12 Fashion Ads You Wanted to Live In

It's easy to lose yourself in a sea of pretty pictures on Tumblr and Pinterest these days. Still, there's something special about being able to hold an actual book of pictures between your fingers. (If you lean in closely enough, you can almost feel yourself stepping into its pages.)

For old time's sake, here's a look back at some of the greatest print ad photos we've all wanted to step into over the past 14 years.

Prada - Late 90s

It's 1999 and you're in bed in ratty pajamas, flipping through a copy of Vogue. You turn the page and find yourself staring at a brown skirt and tweed shoes, and a woven bag dangling just behind the model's ankles. If only you could have that bag, everything in your life would be okay. If nothing else, the bag would at least give you some semblance of being put together--in a Mrs. Dalloway sort of way. This photo is just a Muppet Babies' view of what your life would look like in Prada.

Cone Textile Group - Late 90s

You think to yourself that this jean outfit is kind of wacky, and yet the model makes it look like a million bucks (which it probably costs, anyway). In 1999, jeans are pretty popular and too-big/too-small proportions are everywhere. You may not look as cool in your jeans as the model does here, but maybe you can find a bottle of bleach somewhere in the house and start trying...

Gap - Late 90s

Surely this sweater would pair well with your acid washed jeans. If it doesn't, you may as well go console yourself with a few rounds of Rockett's New School, because you'll never be popular in real life. Well, at least not in 1999.

Talbots - Late 90s

The new millennium draws near and you're single and feeling kind of sad about it. Luckily, there's hope, as demonstrated by the happy couple in this Talbots ad. In the future, just after 2000, you see, you will wear pink suits like this, with a handsome boyfriend by your side who actually knows how to tie his own tie.

Ellen Tracy - Late 90s

This turn of the 21st century advertisement for Ellen Tracey reflects a part of you that wants to be minimalist, modern, and powerful.  An Ellen Degeneres haircut lies in your past, but does it also lie in your near future?

Guess - 2000

This haunting, 2000 Guess ad makes you wish for turquoise eyes, admit it. Every time you see this picture, you're never too sure of what these ladies are selling. Is it clothes? perfume? or witchcraft?

Versace - Early 2000s

 

Staring into the soul of this photo, you are transported to a time when you could have been fabulous and glossy all over (re the 1960s). You imagine steadying yourself against the tropical wallpaper in this Versace ad. Maybe you're feeling a little dizzy from a night of dancing and drinking, or just having a photogenic seat. Forget that it's 2003 or 2004 in real life and you're actually trying to figure out how to match your red Converses with your plaid shirt...

Ralph Lauren - Mid-2000s

You may have wanted to look like the Gap girl a few years ago, but now you realize how foolish you were. In 2005 this is who you really want to be-- a preppy girl with curiously chunky accessories.

Missoni - Mid 2000s

This psychedelic Missoni dress is a bit impractical and a little '60s for 2005, but if it works for Drew Barrymore, it can work for you. In fact, you have half a mind to rip this page right out of the magazine and head to Nordstrom's for a tent dress and the darkest eyebrow pencil you can find.

Salvatore Ferragamo - Late 2000s

For a moment, you forget all about those other women you aspired to be in the past. A tweed-wearing clone is what you really need to make your life complete.

Ralph Lauren - Late 2000s

In 2010, your life is finally starting to come together and now you make enough money to dress like you've always wanted to. Looking at this Ralph Lauren ad, you imagine drinking chai tea in the finest of coffee shops and reminiscing about that time your belts could substitute as weapons...

St. John - Late 90s

It's 2013. You're cleaning a spare bedroom and stumble upon a dusty old magazine hidden way at the back of your bookshelf. On the first page is happiness, captured in a bright smile and festive dress reminiscent of something from the Bold and the Beautiful. Clothes like this should make you feel good, even if life isn't or never will be perfect. 

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