• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer, Yesterday

While fall typically means cooler temps, back-to-school and an itch for comforting sweaters or new boots, retailers always struggle to break through the apparel onslaught. Macy’s, Nordstrom and Anthropologie are all shaking up the usual approach, hoping to catch this year’s shopper with new ideas.

And if those ideas seem a little all over the place, that’s because retailers are capturing a vague “Who cares?” moment for fashion consumers. Cosmopolitan sums it up succinctly with the headline on its latest style recap: “Fall’s Biggest Fashion Trend Is Doing Whatever You Want.”

Macy’s thinks the answer is to remind people of American fashion, pairing familiar names like Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan and Michael Kors with newer ones like Jonathan Cohen, LaPointe and Theophilio. The campaign celebrates American designers and is called “Find Us At Macy’s.” (see below).

The underlying message is also one of versatility. “This fall, we’re celebrating the incredible mix of brands and fashion customers can discover at Macy’s and showing how they can come together to create stylish, versatile looks for every part of their lives,” said Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer, in its announcement.

The department store is also aiming to inject a little real-life energy, with in-store events on Sept. 26, with immersive styling moments and gift-with-purchase offers.

Nordstrom’s new designer push is called "Friends of Friends," photographed by Ethan James Green, highlighting fashions from Bottega Veneta, Sacai, Balenciaga and Tom Ford.

The campaign is running on the retailer’s social channels and is supported by print mailers. Women’s Wear Daily reports that the effort also includes a new vertical, called The Edit, featuring a curation of brands.

The fall push celebrates “freedom of self-expression and leaning into discovery as we broaden our luxury offer across the country," Yumi Shin, Nordstrom's executive vice president of global brand partnerships, told WWD. "We've deepened our investment in luxury storytelling and expanded our event programming.”

Separately, Nordstrom announced “Dishing,” a new content series hosted by Recho Omondi, creator and host of “The Cutting Room Floor,” a popular fashion podcast. The long-form videos, designed in support of the retailer’s 125^th birthday, are live on YouTube, with shorter clips running on TikTok and Instagram.

Anthropologie is taking a more traditional route, with a new campaign called “Fall is a feeling.” Featuring sweater dresses as the season’s hero, the campaign features easy layers, and ads invite customers “to play with proportion, texture, and personal style.”

The new work is “inspired by the emotional shift that comes with the season,” said Jisoo Kang, Anthropologie’s chief creative officer, in the announcement. "Ultimately, we wanted the imagery to evoke that unmistakable feeling that fall has arrived: a change in nature, a change in rhythm, and a chance to pause, reflect, and begin again."

Ads are running on CTV, owned and digital channels, with a social push on Instagram and TikTok.

The retailer also recognizes that plenty of people need a little hands-on help shaking off summer and moving into a new season, so it’s combining the new campaign with styling parties, both virtual and in-store, offering one-on-one guidance.