“Meet the Hilfigers”: Tommy’s Fall 2010 Campaign

As if Brooks Brothers hadn't already answered the question "What does prep mean for fall?"...

And unfortunately, once again, I'm flagrantly behind the times; these pics were making the rounds of the blogs in mid-to-late July. However, when I picked up my copy of the September issue of Vanity Fair (because of the True Prep preview inside), right after the Table of Contents I found Tommy Hilfiger's ad campaign for Fall 2010, entitled "Meet the Hilfigers." Photographed by Craig McDean, the campaign apparently envisions some kind of nouveau-preppy family (or loose passel of relatives, at any rate) and depicts them during a tailgate party. Visiting the Tommy Hilfiger microsite, where the members of the fictional family are profiled, all the prepquisites are there: Columbia, Wellesley, basset hounds, fundraising, Vermont vacations, socklessness. But clothing-wise, I found the photos provided ample inspiration for fall. I particularly liked the patterned sportcoats; the crested, cable-knit, and tipped sweaters; and of course, loafers galore.

I have to say that Tommy Hilfiger hasn't generally been among my favourite brands. The brand and the logo just don't have the same value to me, the same positive associations, as Ralph Lauren or Lacoste do. The clothes themselves are pretty decent, though; actually, one of my favourite pairs of khakis is Tommy, and their Custom Fit sport shirts in size extra-small are among the very very few off-the-rack items that fit my skeletally thin (or, as I'd prefer to think of it, "aristocratically slender") frame. Their sweaters, jackets and ties have never fit me, but these ads leave me hoping that I can manage to find something that does.

Click each pic to enlarge, and scroll down for a video.