Sorry, I had to rant about that. It just bothers me to see that everyone from Prostitots to your Mom could be wearing one. AA used to fill a bit of a niche. Now ethically made t-shirts and leggings are nestled right next to tanks tops and polos with moose and seagulls emblazoned on the front. I think someone's missing the point.

I resent people who are just wearing this clothing to be trendy. I know that it only makes things better for humanity, but I can't help but be a little annoyed. Assimilation is a scary thing.

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1. Okay. Salma, seriously. Get those sweater-puppies under control. Though, she's still hot as hell.

2. This kid is nasty and I've always thought so, but the writing on his photo almost made me pee a little.

3. Why this chick Jordan is famous I've never really figured out.

4. Sugababes for American Apparel?

5. Angelina looks so much hotter when she's not all veiny and skinny. And apparently I'm not the only one going dark this fall.

I definitely think that the next President of the United States should be able to shred on a fixie. I mean, who cares about economics, foreign and domestic policy? Boring mainstreamers, that's who!

It's time for Obama to amend his economic policy to include a Fixie Credit for all Americans. Yes/yes? (If you disagree - Fuck off, Un-American.)

There was a girl sitting next to me in Bar Italia the other day wearing this brilliant cardigan from Maison Martin Margiela and she reminded me of the sheer usefulness of edgyish basics for transforming a look. Currently, I am trying to work out how I could fashion one of these babies myself using just an inferior cardigan and some shoulder pads, but of course having the real thing would be preferable.

I can't count the number of times I've seen someone wearing the skirt on the right, but the genius of American Apparel is that everyone else having the same stuff never seems to matter. Not very exciting, but a good length and nice and tight.  

Urban Outfitters is now stocking Karen Walker, which is very nice, and this t-shirt is my favourite (and conveniently the cheapest) of the pieces they've bought. Who doesn't like a nice combitation of two big skulls, a plain and what might be coins?

There are a lot of nice heeled ankle boots about but my commitment to only wearing flats makes things a little more difficult. Luckily B store and their Buddhahood range have saved the day with these unisex Chelsea boots and another lace up pair which I can't find a picture of but are available from Poste Mistress.

In my opinion, a head-to-toe black look should be accompanied by naturalish hair and make-up and a smile to diffuse the heaviness of all that black, but if you are brave and a bit scary, go for lashings of black eyeliner and blunt fringe, I'm certainly not going to try and stop you.

Você também precisa de sugestões para fantasias de Halloween ou para qualquer outra festa a fantasia? A American Apparel e a MAC têm a solução! Você irá arrasar, gastando pouco e tendo fantasias divertidas e originais!

O site da American Apparel não só dá sugestões, como tem videos e o passo-a-passo de como improvisar fantasias divertidíssimas! Veja AQUI e escolha a sua favorita!

O site da MAC ensina a fazer makes incríveis AQUI!

Fotos: Reprodução

Having never really trusted Target so much.. (the price alone doesn't really make it "a deal" for me, they'll have to last as well), I actually went ahead and bought these leggings -

Well, turns out they're pretty durable. I have a pair that I got from American Apparel and it costs some $26. I only wear leggings for yoga purposes. And when my American Apparel ones are dirty, this pair actually comes in alright.

What's more - ony $5.99

Get it here.

For the guys we have our new Calaveras Tee . A little Dia De Los muertos style just in time for the holiday.

Is this ad creative? I don't think so. Does it feature hot shorts and high socks? Definitely. Do I like it better that way? Hell yes.

what's the deal with american apparel?

whatever it is...I'm kindof sucked into it, too. maybe it's because I'm obsessed with fashion blogs and daily outfit posters (www.chictopia.com, www.livejournal.com/~wiwt2, www.livejournal.com/~newestwrinkle), in which the outfits regularly consist of aa vnecks and a pair of skinnies. maybe it's the simplicity of the design and the variation in the colors - sunshine, purple, sea blue, and lapis rank amongst my favorites.

the simplicity is key, and that's probably why I (along with billions of others) like it. it goes with anything! however, sometime their style goes a little far. cases in point:

what the f? what's the point of this outfit? I guess it's sexy. and not very common. but....idk. no one would wear this in public, I'm sure, which leaves it to inside the comfort of your own home. but what's the point of wearing it at home, either?

idk, shorts are cute on guys, sometimes, but these seem a little unrealistic. the color is kind of weird and the length is a little slutty.

aa's selling point (at least what they say) is that it's made in california sweat shop free. that's probably reason for it's higher cost of such simple items - anyone can get a hanes vneck for 4$, but at the cost of tiny chinese children slaving 20 hours a day. I bet that this "selling point" is probably overlooked, and that most people buy the shiet 'cause of its stigma in the fashion world. whatever the reason people buy it, I guess it's good that it's being bought. even though many consumers don't know/consider the fact that they are not supporting sweat shops, this state of fashion is helping in some way or another. maybe that's what it takes - a benefit to consumers in order for them to stay away from sweat shops other than just out of their own heart.

This kind of stuff is commonplace in other places in the world, primarily Europe. Are we hypersensitive to people looking sexy in advertisement? Real people in intimate situations, people that could be your neighbor or friend or cousin? I really think so.

Is it exploitative for a woman to take a photo of herself showing off her sexuality? Or empowering? I'm going to take a close look at some of the ads showing men in highly sexualized and suggestive advertisements. From what I've seen in the past, this isn't something that's only coming from one side. I don't think as many people have seen those.

Qüende.
Aposto que a Ana Laura já foi correndo na American Apparel para se vestir igual.

If you never intend to go to the American Apparel website, maybe now you have changed your mind.

In the short period of time that I was stalking the website, I signed up for their newsletter in order to take advantage of the discounts that they gave. This of course now means they keep spamming my e-mail inbox with tons of rubbish every now and then. Last week I finally opened one of their e-mails on Halloween and was intrigued enough to go to the main website and investigate further. You can find their take on Halloween costumes here: http://store.americanapparel.net/outfit-builder.html.

I must say I was impressed with the creative costumes that they came up with, especially the dodgy ones like the nudist colony and the pregnant teen costume seen below. The laundry basket was a nice touch too. Too bad we don't celebrate Halloween here in Singapore.

If you want to follow the zipper trend but want to avoid a look that's very intense, check out LnA's zipper leggings. At $99, they're less than one would assume you would be paying for a premium legging brand.

LnA also makes these leggings in a variety of colors, though from what I've seen it would be best to steer clear from the bright summer hues during the Fall season.

Oh, and try not to let the fact that they were seen on Paris Hilton discourage you from considering these as a layering tool.

It's the same reason I dig Terry Richardson shots. They're intimate, unlike so many fashion advertisements that are ridiculously detached from reality. This is a party that I want to be at.

For myself and many others, retail therapy has always been a way to decompress, get out of the house, browse, get inspired by new things and usually come home with a treat. Now, through technology, we don't even have to leave our homes to get a shopping fix! For me, this past year has been full of changes and revelations in regards to the person I want to be for the rest of my life, as I'm about to leave my 20s. This includes restraint in shopping. One of my first blog entries was about cleaning out my closets and admitting to myself that I simply need to stop buying things that just weren't ME. I find all kinds of things attractive and cute but that doesn't mean I will ever feel comfortable with those things on my body. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I accept who I am. I can't embrace every little shiny new thing that comes out. I can appreciate these things but I now feel empowered to say NO to a lot of things out there, even if they're on sale!

For the most part, I avoid purchasing loud items. An amazing decadent party dress is one thing but daily wear should be able to blend seamlessly with the rest of your wardrobe, in my opinion. Some things are so undeniably trendy though, no matter how well it blends into your existing wardrobe, it's going to eventually become one of those over saturated items of clothing where everyone will be sick of it after one season. (Square scarves anyone?) I now somewhat regret purchasing the AA leather-look leggings. They're EVERYWHERE! They're no longer subversive... they're a wardrobe staple in all the magazines and street style sites. I waited too long to get them and thankfully, I didn't spend a fortune on them but; I would rather save up and buy a quality pair of rock-star-leather pants that will last me a lifetime one of these days.

How about the completely impractical 5" heel platforms that normally would be relegated to red carpet events and exotic dancers? They're in all the editorials, touted as daily wear shoes now! Gorgeous? Yes! The type of shoe to make you stop dead in your tracks and vow to wear them with everything to justify the cost? Yes! When will these shoes ever really be worn? Do we not already have plenty of special occassion shoes in our closets? How often do we wear our purchases and does our wear justify the price? Hey, I'm just trying to get honest here.

Patterns are especially tricky since they are so susceptible to trends. There are indeed classic prints but, for example, Ikat was huge this summer and it's now fading out (to be replaced with absurd florals in the winter). What are you going to do with all that Ikat hanging around in your closet? Was it worth the money to wear it a few times before it didn't feel current any longer? What are you going to do with all that blue and white floral that's going to be big next spring when everyone says, "Oh there she goes looking like a piece of Chinese porcelain again"?

I'm not saying that I think there's anything wrong with staying current and picking up a trendy piece for a bit of fun in your wardrobe. I'm simply posing the issue of cost justification that only you as an individual can figure out. I think a lot of us have gotten a wee bit carried away with our credit cards and that $100 shirt will end up costing us $500 after making minimum payments for a few years. As much fun as it's been trying to pretend... we are not Carrie Bradshaw!

There has to be a give and take in life. One can't just take take take and expect to feel balanced. Shopping to fill a void is also a futile endeavor. A major achievement of mine this year was quitting smoking which has resulted in me pretty much not drinking socially anymore. I've lost all desire and I'm saving a TON of money! So, I don't feel so bad spending the same amount on a pair of boots that I would've spent on drinks with friends that week. (I also had no business spending money on both drinks and boots before I made some changes but, I did anyways and I'm now trying to rectify my bad spending habits.)

It's time to grow up a little bit, to start putting some money away for a rainy day. Things are very unstable right now and not to sound like Chicken Little, but we all do need to be more aware about our wasteful spending and take a little bit of pride in saying no to a bunch of things we never really needed in the first place (instead of pouting and feeling denied) and put that money in a safe place, for our future, for our children, for more meaningful goals than a new pair of shoes.

(I still plan on blogging about beautiful things and we all still need to treat ourselves on occassion! It's good for our souls!)

Charney is a savvy businessman and in the creation of AA has done a lot of positive things for his apparel company. Paying fair wages to his workers, creating a "sweatshop-free" workforce, and manufacturing it all in the U.S., Charney has gone against the grain of the industry. American Apparel also offers simple cotton t-shirts that do not have their brand name logo-ed on the front, making their clothing somewhat ambiguous in our brand flooded world.

The socially responsible AA brand has since become overrun with mixed messaging. Is it socially responsible to buy the AA brand? Are you supporting sweatshop-free labor while simultaneously okay-ing Charney's self-pleasuring corporate structure?

Dez Williams of Clamor Magazine writes "I would have serious reservations about shaking American Apparel senior partner Dov Charney’s hand. His seemingly strong sociopolitical message has taken a back seat to tales of union busting and sexual harassment,"

In an interview with Williams, adult entertainer Susan Wayward suspects that she faces a lower chance of sexual exploitation in her work than she might as an American Apparel employee. “I’ve never considered myself at risk of sexual harassment by a club owner or manager, largely because I’m aware that it’s unacceptable behavior even in the sex industry.”

“I don’t know about ‘sex’ in the workplace. Too much sex, and no work gets done,” jokes Allena Gabosch, executive director of the Seattle Sex Positive Community Center, when Williams asked about her opinion on the American Apparel work environment.

Charney is adimate about his behavior and sees nothing wrong with his actions even feeling victimized by the accusations. "It's inhumane to cast my sexuality in a negative light. It's the same as poking fun at a homosexual or a transvestite or a woman who sleeps with many men. How can you watch Tony Soprano and the next day be so antiseptic? You can't expect people to operate in a vacuum outside of popular culture." said Charney in The New York Times in 2006.

I don't know what is inhumane about referring to someone by their name rather than 'slut' and refraining from masturbating infront of employees. In fact it seems inhumane to subject workers to this kind of forced "I'm going to be sexy with you whether you like it or not" attitude.

Sneak peak at the fall American Apparel campaign and lookbook.

The Holt Renfew flagship store has a handful of choices; though pricing ranges from $100-250+. The downtown Winners had a very sparse selection of fingerless gloves; things were mainly very safe looking full-fingered designs. Besides vintage, your best bet for new gloves will be American Apparel's version ($14), or Urban Outfitters' selections ($10-20).

If you do a Robson Street run (I pity you), then I would suggest hitting up the old faithfuls (Tommy Hilfiger, Aldo Accessories, the Gap, French Connection, Banana Republic, BCBG, Club Monaco, Esprit and Mexx).

Good luck, shoppers.

More preview photos from the new American Apparel advertising campaign.

American Apparel's Dov Charney has completely switched up his style this season with an amazing, provocative statement which calls into question all of our standard preconceptions of "beauty."

Genius!