Even though summer season is in full swing, Fall is only a few months away which means it will soon be time to freshen up the office fashion closet. While you can get away with tailored capri pants and pencil skirts for a few weeks of Fall, the season's top styles include fitted blazers and suits, crisp poplin shirts and wide-leg black pants. Are you ready for a fresh new season? Here are some of the top Fall 2009 must-haves for any office maven:

The Purple Blouse
Purple is at the top of the color charts for Fall 2009, which means you can dress up any grey pantsuit or black skirt with a touch of color. Stick with the darker shades of purple to create a rich, luxury-inspired look, and balance it out with a set of pearls or simple silver jewelry for a complete polished ensemble.

The Grey Pantsuit
All shades of grey are in this season, and you can ditch the all-black pantsuit this year for a lighter, grey version instead. Look for tweed and simple knit basics for your grey suit of the season, and pair it with a stark white blouse and a long string of pearls for a modern and sophisticated look.

The Red Cardigan
Bright red is another hot pick for the Fall 2009 fashion season, and you can add some color and a stylish twist to a pair of black pants or a simple skirt with a bright red cardigan. Pair this with a white shirt or blouse for the complete look.

Wide-Leg Pants
Straight-cut, wide-leg black pants are an office essential for Fall, and these versatile pants can be worn with all of Fall's hottest colors. Wear these with a super-skinny heel for a chic and modern look.

The Patent Leather Handbag
Glossy patent leather handbags and briefcases return for another season, so if you still don't have one of these office essentials yet, 'tis the season to get one! The glossy patent leather handbag exudes sophistication and style, and you can find a variety of designs suitable for even the busiest office professional. Look for totes with hidden organization features such as extra pockets, dividers and compartments if you need to take along a netbook and other electronics along on your daily route.

Sporty and fashion-forward Gwen Stefani and classic fashion experimenter Gwyneth Paltrow offer women two distinctive fashion models to emulate. Both Gwen and Gwyneth are fashion risk-takers, and their personal choices pay off for them, on the red carpet, or while enjoying casual family time.

Breaking the Rules
Gwen and Gwyneth can break the rules and wear bone white shoes anytime of the year. Both of these fashion icons could wear the same shoes and build an outfit around them that would be uniquely their own. Gwen Stefani could choose her favorite black and white combination, or a patriotic red, white and blue outfit. She's also known to go glam, and these shoes would add the right amount of Hollywood femininity to her harder-edged outfits.

Travel in Style
You know Gwen Stefani isn't trying to shove all her make up and accessories in some boring purse or overnight bag, so why should you? You don't have to be a rock star to appreciate a cute rocking Hurley Top Forty Make Up/Train Case to store your overnight accessories, ideal for a sleepover or weekend getaway.

Gwyneth Rocks the Dress
Nobody rocks dresses with more elegance and class than Gwyneth Paltrow. Even when she pushes the fashion envelope, in a white dress with black lacy trim resembling lingerie, or opts for an electric blue and silver number, she always looks completely confident and happening.

Staples for Gwen and Gwyneth
Both women are equally comfortable-looking and chic in leather coats or cozy cardigans. These fashionable moms layer their cardigans with dresses or casual wear when taking their little ones out and about. They both also know how to jazz up an outfit with one bright color piece, from a bag to a pair of boots.

Rock your own wardrobe staples, like Gwen and Gwyneth.

It’s hip to be square! Mr. Rogers certainly won’t be asking to borrow this Diesel cardigan! Pair it with this funky plaid (you do know plaid is HOT right now, right?) Ben Sherman button up, relaxed James Jeans and stylin’ Puma kicks and you just may keep strolling to strut your stuff!

See another outfit featuring this Ben Sherman shirt!

See another outfit featuring these James Jeans!

See another outfit featuring this Diesel sweater!

See another outfit featuring these Puma sneakers!

The cardigan sweater is such a basic piece of clothing for both men and women that most people never even consider its origin, and if they do, most link it solely to the American children's program, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. However, the cardigan's origins are far older than that.

While the garment itself appeared at least two centuries earlier, the cardigan earned its name back in the 19th century, when the word was used to describe the knitted military jacket worn by the soldiers in the regiment of James Thomas Brudenell who was the seventh Earl of Cardigan.

Cardigans emerged into women's fashion in the 1950s in the form of the ubiquitous twin set, a light cardigan buttoned over a matching tank top. Sometimes, just the top button was buttoned, revealing the delicate sweater underneath. Other times, most of the buttons on the cardigan were buttoned, leaving one open at the neck to reveal just a hint of the garment below. Reverse cardigans, which buttoned up the back, were also fashionable during this time and were generally made out of light, expensive wools such as merino and cashmere.

In the 1970s, the cardigan became less stayed and experimented with color and texture, both in the knit stitches of the garment and in the types of wool used. Rougher wools, handspun wool and synthetic fibers were all a common part of cardigans, which were no longer confined exclusively to the twin set pairing.

Like all clothes in the 1980s, cardigans got big. Over-sized cardigans were popular over leggings and unitards and were sometimes even worn as sweater dresses. Bright colors and plaids were extremely popular.

Since then, cardigans have gone retro, with the 1950s style reemerging for women, as well as a return to the cardigan for men as part of an early 20th-century, professorial look that also favors tweeds, waistcoats, pocket watches and other old-fashioned touches. With the increasingly popularity of knitting as a hobby, home knit cardigans in an array of styles uniquely suited to their wearers are increasingly making an appearance. While the cardigan started as a uniform piece, the sweater is anything but that today.