After a catastrophic event like Hurricane Katrina, it feels indulgent to mull over questions of style. How can we bear to ask ourselves what we’ll be wearing this fall? What will emerge at Olympus Fashion Week? Just be thankful that you have clothes – and a closet to put them in.

That very thought process, I suspect, will wind up informing the clothing choices and trends that emerge this fall. After the chaos on the Gulf Coast, it’s time for order in the world: modesty, linear shapes, and direct, womanly style. Up until last week, this fall could have been dominated by any number of the looks featured in the fall fashion magazines. But something has to guide your hand when you put together outfits or shop for new pieces. Something in the zeitgeist leads us to certain styles and away from others.

After a second look through the magazines this weekend, I found that what seems right for the moment are the black suits, classic silhouettes, and buttoned-up style. If not for the news, this look might have seemed too severe or too much of a contrast from summer’s flowing skirts and bright colors. But now, out of all the various looks that designers produced and editors selected, sobriety feels right.

This month, Lucky magazine featured a trend special that directed readers on how to wear five different looks: Russian, menswear, 1970s collegiate, black, and “Hitchock lady.” After the devastation of Katrina, the velvets and rich colors of the Russian trend seem too decadent. Women in menswear is too pointlessly confusing. And college is just frivolous. But there’s comfort in the seriousness of jet black and the fitted suits inspired by the 1960s.

Harper’s Bazaar magazine has a five page Smart Shopping feature, and in late August, any of the sweet or clever trends may have hit a home run: velvet (covering bangles, blazers, and platform heels), military style (boots, pins, and sailor pants), rosettes (on shoes, bags, and shirts), or lace (dresses, shoes, and camisoles). The one that stands out now, though, is the page devoted to Katharine Hepburn’s style: leather gloves, a trench coat, and a proper suit jacket.

The opening text to Vogue’s feature section makes a key point about clarity in dress this season, and it seems especially accurate. “After several seasons of finicking with motley mixes and ‘eccentric’ looks, a strong statement piece is what we crave now: a perfect, high-impact coat, a chic and simple day dress or a dramatic Victorian floor-sweeper that changes our outlook with one swift stroke.” Its spread on “the statement coat” is particularly on point; tailored, belted coats show off a woman’s figure and somehow suggest clear thinking and action.

Outfits with belted waists are featured through out this fall’s fashion pages. New York magazine’s Fashion Issue taps into the belted trend with spread inspired by “Butterfield 8.” A red leather belt is paired with a tight ribbed sweater, both by Prada. A black wool suit by Ralph Lauren gets topped with a chocolate python belt. A wide Louis Vuitton belt accents a jersey gown by Carolina Herrera. The belted silhouette is most notably on the cover of British Vogue. Kate Moss is dressed in a sheer chiffon tuxedo shirt and narrow wool skirt, both by Alberta Ferretti, cinched with a wide belt from Celine.

And though several of these looks are accessorized with belts from different collections, the point that the Vogue editors make about eschewing “motley mixes” still stands. These styles are not the crazy quilt of “cowgirl meets glamour gypsy” that hit the streets this summer. Something more straightforward strikes a chord. And that might even evolve into (gasp) a return to buying whole outfits from one label again, a method of shopping that has fallen out of favor.

You can see the whole-outfit concept best in the advertisements within the magazines. Brooks Brothers is showing off a houndstooth skirt suit with a giant fur trim, a look that is the more affordable version of an Yves Saint Laurent pencil skirt-suit in a similar fabric, with a brown belt. The combination of clothing, accessories, and make-up that picks up the most number of trends in one advertisement is by Louis Vuitton. Uma Thurman lounges in a belted black coat (also featured in the Vogue spread) with a boxy handbag, sharp shoes, and heavy lipstick.

As the season unfolds, other forces may shift the changing winds of fashion. Maybe the Russian look will catch on after all. But for the time being, the safe bet is on creating a sense of surety. And if that comes with bold shoulders and a tight skirt, so be it. No matter what your budget, the bold aesthetic of womanly suits, tight belts, and a serious mien is out there – in all its sober, but sexy, Tippi Hedren glory.