal-beaded gown has feather ruffles, and a dress with vividly colored sequined stripes has a side slit - all the way up the leg.

"One of my favorite things is the Hanae Mori hand-painted, blue-beaded peacock gown and caftan," Fashion Fair commentator Jada Jackson Collins says. Mori's fabrics usually are hand-painted, Collins adds, saying that details are important components of haute couture.

"The fabrics, and the mixture of patterns as well as beading and intricate needlework, are things that distinguish couture," she says.

Like the wedge shoe, there are fashions that keep reappearing, but with a difference.

"Christian Lacroix is bringing back Emilio Pucci's dramatic geometric prints in chiffon dresses and scarves," Owen says. And then there are the capri pants, also a Pucci creation.

"But designs are not Pucci's shapeless T-shirt over skirt or pants. They have today's shape," Owen says.

Although the Fashion Fair clothes, like all designer collections, can be a bit over the top, and, "mostly for show by movie stars at awards shows," Collins acknowledges, "You could wear some of them, if you could afford it."

And if you buff up.

Fush!, aka Marie Claudinette Pierre-Jean, is the featured designer this year. As described by JET magazine, Fush! combines "18th-century aristocratic flamboyance with Caribbean aesthetic and modern sensibility." The evening gowns are elaborately beaded and somewhat bare. Or, at least, transparent. They require a great body.

Alas. Generally it is the more mature fashionista who can afford haute couture, but the younger generation is the biggest influence of changing high fashion.

"They work out, how many hours a day? They want to show off their midriffs. They don't want to hide under a big fluffy muumuu. The midsection is high fashion. So is a semitransparent bodice," Owen says.

"It is scandalous. But beautiful at the same time. There is a fine line to pulling it off. We show you how to do it with elegance and taste."

Hot time with haute couture

* The Ebony Fashion Fair is Thursday from 8 to 10 p.m. at the Salt Lake Hilton Hotel, 255 S. West Temple. A reception will follow the show. Tickets are $30; underground parking is $2. Call 801-963-2619; 801-949-8113.

Trend Watch

Fashion sense and a flair for style are not limited to large wallets. Take a look at what fashion designers are showing.

Shop around. Pick and choose what you like and will look good on you. Be adventurous.

- Comments by Ebony Fashion Fair assistant producer Kenneth Owen and fashion show commentator Jada Jackson Collins.

* Capri-length pants and "skorts," the combination of skirt and shorts, are big for summer.

* The spring/summer shoe of choice is a high wedge heel in off-white or natural straw with ties that wrap up the calf.

* Bare midriffs are showing in every season.

* High boots with high heels continue to make a fashion statement.

* "Cat suits" will be back in the fall.

* Fur, real and luxurious, dominates the fashion scene as an "embellishment adornment," in collars, cuffs and trims.

* Feathers are popular for boas.

* Double-breasted suit jackets and sports coats are in for men's fall wear, along with a wider pant leg.

* Plaids are going to be popular, and silver and gold and metallic fabric is a good look and repeated in dresses, gowns and suits.

* Do not be afraid to mix fabrics, textures and patterns.

* Not every designer's dream dress will become a trend. Early reports have Christian Dior showing a look closely associated with expectant mothers - high empire-cut gowns, no waist - but many buyers are waiting to see how it floats before ordering.

* Have fun.