Autumn

There is no place like Southern California in the fall. The golden light, the warm air, the perfectly sharp horizon. It does summer one better, if that's possible. It's no wonder that our designers do fall lines like no one else. There is an ease and a lightness to their clothes that's refreshingly removed from New York's fall runways.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have had only one thing on their minds for the last few seasons: sex. Although their spring collection seemed to be the stuff of high-end hookers, for fall, dominatrixes were front and center. Otherwise, nothing much has changed for Dolce & Gabbana.

Restricted round-trip airfares as researched on computer Thursday, the day before the Travel section goes to press. Fares change daily, and availability is not assured. Fares, which may involve a change of planes, are for airlines serving Los Angeles International (LAX), Orange County/John Wayne (SNA), Burbank/Bob Hope (BUR), L.A. Ontario (ONT) and Long Beach (LGB). Domestic fares include sales tax; international airfares do not. There may be additional surcharges on both.

Leaf peepers headed to northern New England this fall can keep up by using computerized maps that predict where the colors will be. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have official websites highlighting the popular fall foliage season, which draws visitors from around the world.

It's officially fall, and the delicate, ephemeral dance that transforms summer's deep greens into autumn's sunset-colored hues has begun across the nation. As the days get shorter and less sun-blessed, deciduous trees gradually stop producing chlorophyll. This allows other pigments, including carotenoids (yellows and oranges) and anthocyanins (reds and purples), the short-lived chance to shine -- or, rather, glow.

If you're not autumning in New England, this photo book may be the next best thing. In "A New England Autumn," all the roads are back roads. Ferenc M?t?'s photos take you across six states, capturing boatyards and church-steepled hillsides. Accompanying the photos are some of the most ruminative works of Frost, Longfellow, Thoreau and others.

If you haven't already noticed, this is the year of the bow. Valentino, the maestro of the bow, has used it as a signature adornment on accessories and couture gowns forever, and he did it in a big way in this, his 45th anniversary year. Apparently the world was watching. One of his classic pieces, a dramatic satin clutch with an angular bow that doubles as a wrist handle, is covetable at $750. Steve Madden. . . re-created . . . it, and made it affordable, at $38.

THE Chinese developed more than 100 varieties of chrysanthemums by the early Middle Ages. A recent festival in Iran, celebrating that country's emerging cut-flower industry, boasted 700 types of the flower. The mum's combination of substance and grace has inspired ancient poetry, traditional kimono patterns and contemporary tattoos. Still, not everyone loves a mum. A French etiquette book warns that it is irretrievably gauche to bring chrysanthemums to your dinner hostess.

It's still early in the upfront presentation derby (only NBC and ABC have gone so far; CBS unveils its fall lineup today and the new CW on Thursday), but it already appears that the hottest network scheduling battle for the 2006-07 TV season will take place on Thursdays at 9 p.m.