shopping
Read Time : 1 Minutes

Why I Started Shopping at Abercrombie Again

Jaime E. Love

If you close your eyes as you enter an Abercrombie & Fitch retail store, it’s like stepping back in time to middle school. The same cologne from the 2000s, Fierce, permeates the store, accented by the Fierce scented hand sanitizer added during the pandemic.  

However, when you open your eyes, the store has completely changed. They have been remodeled and the clothes inside no longer showcase the brand name or the embroidered little moose mascot logo. Abercrombie & Fitch’s walls are no longer plastered with larger-than-life images of male torsos and thin models running on the beach. The stores skew towards an older demographic, the off-duty millennial. The people who once hated Abercrombie the most are now the ones who begrudgingly shop there now. 

Original photo by Alyssa Chew

As a lanky twelve-year-old girl, shopping in Abercrombie & Fitch sometimes made me feel “fat” since the largest women’s jean size

… Read More
Men's Fashion
Read Time : 1 Minutes

Discover cool men’s jewellery by Hatton Labs

Jaime E. Love

Hatton Labs jewellery for men plays on subculture design codes

Jewellery for men takes a playful form in the new collection from British jewellery brand Hatton Labs

British jewellery brand Hatton Labs draws on offbeat subcultures for men’s jewellery that infuses staple pieces with a contemporary cool.

Founders Jack Cannon and Joe Gelb draw on backgrounds in the fashion and music industries respectively, while staying faithful to traditional techniques. Silver, gold, semi-precious stones and pearls are all sourced from London’s jewellery quarter, Hatton Garden.

‘We like to take traditional silhouettes and give them a contemporary twist,’ the duo say of the oversized proportions and dreamy colour tones that characterise their pieces. ‘A lot of silver jewellery has an oxidised, dark feel to it that we feel is very dated. By giving the items a high polish and letting the silver shine through, we find that the pieces really stand out

… Read More
Fashion Trends
Read Time : 1 Minutes

ROBBINS: Fast fashion and micro-trends aren’t worth it – The Cavalier Daily

Jaime E. Love

In a world where TikTok dictates the latest fashion trends and Instagram is the new “Vogue,” our consumerist culture has become increasingly predicated on the rapid buying of clothing pieces. When a celebrity sports a coveted fashion item, fast fashion websites create a cheaper replica within the same week. People far outside Hollywood can get the same look for less and can imitate their favorite style icons. Of course, this is wonderful in some ways — fashion and self-expression should be accessible to everyone. No longer is style as cemented in wealth and class status as it once was — everyone can feel confident and comfortable in beautiful clothing for an affordable price. But at the same time, this rapid fire, quick-turnaround culture is incredibly harmful to the environment and the garment industry.

Recently, a new term has emerged to describe this culture of immediacy regarding reproduction of fashion trends.

… Read More
Fashion Influence
Read Time : 1 Minutes

How Guo Pei created the world’s most striking dresses

Jaime E. Love

“When I was working on my graduation design, I specifically wanted to make a very large skirt, like in western movies, but I had no idea how the inside of the skirt would need to be made,” Guo tells BBC Culture. “I went to the theatre and asked the costumers if they could help me. I was very surprised when they took me backstage and showed me a pannier made of bamboo and layers of petticoats that were hidden inside a skirt. It helped me create what was probably the largest dress in the Chinese fashion designer industry. The theatre experience was the beginning of me making big dresses.”

Graduating with the highest grade in her class, Guo went on to a successful career in the nascent Chinese fashion industry. However, despite her achievements, she felt creatively thwarted as she was unable to create the magnificent dresses she wanted. It

… Read More