Fashion | Is it autumn yet?

August 7, 2013

autumn_classics_jcrew_sweater_farrellandco_leather_tote_ridingboots_2
Autumn means the start of my favorite weather, my favorite season to shop for, my favorite season to eat for, not to mention, my birthday which so conveniently occurs when the fall merchandise is starting to trickle into shops. Starting with the runway shows months earlier, fall fashion actually hitting the stores is a highly anticipated thing - and I am no exception to its pull. If it could be sweater-and-boot-weather year-round, I would be one happy girl.

Perhaps I'm getting more particular in my years (oh, that birthday looming closer...) or maybe my tastes are just evolving, but I'm hard-pressed to find a lot of fall fashion that I just can't live without this year. As I grow and change, and retailers do the same, I find that many of my go-to brands just aren't doing it for me like they used to. Years later, I'm still a broken up about the closure of one of my favorite, albeit short-lived, retailers Martin + Osa. This year's J.Crew Fall/Holiday lookbook? A little fussy and a lot expensive-looking for my tastes, once again featuring 'collection' items I couldn't afford in my wildest dreams anyway. Even more accessible yet fashionable retailer Zara's Autumn/Winter campaign rather put me to sleep. Plus, I'm always a bit torn between my classic, slightly tomboyish sensibilities and the desire to be brave with something new and trendy.

madewell_autumn_2013_lookbook
While Madewell has a pretty big following on the blogger circuit and I've always admired a lot of its styles, I find I never buy anything there (save a t-shirt and a scarf at one of its first store locations years and years ago). Perhaps it's the shorter hemlines and more laid-back style, but I always worried about trying too hard to be younger with this brand (again, that birthday...). Its latest lookbook might have persuaded me to rethink this. The textures, the colors and the prints all have me pining, not to mention, much like its parent company, Madewell's Italian-made shoes (in my size, no less!) and beautifully classic handbags are investment pieces that won't require living on a park bench in order to afford them. If living entirely inside this lookbook was possible, I would do it in a heartbeat.

boden_fall_2013
Boden is another one that I've been a bit lukewarm about for awhile, all the prints and silhouettes either too busy or not made for my shape: super-tall with some definite junk in the trunk. It seems Boden too has amped things up this season and the first round of autumn has left me wanting more, like the flared and a-line dresses (oh, shift dresses, how I wish I could wear you!) and some seriously sophisticated prints. That whole berry-hued ensemble on the left? Yeah, I'd like to look exactly like that all autumn.

andotherstories_watercolor_top_gap_colorblock_coat
No other fall collection caught my eye quite the same way as Madewell's and Boden's did, but it certainly doesn't mean there's nothing else I'm smitten with. Most of new retailer & Other Stories fall/winter offerings are a bit avant-garde for me, but this dreamy watercolor top makes me want to push the boundaries of my oft-basic and solid-color tendencies. The color-blocked statement coat from Gap is just the kind of special piece you want to add to a wardrobe already chalk full of great Gap basics. There's already quite a buzz around this coat and I can only guess it will be another one to stalk the website for, lest you walk away coatless and broken-hearted.

With our Berlin savings plan still in full-effect, the sad reality is that I won't be buying much of anything new this season. But a girl can dream...  How do you view the new fall season? Do you make a list of carefully-curated pieces you have been wanting, regardless of trends? Do you jump on the pieces that first catch your eye when the new collections hit the stores? Tell me your fashion plans and inspiration this season. I want to live vicariously through you.


Image credits:
J.Crew // Farrell and Company // Nordstrom
Madewell Fall Lookbook via Popsugar
Boden (USA)
& Other Stories Fall/Winter Lookbook via press-à-porter // Gap Fall Lookbook via Refinery29

2 comments:

  1. Hi from a Brit expat in Frankfurt!

    I love fall fashion the most. I think the Germans do it well, as well. Good quality leather boots, nice woollen skirts... ahhh. Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely! It makes me so happy that it's colder here in Germany and I can indulge even more in these pieces that I love so much.

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