Thursday, April 29, 2010

american apparel's new look

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik46xEXph5-DP9152sAvBab09KTxwww8gFZQzpyup45vRtoBsYnDdvMCFiUlUAqJf6wgV0J8uSGx7aer17ddkZJlxuK1aOBBchCcscxTRBilOrtRjp-6n1BhqDQ8Ocyqy_3JcC/s1600/american+apparel+lace+skirt.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfUHd4-bJxHOa6WacCyNTYL8rCY88BQdXU42pb6AIIN31KY-cG5H3YGGudivCwJvujCYnQy8gClt-6QlzjWRe8iCCVCQPeY91NDjVI4-h_6UI_WhK6uaKQc-oRQZnmjMdnxj7/s1600/american+apparel+bikini.jpghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3FluRGgNkGteqfJS3Vt7pIsmqZeSMpokKcFDDaGXeoAfZf7IlsHsx0qg5-hr3lXVE5A97vsOqNwYj-ETOYCr4yAzlppuscV5EZQVurptHwlDmGaJCs9wRaeNoQz9iycf013B8/s1600/american+apparel+riding+pant.jpg
Today I met up with a couple of acquaintances known within my circle of friends as 'The Geordie Sophies'. We met at a party back in December after myself and my friend Emily spied them at the bar and joked that they looked like us in an alternative universe. Funnily enough Sophie S recognised me from this blog and the four of us saw the rest of the night out with fantastic conversation punctuated with lots of 'oh, me too!' moments. The two of them had moved down from Newcastle, hence the Geordie label (a city I'm fond of as it's where I was born and home to my Father's 'odd side' of the family) and they were truly poor and probably very chilled to the bone living in a flat with a broken heater.

Times have thankfully changed now that they both have jobs; Sophie S got a position at American Apparel just before I left for the States. The subject of 'American Apparel's new look' was one subject of discussion as Sophie explained that the brand has banished all 80s lame from the stores (you may know said lame caused quite a stir-
a riot infact when it was all boxed off to Brick Lane for a big warehouse sale..) in favour of a more 90s preppy look. The preppy look itself isn't a particularly new thing but it's stronger concentration is and I'm all in favour of a much needed stock overhaul. I left The Sophies with American Apparel the new promised land of riding pants and staple high waist knickers and must confess this has kickstarted my renewed love for the brand.

Don't mistake this spring clean as a polishing up of their overtly sexy image though, 'they still love an opportunity to make anything out of mesh' Sophie laughed. I just cringe at the price points for these lovely new items. £42 for
chambray pocket shorts? Or £52 for simple button up shirts? I still scratch my head in wonderment; is this really the price of clothes that have been ethically produced or are they slapping on a heftier value? Either way I shall for now press my nose to the window, coo from afar and plot my next purchase.

10 comments:

Ringo, have a banana! said...

Whooooa @ those pictures, someone in the art department bought The Gentlewoman all right...

marie said...

I love the riding pants! <3

POPPY FRENCH said...

Gosh, that is expensive. I will pretend to wish for one up here in Birmingham but its probably best they don't come if shirts are going to be that much!

EIGHT LONDON said...

Ringo, I thought that exact thought as soon as I saw these pictures!

The riding pants look scrummy though, but no doubt they'll be up in the £60-70 range!

Sophie said...

I definitely noticed they'd had a bit of a makeover when I visited the Oxford Street store a couple of weeks ago, all this kind of stuff was right at the front of the store, it felt more like a boutique than AA! The prices are ridiculous though, Uniqlo is much better value for good quality basics.

All Women Stalker said...

Oh I'd love to see a photo of you, Emily and the Sophies :)

simple et chic said...

like that . the riding pants is lovely and the A-line skirts too !!
xoxo
http://simple-et-chic.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Cute, but I still prefer AA's eighties-inspired items !

Lolo said...

i love the high waisted swim brief!
I'll have to look out for those in store.
The photography is great. It does make a nice change from the 80s stuff that they've been kicking out for a while.

www.loloholmes.tumblr.com

tiffany said...

I wonder how stretchy those riding pants are...