“This year, we stayed within a theme of warm autumnal colors. After looking through hundreds of swatches, spools and yarns, our head designer, Tom, narrows down his top picks—around 95 total from a library of over 2,000—for the entire collection.”

We just got our hands on the playlist that our men’s stylist, Jack, and our resident music buff, Nichole, assembled to set the tone for our fall presentation. (These cool collaborators also happen to select the tunes you find yourself humming along to in all our retail stores.) From artists like Carla Bruni to bands like Vacationer, there’s a toe-tapping ditty in the below compilation for everyone. Enjoy the beat…

1. Aphex Twin, “Avril 14th”
2. Chilly Gonzales, “Dot”
3. Carla Bruni, “Those Little Things (Ces Petits Riens)”
4. Gotye feat. Kimbra, “Somebody that I Used to Know”
5. M83, “Midnight City”
6. Chad Valley, “Fast Challenges”
7. The Antlers, “French Exit” (studio version)
8. Atlas Sound, “Mona Lisa”
9. Chilly Gonzales, “Knight Moves”
10. The 2 Bears, “The Birds & the Bees”
11. Vacationer, “Gone”

(clockwise from top left)

Strike a pose: Even off duty, our models know how to give good face.

Coral cuties: The girls pass the time chatting (in Russian!) and tweeting their friends.

Music man: This dapper Danish model chilled out to the Drive soundtrack. (We’re definitely getting a Ryan Gosling vibe…)

Book smarts: A male model gets existential while reading Albert Camus’s The Fall (we also spotted an Audrey Hepburn biography and The Food Revolution by John Robbins).

“This season we wanted to let the models be the canvas for our colorful fall collection, so we kept their faces clean and polished. We started with dewy skin and bare eyes and finished with a lip color by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics that’s almost like berries on steroids—an ever-so-slight dab gives off a wonderfully intense pigment.”

A few tools of the trade:
–Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Queen
–NARS Shadow Pencils in Goddess and Skorpios
–RMS Beauty Living Luminizer

“Hair was kept sleek and smooth, with a deep side part and a low ponytail. It’s something that anyone can pull off and do themselves.”

“The bottom line? Don’t overthink it this season—or better yet, don’t let them think you did.”

Glenda Bailey, Editor in Chief, Harper’s Bazaar:
“William Boyd’s latest novel, Waiting for Sunrise, pinstripes and oversize clutches, as they always make you look like you mean business.”

Pamela Love, Jewelry Designer:
“My fiancé.”

Anna Dello Russo, Editor in Chief, Vogue Japan:
“Lana Del Rey—I just met her and she’s so beautiful. She reminds me of Brigitte Bardot.”

Kate Davidson Hudson, Accessories Director, Elle:
“This collection!”

Phillip Bloch, Stylist:
“Whitney Houston. Especially the fact that she’s in the upcoming movie Sparkle, and everyone knows I love some sparkle.”

Lisa Salzer, Accessories Designer, Lulu Frost:
“My leopard print Madewell pumps!”

David Thielebeule, Accessories Director, Allure:
“Azealia Banks.”

Coco Rocha, Model:
“How relaxed and happy the models seem.”

Joanna Coles, Editor in Chief, Marie Claire:
“I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I have a serious crush on Ryan Gosling.”

Matthew Schneier, News Editor, Style.com:
“Berocca—it’s the European version of Emergen-C, and I’m completely addicted.”

Garance Doré, Fashion Illustrator/Blogger:
“Pink lip gloss!”

Mr. Mickey, Paper Magazine:
“I’m crushing on teenagers and senior citizens. They’re the only people I can stand these days.”

Zanna Roberts Rassi, Fashion Editor, Marie Claire:
“Absolutely everything from this collection, especially the chunky pullovers.”

Nancy Gibson, Half of the design duo behind Edith A. Miller™:
“Romantic love. And, of course, I’m crushing on my heart clutch too.”

Kelly Bensimon, Model/Author/Editor:
“My green sequin J.Crew skirt. I was photographed by Bill Cunningham in it this morning.”

Richard Haines, Illustrator:
“My china markers for drawing. They’re really cheap and I love how you have to unravel them to sharpen them.”

Danielle Bufalini, Editor, Daily Candy:
“The movie Perfect Sense with Ewan McGregor and Eva Green.”

Inspired by Vanessa Beecroft installations and the color of New Zealand peonies, we wanted the girls to appear almost like soldiers—a uniform of perfect, flawless skin with slicked-back hair and a pop of color on the lips. The look created a blank canvas for the clothes, letting them speak for themselves.

Fun fact: While each model’s lip color appeared to be the same shade, each color was custom-mixed for each girl to compliment her exact skin tone.

Getting the look:
FACE: Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer and a bit of luminizer on the cheekbones and on the bow of the lips give a flawless, mannequin-like complexion.

CHEEKS: A very light touch of Stila cream cheek color in Gerbera.

EYES: Leave completely bare; curly eyelashes (thanks to a curler) are all that are needed.

LIPS: Mix Kryolan aqua-color pigment in fluorescent pink and orange.
Tip: To keep the color creamy, moisturize lips first. We used Dr. Kiss lip moisturizer.

HAIR: A sleek, tight ponytail: Gather hair into a taut ponytail, then wrap a section of the hair (enough to cover the band) and fasten with a bobby pin. A touch of Elnett hair spray and pomade helps smooth the hair and keep the ponytail sleek.