Abercrombie & Fitch

[ShesElectric]

i live in the margins...and i fight for my individuality...but there is that part of me that knows that i will never be part of a certain group...i don't like them and they don't like me...and that's is the way it will always be... i sometimes wish to be part of a group...but usually it's more like 'groups'...because i have such a wide array of interests...i have many different people in my life who fulfill different roles...

Though that was meant to describe yourself - It's like you've known me all my life. Karma!

 

[elschic111]

I agree 100% with this...which is why I get frustrated when I see people drooling over a $60 BBC shirt just because it's endorsed by the right people, when quality wasn't even a priority in making that item.

Regarding the original topic:

I'm not a fan of those suburban mall brands at all...my school is basically one big Abercrombie & Fitch catalog and to be honest I find it quite repulsive. I'm not a fashion expert by any means, as I'm still learning a lot of things about clothes and defining my own style...but I had to make an observation: I don't mean to generalize, but is it pure coincidence when I talk to some of these people who swear by the cookie cutter college style that their personalities seem completely vapid and empty and that everything about them screams conformist? To be very honest with you I'll admit I do have a snob mentality towards these people, but this mentality is in response to their own smug ignorance and being content to fit in without any sense of individuality...and anything else outside that mold they fit in is just alien to them, namely good taste. Or maybe I'm just delusional. I've kind of tried as hard as possible to stay away from fitting under that category because I see those people and I see something that I genuinely despise, not just the clothes but the whole lifestyle in general. Which is why I actually prefer to be alone, doing my own thing rather than fit in with a crowd that I don't feel comfortable with anyway.

eh you don't have to pay me any mind, that wasn't really an interesting or funny statement, I just had to get some thoughts off my chest that I've been harboring for the past few years.

I feel the same way. It sounds terrible/immature to actually say this, but I know I have never felt like I belonged to a group. I have always felt like an individual, and I prefer this to being able to be lumped into any group. I've never strived to be different, I've just been me...and I mean the end result is unique. I like some Ann-Valerie Hash and Rick Owens...but I also like some Dolce...and some Versace it's odd because I'm kind of shy and understated so one would think I would try to fit in. But I just don't.

I think a lot of tfsers are this way.

In a communications course we discussed how people have a "self concept" (=an idea of who they are, their values, etc.) and how a person will try to reconcile his/her self concept with his/her "material self" (=physical self and belongings/clothes). So what you wear does tell a lot about who you are...

And on a lighter note...haha it's so bad..but I consider some fashion statements IQ tests. For instance, the late adopting of trends. (Early adopter = observant, if they figure out how to adopt it to their bodies/personal style, make it work for them = high IQ. Late adopter who can't even figure out how to look good in a trend = lower IQ. Take cowboy boots for example. Pierre Hardy cowboy boots (santiags) were featured in a Paris Vogue editorial I believe in December of 2004! I was shocked so see all my peers (college students) getting cowboy boots (and horribly ugly ones at that) for Christmas of 2005.

Regarding what faust said, I think American preteens/teens (12-14 years old) naturally get sucked into the Abercrombie wave in middle school, because at that time everyone really wants to conform. I mean, it's in your best interest at that time to conform, because bullying and the like is at its peak. The cheerleaders and football players are a force to be reckoned with.

But when I come across a 20 year old wearing abercrombie with a fake LV bag, I assume they are just not that intelligent.

It may seem snobby but I believe sophistication is highly correlated with intelligence.

 

[grayeyes043]

how do you think prada, dior, versace, louis vuitton, etc make their money? You think people buy Prada nylon bags because of the quality?

It's a fundemental aspect of marketing. You buy the product so you can feign the lifestyle of the people in the advertisments. Abercrombie just knows how to milk this for all it's worth via Bruce Weber's all american eroticism.

You have a very good point but these companies do not go to the extremes to prove how "hip" or "in".
I mean the last time I checked Prada did not have thongs for children and the models actual were the clothes that they are trying to sell. I don't get how having a catalog with nude models will make the buyer go out and buy their clothes. The only thing it will do is that it will give guys a hard-on.

 

[Lil_Flip246]

I was wondering what are the famous models for A&F? I know there's the carlson twins, heidi klum, selita ebanks, albert reed...

 

[eleria]

i know bobbi wiens modeled for them last year

 

[kimberwyn]

This is an interesting thread. You all have some good points, but some of it just takes things overboard. Everyone has different taste and believe it or not, some people ARE naturally attracted to styles such as Abercrombie. It doesn't necessarily have any correlation to intelligence.

A&F isn't my style, and I really dont care for what the company stands for. But it was funny in the past when people judge me because I have a natural fashion sense, dress nice, and actually take the time to match my clothes (God forbid!). When I turned out to be smarter then them it must have been a major shock.

 

[Diorling]

Alls I know is...the Hollister in Tysons had NUDE male mannequins, it scared the sh*t out of me, theyre perched behind bushes on the porch of the store, but yes...they're NAKED, the bushes leave little to the imagination.

 

[disco54]

AF tries to sell you the message that your in the "in crowd" if you wear their sh*t , and since all the frat boys and cheerleaders don their duds people think oh , if i wear it I will be cool--------------------> real cool comes from developing your own style and being proud of it .

 

[disco54]

hahahaha , i prefer hollister to abercrombie its not so blatant in its message but they seriously need to change their stuff seriously, they sell the same stuff over and over and over and those humour tees though corny their funny to read...i saw these ones at their store
"your good enough lets go "
" I have a big surf board"
" I love med students"
"your mom gave me ride"
"lets not ruin this with words" haha
"trust me its big!!!" haha
"now holding auditions for my next gf"
haahha so corny but so full of inuendo omg, everybody in nyc clubs wear these tshirts the guidos wear even more obscene ones ( go figure) ...like I love bjs !!!) or i love camel toes ( gross)!!! haah ok im of topic but you get the idea haha

 

[candycouture]

Abercrombie is so trendy and preppy . Its the typical junior high and high school wear. The only thing I look foward to in their catalogs is the cute models.

 

[xlevix]

I use abercrombie for my basic clothing needs.

Like there underwear..

Or plain t-shirts for lazy days like this:

I've never been a fan of the jeans, the fit is to baggy, wide and hole-y. The plain t-shirts and underwear however, I love.

 

[Rabbitbong]

WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO JUDGE A PERSON BECAUSE THEY WEAR AMBERCROMBIE AND FITCH CLOTHES?? Liking a specific look, or brand, doesn't SAY ANYTHING about who a person is, nor does it say anything about ones intelligence, nor does it say anything about their friends or lifestyle. Does wearing these clothes make me a cheerleader? Does it make me have more friends, or be more good looking for that matter? Of course it doesn't. Any person with half a brain knows that. So why on EARTH would they still buy A&F clothes?? It must be because ::GASP:: they actually like their clothes!!!
Do I agree with the stores attempt to target a specific crowd? or their inclination towards the hire of skinny, hot employees?? No, I don't. but I do like their clothes, and I have the right to incorporate a polo, or some nice white tweed shorts, or a comfy fleece into my outfit without the persecution of people who claim that I am a dumb ditz who has no sense of style because that simply just isn't true.

And for those of you that stand up and say, "Hey, Rabbitbong...What about the moose label? Don't you think that says something about a person and what they represent? Are you comfortable representing a company that doesn't meet the level of integrity that you expect?"

And to you I say this: YES, I am comfotable wearing a label of a company that doesn't meet my personal moral expectations. Why? Because only a fool judges a book by it's cover. If you judge me on my name brand than shame on you!!! And could one not flip that tables on any top designer? Chanel? Prada? Marc Jacobs? A Imbecile could easily label the wearer of these labels a snobbish b*tch who pays too much for a little bit of fabric and a name. Instead of seeing that person as simply a person who pays a lot of money to maintain a personal style, which is just what I am trying to do, so please- don't judge.

 

[stilettogirl84]

I think the brand you wear doesn't matter- but how you mix and match what you have that makes it yours. I think it's absurd to say that someone is any given way just because they wear clothing from brad x versus brand y.

I have some jeans from Abercrombie- I also have a prada shirt- I also have some slides from target-

So the f*ck What!?!? What does that make me? A Person, just like everyone else. Where you shop doesn't define you. Any style or personality you express through your clothing is based on how you mix and match it, how you think and coordinate. I buy things I like, regardless of the name brand on it.

 

[kissmesweet]

I love A&F. Sorta preppy, but cute. Not always unique though. But good prices for good quality. And the guys on the ads are always hot!

 

[rangerrick14]

Abercrombie can have some cool stuff though. They aren't that great of quality when it comes to jeans or some shirts and men's clothes can be ill fitting but at my school you either need some abercrombie or American Eagle (my favorite for its colors) to be popular. But it's not just looking like everyone else because you can take Abercrombie and mix it with other things.

 

[sakina]

I am 16 and do wear some a&f but i do NOT fit in to the stereotypical a&f customer whatsoever, i honestly wish they'd branch out at least a little- [c'mon more basic stuff! - less logo] and wish they weren't pushing such an image and get some better employees.

i don't think wearing a brand automatically makes you anything but i would never wear anything logoed a&f, maybe a small moose i can take but that's all

plus i love the basic tees, jeans, sweaters, etc.

 

[Plastic'sWife]

I like Abercrombie.
My fav thing was the fur lined hoodie. I won one on ebay but it was too small : (

 

[lalame]

i hate abercrombie because they sell overpriced clothes. my sister bought a shirt from them before and it was $25 (i think) and it has got to be the crappiest shirt ever, quality-wise. also, just by buying something from there guarantees you that you'll find someone with the same stuff as soon as you get out of the store.

 

[cosmogrl5]

With A&F, I definitely think there is a distinct cut-off for when it is appropriate to still wear things from there. Now that I am in my mid-twenties, I feel silly walking in there for anything other than a sweater or sweats. I would never walk into Hollister now...I am way too old for that. I grew up in an area where that is all everyone wanted to wear, so I am cool with the clothes (though think the prices are ridiculous) for teens or those in their early 20s.

 

[northern_song]

A&F is an epidemic where I live. There clothes are mostly just recycled basics w/ slight variations, mixed in with a few trends. But it isn't even that the clothes are unattractive, its the fact that A&F expects me to advertise for their sweatshop produced, over-priced clothing, by putting that little moose on everything they sell. Its the same thing with any company putting there logo over everything, you are basically paying the brands to advertise for them. I hate Urban Outfitters as well, most of their clothes are very overpriced and can be found at thrift stores, but at least their clothes aren't all branded with the same logo.