J.Crew-splosion

I have literally been dreaming of this day for at least a month now - so much so that it has become a nightmare amidst my spending freeze: J.Crew's Fall '12 line. It's here. And it's armed and dangerous.

It's no secret that I am obsessed with J.Crew (here, here, here...and it goes on) - and I have been simultaneously yearning for and terrified of this batch of new arrivals. I knew it would bring a HUGE amount of  temptation to splurge; autumn is my absolute favorite season, and no one ever does it better than J.Crew, so I anxiously awaited the impending doom. Seriously, I was ready to lock myself in a closet and mail my credit card to my mom to keep me from spending.

Now that it's here - as much as it pains me to say this - I'm okay. Which roughly translates to: "entirely underwhelmed." I always look to J.Crew to create those items that scream FALL to me and conjure memories of apple picking, cider, cool nights, and turning leaves (cheesy, I know, but I'm am idealist) - and I am finding almost none of that with the new arrivals. Disappointment for me, victory for my bank account. I guess you need to lose to win.

Let's go through the good and the bad, shall we?

LOVES (most of these I do LIKE but there's something not quite right....):

Mint, sequin, amaze. I would honestly wear this in any season - and for that, $138 doesn't seem SOO unreasonable.

Perfectly on-trend, a great "replacement" for those Zara pumps I can't find anywhere, pretty much all-season  appropriate. If only I could justify $250 on shoes.

Per usual, they are completely on-point with their jewelry...BUT, I don't see myself braving a sunny, bright yellow in the fall.

I need this field coat. Like, NEED - it's so autumn-y and delish. Oh wait, this is actually Barbour - 1/2 point, for taste, I guess. 

Navy and white with a hint of red stripe shift dress in silk? Easy win over me, but it would take the right accessories to make this a fall pick. Points for being a transitional piece.

Even though this dress is a neonish mint, it SCREAMS Betty Draper to me, and therefore I love it, regardless. Even at $300...

I tried on harem pants just like these at Zara back in May and haven't stopped thinking about them since. Super impractical, but I still love.

Herringbone is always fall-approved.

THE UGLY:

Just kidding - jewelry fail. Why? Kate Spade made their gumdrop studs almost a year ago - and they are about 100% cuter and look much more expensive...even though they're cheaper. Anyone who pays $45 for these is out of their mind.

I always look forward to fall pencil skits and the color palette they go with, but these are so...underwhelming. Too bright and/or boring.

If there's one item that says "fall" best, it's cords. Tucked into riding boots, with a cute pair of flats, you name it. J.Crew's cords are always perfection with the right mix of forest greens, rusty oranges, muted blues - the pallette of these Matchsticks makes my heart cry.

These are all adorable and the colors are on-point. Next time, use these in non-cashmere sweaters so I can afford them? Thanks.

This blouse has become one of my all-time favorites - they are so easy to wear, but totally polished. Literally none of these Blythe colors read like fall to me, and therefore, worth zero of my money.

Don't get me wrong, I love this blouse. But when the Equipment version is only $8 more, there's no way I'm spending $250 on this. Sorry, JJ.

LOVE this tee - remind me why this wasn't released last month? Or at the beginning of summer, for that matter?

What did you think of J.Crew's newest?

PS: The Fall Collection lookbook hit the nail on the head for me - the pallette is rich and warming, there are nods to winter, and it's prep thrown together with nods of current trends and high fashion. I really can't decide why  they couldn't do that for us commonfolk.Rude.