Charlotte-based department store Belk unveiled much of its fall fashion lineup to the media Thursday, saying shoppers should get ready for more classic looks - and also more measures like the use of synthetic materials, as commodity costs stay stubbornly high.

Apparel retailers and manufacturers have been facing the pressure of rising commodity prices, especially cotton, for much of the past year. Rising fuel costs have also been a concern.

But Arlene Goldstein, vice president of trend merchandising at Belk, said customers have plenty to look forward to as new clothes hit stores in the coming months.

"We want to avoid what, to many, is fashion's greatest sin: to be boring," she said.

Belk, with 306 stores throughout the Southeast, is one of the nation's largest clothing retailers, so the company's decisions about what to carry could influence what you end up wearing a year from now.

Here are a few things that will be "in" at Belk:

For women, retro looks inspired by a "Mad Men" sensibility are expected to be big. Watch for brocades, lace, winter florals, and lots of details on dresses, such as ribbons, bows, pleats and pin-tucking.

Animal prints will still be in the picture, along with the sweater dress. Look for plenty of hats, and knit scarves with exaggerated cables, "like Granny did it." Classic coats, belts and small bags (a change from huge satchels that have been popular) will also be emphasized.

For men, Belk will highlight cardigans, vests, suit separates (especially popular with the young man just starting a wardrobe) and plaid.

Synthetic materials aren't taboo, as the high price of cotton pushes manufacturers and retailers to cut back on natural fibers.

"If they are synthetic, or they look synthetic, that's OK," Goldstein said of new looks.

One trend that Goldstein said Belk noticed during the downturn is ongoing. As people spent less, they shifted their purchases from bland, bulk buys to high-fashion pieces.

"People are strategic, but when they buy something, they want it to be special," said Goldstein. "Our fashion is selling much better than any commodity."

To help cut down on costs, Goldstein said Belk also placed many orders earlier this year.

Still, consumers could eventually see higher prices, which many retailers have warned already. A pound of cotton cost about 86 cents in March 2010, according to the National Cotton Council. By March of this year, the price had nearly tripled, to $2.30 a pound. A drought in China, unseasonal rains and export controls in India, and floods in Pakistan hurt worldwide production and helped drive up the price.

Prices eased down to $1.66 a pound in May, the most recent month available, but were still nearly double last year's. Nationally, the Consumer Price Index showed apparel prices rose 1.2 percent in May.

The same month, Gap Inc. cut its full-year earnings estimate, as it said the cost to make its clothes was expected to rise about 20 percent, more than enough to outweigh price increases. Teen-oriented retailer Aeropostale said rising product costs would cut into profitability for the rest of the year.

In an earnings report Tuesday, jeans-maker Levi Strauss cited the higher cost of cotton as a major reason profit margins were hurting. Executives said they would raise prices in the second half of the year, according to media reports.

In Belk's first-quarter earnings filing in June, the retailer said it expects low- to mid-single digit cost increases in the first half of this year and low double-digit cost increases for the second half of the year, largely due to rising raw material costs.

The retailer reported a $31 million profit in its first quarter, as sales rose 5.6 percent to $849 million.

Belk is in the midst of two big changes to improve its long-term prospects: a $70 million rebranding campaign to update the company's image and a $150 million program to revamp its information technology and e-commerce systems.

But some things in fashion don't change, said Goldstein, as she looked at one of the bolder new pieces - a pair of zebra/cheetah-print heels.

"The Southern girl loves animal prints," she said. "She doesn't care whether they're in or out."