- Abercrombie & Fitch got in touch with its not-so-inner homosexual with this Bruce Weber-directed homage to hot boys groping each other wrestling. Seriously, when is A&F going to stop circling the gay porno airport and bring that sucker into a well-lubricated landing? Video after le jump. [Huff Po]

- And speaking of perverts disguised as clothing companies, Dov Charney re-signed his contract with American Apparel for another three years with a base salary of $800,00o. I knew I shoulda gotten into the sex slave game when I had the chance. Lazy me. [The Cut]

- I see someone’s been reading my dream journal since André Leon Talley is finally getting his own reality show on Bravo. ALT will be yelling at and openly insulting  ”four up-and-coming fashion design teams as they produce the defining collection of their careers.” [Styleite]

- Jason Segal and Michelle Williams are apparently now starring in How I Met My Oscar-Nominated Girlfriend. [Refinery29]

- Stefano Pilati came out from the shadows of scandal after being let go by Yves Saint Laurent a month ago to discuss his career in fashion and his plans for the future. Burning down YSL was surprisingly not a part of said plans. [Fashionologie]

- Some noble citizen, perhaps mistaking the launch of Kim Karashian‘s new fragrance for a Viktor & Rolf event, flour-bombed the unsuspecting reality star on her own red carpet. [Styleite]

- Carine Roitfield‘s magazine will drop in September, come out twice a year, resemble a book and will focus on “fashion with a lot of freedom.” [WWD]

- Newsweek and Tina Brown want Karl Lagerfeld to know that they’re not dying but are actually doing just fine, thanks. [Fashionista]

- Franca Sozzani will be delivering a lecture at Harvard in April about body image and eating disorders and this is how she plans on going about it. [Stylelist]

- Marc Jacobs is taking his stolen collection with tongue firmly in cheek and cash firmly in wallet, offering a T-shirt featuring a wanted poster for the alleged thief. [Racked]

There’s already an Abercrombie within shouting distance of the Row, but this new store would be located right within the district at historic 3 Savile Row, on whose rooftop The Beatles played their final live gig. Thus, tailors have responded with various levels of outrage.

Gieves & Hawkes claimed that the addition of A&F was “totally out of character,” while H. Huntsman & Sons voiced concern that  ”the arrival of Abercrombie & Fitch at the end of Savile Row has dramatically changed not just the tone, but the safety, of the street.”

An anonymous tailor, however, was not so keen on mincing words: ”I don’t think anyone objects to moving forward, but a chain store selling crappy clothes to ghastly people isn’t really the direction in which we should be travelling.”

Not to be hyperbolic or sensationalist, but that’s literally the best thing that anyone’s ever said in the history of mankind.

While there have been no official objections lodged against Abercrombie’s expansion, a spokesperson from the Westminster City Council stated that ”comments to applications are always taken seriously.”

So should Savile Row lighten up and go with the flow or is A&F the final nail in the coffin of good taste? [Guardian]

"Ho-ho-ho" - Bruce Weber | Photo: Richard Guaty

Photos: Homotography, Male Model Scene, Bellazon

Photo: Richard Guaty

This comes at an interesting time for both parties, considering that Abercrombie and The Situation are in a bit of financial crunch these days. By missing Wall Street’s third-quarter earnings projections, the A&F stock recently dropped 13.6 percent. Meanwhile, the Situation’s stock is also in the red, as revealed earlier this month by his co-star and noted Oompa-Loompa, Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi in an interview with GQ.

Quote the guidette:

“Jersey Shore is going to end soon. I’m not going to spend money like Mike. He’s already broke!”

So could this latest, and belated, ploy be a last-ditch Sitch effort to cash in on his already dwindling notoriety? And even if he somehow gets away with it, will Abercrombie have the money to pay up if their stocks keep going the way of its male model’s jeans? And finally — and most importantly — who the hell cares? [TMZ]

- Is this old news for everyone or just me? Model Coco Rocha was discovered jigging about in an Irish dance competition. Now she’s showing her pride for the activity by hosting an online screening of Irish dancing documentary Jig. Weird, yet mildly touching? [Fashionista]

- London was just named the #1 Fashion Capital of 2011, beating out top dogs Paris, Milan and New York for the title. We’re glad (not) rainy old London has a chance in the spotlight, but we’ll scream if we don’t get our title back in 2012. [The Cut]

- Would you carry a red leather 9/11 handbag around town? Designers Jen and Chris Mascali created the “Remember” bag to commemorate their father and others who were lost in the attacks. All wholesale proceeds go to the 9/11 Memorial Fund. Are you sold? [Refinery 29]

- And speaking of 9/11, did you know Gwyneth Paltrow saved someone’s life that day by almost running her over with a silver Mercedes? Lara Lundstrom Clarke said the encounter made her miss the train, subsequently late for work and she completely missed the attacks. Damn Gwyneth, you be cashing in big time these days. [E!]

- OOPS. Abercrombie & Fitch stock plummeted after the company offered Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino compensation to stop wearing the brand. Surely, we in the Indie Newsroom won’t be the only ones laughing about A&F’s douchebaggery. [Just Jared]

In a statement on A&F’s website:

“We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino’s association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans.”

A&F wants The Situation to wear an “alternate brand” and has also “extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response.”

A. Since when is Abercrombie & Fitch an aspirational brand? Sure, once upon a time it was actually a respected label but that went flying out the door once those homoerotic soft porn biannuals disguised as catalogs started popping up in-store.

B. Correct me if I’m wrong (don’t you dare), but isn’t The Situation the kind of customer A&F mainly appeals to, i.e. douchebags and juiceheads?

C. This has been happening to Snooki for ages with designers purposely sending her their competitor’s bags in order to avoid being associated with her, so the Jersey Shore kids are basically fist-pumping, cartwheeling and throwing up all the way to the bank. God bless America. [WWD]

As the more affordable, casual sister line to Le Petit Petit, Malibu Native boasts relaxed fits and quality, comfortable fabrics you can actually live in. The brand’s collection of lifestyle tees and swimwear make it the perfect line to wear on the beach or any day you’re feeling that boho chic vibe. Click through to see more photos from the lookbook.

- Lady Gaga‘s lucite dick-heels were apparently too raunchy for TV prompting  Fox censors to throw the American Idol logo over the heel-head. [Styleite]

- Also in Gaga news, she’s got a lucite hard-on for Kate Moss. [Modelina]

- New York’s own Provocateur nightclub has a drinks menu designed to smooth, plump and even skin tone, which means I’ll be drinking even more in the morning. [NYT]

- Professional winner and former actor Charlie Sheen has officially been replaced by professional cougar hunter and former actor Ashton Kutcher on some show on CBS I could care less about. [Daily Beast]

- It seems injecting your unwilling 8-year-old daughter with formaldehyde raises some sort of flag with Child Protective Services. [Fashionista]

- Will Smith‘s ego has manifested itself in the form of a movie trailer and Soho residents are not impressed. [Refinery29]

- Walking in flip flops can apparently be as hard as walking in a sky-high tranny heel, just ask this adorably hapless male model. Take those shoes off and turn it, girl! [Styleite]

- Young Versace, Versace‘s new kids line will be debuting for Spring 2012 so everyone get ready for kids prematurely in touch with their inner sexy. [WWD]

1. First of all, the film is for Magnum Ice Cream. That alone is reason enough to cast a shadow of incredulity a mile long. Coupled with the fact that Bilson is eating at a photoshoot, I nearly threw my computer out the window in righteous indignation. People have been fired for less.

2. Rachel Bilson’s wig. Bilson ordinarily stuns, but this awful, carrot-top wig makes her look like Lea Thompson circa Caroline in the City — dated and unwatchable.

3. Rachel Bilson’s hair under the wig. When Baptiste as the sunglasses-indoors-kind-of-guy photographer tells her to take off the wig, Bilson asks if her real hair is better. No. No, it’s not, Rachel Bilson. Because someone went a little cray-cray with the highlights.

4. Baptiste’s “acting.” Baptiste Giabiconi always struck me as kind of a douchebag. Don’t ask me why, he just gives off an air of douchebaggery, so playing a douchebag photographer should be right up his gorgeous alley. Granted it’s only a glorified commercial so he doesn’t need to display a range of emotions. But I would take any sort of emotion. At all.

5. The clothes. I mean, seriously, did the stylist dip a blind hand into the clearance bin of Forever 21 to pull out these gems? You got Karl Lagerfeld behind the lens but there’s nary a hairbow nor a tweed in sight. Plus this black negligee-esque number gives Bilson a muffin top. And that’s why you don’t eat at a photoshoot.

Check out Photo Mood for yourself and see if you’re left with a big fat WTF? afterwards like I was.

- The full schedule for the Royal Wedding on April 29th has been released and because of that bothersome 5-hour time difference, I hope you’re a morning person. Commoners arrive at 8 am (3 EST), VIPs at 10, the Royals at 10:40 (tradition dictates they arrive fashionably late and preferably fashionably drunk), Kate Middelton and her 5 bridesmaids arrive at 11 then the whole thing’s over by 12:15 for a wedding reception hosted by Queen Liz II. And of course I’ll be wearing this the entire time. [Huff Po]

- I always forget that Abercrombie & Fitch is not a purveyor of fine Aryan, homoerotic soft-core porn but an actual clothing retailer. A&F is riding the firm, bare buttocks of its ubiquitous models to an estimated profit of $7.5 billion. Never underestimate the power of tacky clothes and naked models. Of course, I never have. [WWD]

- And this is a sure fire sign that you’re company is on the brink of disaster. American Apparel‘s resident sex criminal/CEO, Dov Charney, bought six million shares of his own company in an attempt to inject a little more cash into the much-beleaguered retail giant. Shouldn’t he be using that money for his inevitable legal fees? [WWD]

- Abercrombie and Fitch — you know that company that apparently sells clothes with models who don’t wear any — felt a little pressure after releasing their push-up bikini top for girls as young as 7 years old from like…everyone and have thus taken the only logical step: removing the word “push-up” from the description, of course! It’s good to know with American Apparel on shaky ground, we can always depend on Abercrombie & Fitch to maintain fashion’s moral integrity. [The Globe and Mail]

I like to think that I had a fashion revelation in my not-yet fully-developed mind that prevented me from returning to the retailer, but really my mother thought that Abercrombie and Fitch was just too overpriced. However, to this day, and I kid you not, she still talks about the retailer’s racy advertising (she would have a heart attack if she saw the rest of this site).

Abercrombie and Fitch “Naughty or Nice” Xmas Campaign presumably wants us to think that their models have been naughty, but all I can really think about is what that guy is doing with his arms…

The 20-year-old model was on set in the Hamptons for an Abercrombie & Fitch shoot. He took a bite of a croissant at, according to his own agent, a “disrespectful” time and was fired from the job.

Great job to the fucking idiots on set with A&F that day for letting this one go. You’re both cruel and stupid as shit.

LINK LOVE: Buzz Feed

Abercrombie & Fitch was named one of America’s worst companies by Corporate Responsibility Magazine. Anyone surprised?

LINK LOVE: NYTimes

Find more photos like this on ENVY. THE FASHION NETWORK

LINK LOVE: GQ

François-Henri Pinault (owner of PPR and Salma Hayek’s hubby) is about to buy Ralph Lauren, Levi Strauss, and Abercrombie & Fitch.

Time is calling Abercrombie & Fitch, which has experienced ten straight months of double-digit sales declines, the worst recession brand in the world.

Via Jezebel

Abercrombie is feeling a pinch in their perfectly toned abs.

They just suffered a $26.7 MILLION DOLLAR LOSS.

The Solution: Lower prices.

Now even the underprivileged can look like douchebags.

LINK LOVE: wwd.com

Though I never wear it in public and I almost hate to admit it, I own a Ruehl sweatshirt and it is, by far, the most comfortable garment I own. That being said, if you’re in the market for some new bum clothes, don’t hesitate to ransack the “going out of business” sales that are sure in ensue! Happy bumming! 

Thanks NY Mag!

Is it surprising to say that I have found myself staring in the face of disappointment once again? MTV has managed to ruin another underground celeb with their latest acqusition of Alexa Chung for the show It’s On With Alexa Chung. I’ve watched the show for the past three days, and while I remained optimistic for the first few episodes out of my pure love for the Brit, I am willing to fess up and say that it really isn’t a good show. While Miss Chung has managed to keep her style top notch, her awkwardness on camera really shines through.

I think the saddest part of the whole thing is that it is quite obvious that no one in the crowd has any idea who she is. There is a constant feeling that is easily relateable to that of an awkward silence. Her whitty English quips and comedy is often beyond the brain capacity of the puberty ridden teens that fill the bleacher style seats in their American Eagle, super boot cut, faded denim and their A&F hoodies.

While I’m on the topic of the jokes she is very poor at delievering, she clealry has the worst writers in television. It’s bad when you can tell that the host of the show doesn’t even think the jokes are funny. The way she painstakingly drudges through each joke is almost unbearable. It’s about time they fire all those lame high school interns and get some quality writing for the show (I think the genius minds behind Fashion Indie could do the trick…and we’re cheap!).

While the daily sight of Alexa Chung’s beauty gives me something to look forward to, and her guests aren’t half bad, I will say they need to do some damage control before this spirals beyond salvation. I recommend she keeps her Topshop name drops on the down low too! Us fashion folks don’t need to be stiff arming MTV douche bags in the store to get to the new collections that Topshop keeps conveniently tucked away in the back corner of the store.

Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister are set tol lower prices to make up up for the millions lost in revenue this year. Unfortunately, the models are still not for sale!

LINKAGE: NY Mag via WSJ

The Statue of Liberty. Times Square. The Empire State Building. Abercrombie & Fitch? As a resident of New York, you learn very quickly to avoid the tourist attractions that become mundane upon seeing them once. Foreign tourists wait in line for hours, bearing the elements with cameras and binoculars, to see the same shit we see every day. What’s even stranger is these same tourists wait in line to purchase items from a brand that most fashionable Americans can’t stand. Every morning, the line outside of the Fifth Avenue Abercrombie & Fitch exceeds 200 people waiting to be let loose among rows of identical-looking denim and hooded sweatshirts. A recent survey discovered there were visitors from Ireland, England, Brazil, Spain and Russia. The reason? One was cheaper prices. Now that I recall the blur that was this past summer, my English roommate and his visiting sister practically planned their day around an Abercrombie shopping spree. A word to visitors of our fair city- there are many superior places to shop in this mecca of young American designers. But chances are if you’re reading this blog, you’re already aware.

For shame Paris! You should be embarrassed!

Whoever decided that the resurrection of puffy vests for Fall 2008 was acceptable is terribly mistaken. Take a sleeping bag, throw a zipper on it, and several of your cat’s regurgitated hair balls and you’ve got yourself another hideous puffy vest. I know, I know…they can be substituted for a coat in the cooler months and are oh, so cozy warm. Well, I don’t care. You look like another one of those preppy, Abercrombie obsessed conformists with no taste. And did you ever consider how many teddy bears could have been made out of this sorry excuse for fashion? I could have sworn that puffy vests were long gone when the last leaf fell in Fall 2007, so why on earth am I already seeing them out again? Personally, I’d rather be smothered to death by a puffy vest than be caught dead wearing one. 

Thanks for the photos The Budget Babe.

The fashion world has always been an industry that craves extremes, which is why I think I hate this haircut so much. To me this represents everything that is mediocracy. You have to be cool so you grow your hair out but your too big a pusy to go all out, so you settle for this glorified bowl cut? I am a big fan of long hair, in fact I have had long hair, but this is not long nor acceptable in my book. This “inbetween” length of hair is actually great, because it allows for so many options and styles that can be used. Unfortunately so many have fallen victim to this ugly hair tragedy, so many that this is bordering on “How To Look Middle American.” I will say it now, If I count 35 kids with this exact haircut between now and Friday, expect a follow up story! (and no I won’t cheat by going to a shitty strip mall in Jersey and count all the douche bags at Hollister and Abercrombie).

When Abercrombie turned down an Oklahoma teenager, when she sought employment, they had no clue what was coming. The teenager, who is Muslim, went on to explain that she wasn’t hired because her headscarf “didn’t fit the chain’s image.” After the incident a Muslim Civil Rights group filed a complaint againt the company for violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, stating that employers must allow for the employees religious practices. When Abercrombie was asked about the situation, no comment was given; good cover Abercrombie, now everyone will believe you.