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.

I like to think that I'll look back on 2010 as my "Summer of Prep," the year that I finally came home to the style that suits me best, and towards which I've always tended to gravitate. You see, throughout my teen and young adult years, my casual summer wardrobe was fairly uninspired. I always had summer jobs, so I was focused on work clothes. (Perhaps it's fortunate that I haven't bought many summer clothes until now; it's taken me this long to figure out how they should fit!) This year, though, I haven't been working for most of the summer, so I seized the opportunity to expand my wardrobe with colourful shorts, polo shirts, boat shoes, and ribbon belts—all those perfect preppy staples.

In the process, I've really started to become a fan of Brooks Brothers. Not really in terms of wearing the merchandise, since their sizing tends to be problematic for me and it's hard to get the stuff in Canada, so much as in admiring their aesthetic. I love how they manage to be both timeless and of-the-moment, while infusing their clothes with more colour and vibrancy than you typically get even from someplace like J. Crew.

Now that fall is peeking around the corner, I'll have the opportunity to think about what prep means for the cooler months. Unquestionably, it means layering, and sweaters galore, particularly cardigans and cable-knits. As far as colours, I'm thinking vibrant orange, chocolate brown, and jewel tones, along with the usual staples of blue, white, and green. I'd say I'm generally a fan of rich, rather than bright, colours for colder weather. I've got a pair of burgundy pants from Club Monaco that I'm itching to break out, which I'll probably wear with brown suede tassel loafers.

And of course, I'm digging the styles showcased in Brooks' Fall Preview 2010. I can safely say that there is nothing there that I wouldn't love to wear. They really do have something for everybody, and I don't think you could go wrong pulling out any or all of those looks to inspire yourself this fall.