Fall ad campaigns are back! There’s nothing quite like the blitz of print advertisements that happen every Fall! It’s the kind of thing that first interested me in fashion – buying the thickest September issues just for the ads.  And even though New York is way too hot and swampy to really be thinking about chunky knits and shearling, I would gladly wear any of the bags right now (plz&tnx). I love the direction of this particular campaign – this whimsical take on the English countryside.  Photography was done by Tim Walker and the video was directed by Luke Losey with cinematographer Serge Teulon. I posted a few of the ads on the trendology tumblr but you can find the remainder below.

French chicos… who knew? Not this Americana.

And get this, he’s wearing a v-neck, but not the American Apparel deep V, and it’s (still) super sexy. Aye.

And the jaunty little straw hat? Dios.  Much to Melanie’s dismay, these days, I’m drooling over any man in a straw hat. Bonus if he’s got an accent and an earnestness about him. Ayeee.

Parker Posey’s character is waify and eclectic, but rooted in New York,  in a way that reminds me of  an Anthropologie catalog. Or rather, women of a certain age, with unused passports, flipping through the Anthro catalog and thinking about their missed opportunity to study abroad.

Le sigh, Parker. Le Sigh. But I’m loving the scarf draped just so over your one shoulder. Nailed it.

These photographs from Rus Ansun are a fantasy come true. To be quite honest, my dream home isn’t terribly large and it’s not particularly modern – the most defining characteristic about it would be its fusion with the natural world. The line between indoor and outdoor should absolutely be blurred. Yes, this is my idea of luxury.

I found myself looking at the Bimba y Lola website and imagining what my life would be like if I worked in Spain. In this alternative universe, even when I’m feeling lazy and under the weather, I manage to look chic. Sweaters worn as t-shirts tucked into long skirts – a definite upgrade from my current chambray shirt and leggings combo.

And in case you were wondering how he got this way, physically and mentally***:

* Rooney is the worst and he deserved to go off. And I think most players would have argued their case to the ref, like Ronaldo did, despite their claims otherwise. But the wink…and his claims of ‘Rooney is my friend” after the game left much to (be desired/the imagination).

** I don’t believe in the phrase “athletic” body.

*** Dude is a hilarious actor. I can only imagine the direction he received in the first video. “No Cristiano, put your pants on like a normal person. A normal person. Stop starring at yourself in the mirror. One leg at a time. Come on. Be Normal” Ronaldo, is by the way, not his last name. But a middle name given to him by his parents in honor of their favorite actor, Ronald Reagan. Yeah – forreal though.

Not that I’m an ageist but… it kind of hurts my feelings that these J.Crew kids are so fly. Like, how am I 24 and still trying to figure out how to get dressed every morning? Okay, I get that a stylist totally put their outfits together and they were definitely told to act all sassy/precocious but you get my drift, right? There are some really creative kids out there. And I’m not talking about Tavi. Living in NYC, I see kids all the time that have the most creative looks. Left to my own devices, I would always take cues from youngins when it comes to getting dressed. But alas, I work in an office. And even though it’s a fashion company, I don’t think anyone would take me seriously if I started wearing tulle skirts to meetings with clients. Maybe when I own my own company… until then though, I’ll take this as an excellent reminder that your clothes should always be fun and never too serious.

I definitely just ordered those Minnetonka’s on the right, in the same gray suede color. Would it be weird if I added flowers to them? I kind of don’t care if it is weird. I think I might add flowers to them.

I die.

Oh my goodness. Could this little girl be any more fantastic? Seriously. I wish.

All weekend, every weekend.

I had a friend named Megan that used to dress/look just like this. She was cool.

The sunglasses are the perfect touch.

No adjustments necessary, I’m wearing this to work next week.

Because even in the rain and mud, you want to be a little bit fancy, right?

If I thought that I could wear a tulle skirt to work and not get harassed on the subway…yeah, I totally would do it. Just like this. Also, peep her nails.

I’ve given you ample warning, friends. Don’t be surprised if you see me wearing some goodies from the J.Crew kids’ section. At the very least, the socks.

While I’m enjoying my own wardrobe a lot more than I have all summer and perhaps all year, I know that my Fall look is not yet complete. Right now everything is still rather predictable. So now I’m looking to find the piece that will do for me what I believe Jo’s jacket will do for her- be the ultimate “completer piece”.

This tench/vest/jacket from Topshop has major potential but unlike Jo’s jacket, I’m not convinced that I could really work this into my wardrobe on a regular basis. I think it would be too much of a statement piece for me to get multiple wears per week.

The hunt is on..

It helps that the industry throws ton of money into Fall propaganda – aka, lookbooks. One of my favorites so far has been the casual lookbook for Zara! Anyone who has received a fashion related email/gchat from me in the last couple of weeks has seen it. Personally speaking, it’s a game changer. It’s got me thinking about my fall wardrobe in a very different way. Most notably- I’m craving long skirts. I don’t think I’ve really wanted a long skirt since middle school…about 10 years ago.

The length is a little impractical in a dirty city like New York but an ankle grazing, sock exposing, jersey skirt makes me a little giddy. I especially love the middle look – with the long plain sweater, belted at the natural waist for definition – plusssss a parka, and an artfully tied scarf. It’s cold enough in my office to get away with this but.. I think it’s still a little early to break out all these layers, no?

This one time, in 6th grade… I had a glorious neutral colored stripe dress and matching knee highs. I very proudly wore it on a chapel day at school. Sitting around with my advisory group, I started to feel like maybe I had gotten the hang of the private school fashion scene. That is…until, Emily, who was considered extremely fashionable, decided to inform everyone that it was stupid to wear knee highs with dresses. They should obviously only be worn with skirts. Seeing my now “embarrassing” outfit, she offered me a half-hearted [ie-mean girl], “oops“. I still loved my dress but I think that was the moment that I gave up on knee highs. Trying them again will be an emotional challenge. Chuckles.

Do you have any Fall challenges?

The MANGO Fall 2010 lookbook is out and as far as I’m concerned, it’s practically perfect. It has all the elements that I loved on the Chloé runway, like drainpipe trousers, high waisted everything, and beautiful shades of camel. At the moment, I’m not particularly interested in discussing the fast fashion’s validity… I can only say that being able to afford dreamy pieces makes me very happy.  Bonus points for JC Penney adding MNG by MANGO boutiques to select stores next week- featuring new collections every 2 weeks! Again, I really just can’t get into the details of fast fashion right now – I just want to enjoy for a little bit.