J Crew, Fall 2011

After chatting to Cindy, I revisited the images for J Crew's fall collection while taking a quick break from some course prep. When these came out some weeks ago, I decided I needed at least two of the structured bags and would do something rare--pay full price. I also thought some of the separates and one dress were really nice and hoped that J. Crew wouldn't do the usual and wuss out, making the items fit more of a middle American point of view and lose any of the directional edge that some of them displayed below. Here, then, are some of the pieces that I'm coveting and hoping to acquire this fall (I hate thinking this far ahead as I love the spring and summer).

This is a definite covet. I hope the dress isn't made shorter and that the fabric isn't scratchy (I also hope it comes in this lovely red and isn't a prohibitively expensive collection piece). I love the sleeves (I'm really into sleeves in dresses) and the whole 1960s vibe. This is a must have.

The purple pants intrigue me here--and I quite like the sweater. This may be a maybe, however, as I have large thighs (muscles that can never be dieted away) and thus pants aren't always my friend. Love the purple, however, and will look for one of their cashmere cardigans in this hue.

I like the styling here (I think I can use my Belda trench this way)--and the leggings really speak to me. Again, if they don't make my thighs look a mile wide, I'd seriously consider investing in them.

This bag--in another color--is a must.

And I am partial to this bag and these pants too. I'm eager to see more of these structured bags and to have one over my arm. The bag and the red dress could even be combined--and the leggings added to produce a more casual and artsy feel. These items make it easy to resist the siren call of the still over-priced Mayle pop up later this week.