The Shophound

TODAY IN WISHFUL THINKING: Reports Of An Abercrombie & Fitch Gay Kiss May Be Somewhat Exaggerated

Yes, it's a kiss.
No, it doesn't belong to Abercrombie & Fitch.
Or does it?

You may see a bit of news racing through the magical interwebs that Abercrombie & Fitch, the gayest not-gay chain store in the world, has finally broken its self constructed glass closet and released a promotional video featuring (gasp) a gay kiss (pictured in the screenshot at right). We have embedded the video after the jump if you want to know exactly what we are talking about. It's suggestive, but actually less revealing than some Madonna videos we could mention. The video is by photographer Bruce Weber, who has been shooting for the retailer since the mid 1990s when the brand changed from a classic, conservative apparel chain to a youth-focused sportswear store whose advertising imagery suddenly featured cavalcades of naked young men innocently frolicking about. It is, apparently, one of four new "Webersodes" which have been presumed to be part of Abercrombie's ad campaign and can be found on his website HERE. Titled, "Other sports require one ball. Wrestling requires two.", it features a bunch of sexy wrestlers in an idyllic outdoor shower, uh, still frolicking to the tune of James Brown's "Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose". At one point, one guy kisses another on the forehead in a non-wrestling kind of hold. It's not quite the mack session you might be expecting given the hype, though it definitely crosses a fuzzy line that Abercrombie hasn't crossed in the past.
And maybe they still haven't?

If you know us, you know that we gleefully revel in almost every wacky move that Abercrombie & Fitch and their various subsidiaries make, but even this sounded too good to be true. The Shophound picked up the phone and called Abercrombie & Fitch to find out if this in fact was part of their campaign or just one of Bruce Weber's own video projects. While we initially reached a representative who is likely used to be taking clothing orders, we gave her a chance to find someone who could answer our question, and was told that it was not actually part of the retailers advertising campaign. Bruce Weber's Facebook page, however identifies them has having been made for Abercrombie & Fitch as of february 9th. So, were they made for Abercrombie and rejected, or are they meant to be sort of underground and viral? Somebody please clarify.

In fact, there isn't any indication on this particular video that it was filmed specifically for Abercrombie & Fitch. Usually their official videos will feature a company logo on the screen at some point, which this one does not have —even though some of the guys are wearing Abercrombie clothes (when they are wearing anything at all, at left). There's no trace of it on Abercrombie's website nor has it been uploaded by them to Facebook or YouTube (where it would probably be given an age verification requirement to view). We are pretty sure about this because we watched it a couple of time just to be certain (as you might want to). We might even watch it again later. Was the film meant for Abercrombie and then deemed a little bit too hot even for them?

Anyway, this story is making its way around the web, as sexy videos will do. We were initially skeptical because Abercrombie has been using homoerotic imagery for quite some time without ever including anything that is specifically gay. Sure there are lots of hot, shirtless guys in their ads and in their stores, but never has there been a kiss, or something that would definitively identify as gay. Abercrombie stores are just like gay bars, but the strategy of walking this ostensibly ambiguous line where gay people can identify the brand's imagery as gay while straight people can blithely dismiss it as a couple of shirtless guys just hanging out has worked exceptionally well for the company, however disingenuous it may be. Why would they change things now?

A NOTE: We have been revising this post over the course of a couple of hours since it was originally published as we have discovered more information. We will continue to adjust, noting updates as necessary.

UPDATE: The video has been removed from the hosting service that allowed us to embed it, but can still be seen on Bruce Weber's own website HERE.

Abercrombie & Fitch Promo Clip Features Gay Kiss Between Two Models (Huffington Post via Towleroad & Homorazzi)

LEMONADE FROM LEMONS: Marc Jacobs Makes The Most Of A Bad Situation

What do you do when you are faced with an unexpected, aggravating misfortune that is beyond your control?
If you are Marc Jacobs, you make a t-shirt.

You may remember hearing a few months ago that Jacobs' entire 46-look European sample line for Spring 2012 was stolen off the Eurostar train between London and Paris. So far as we know, the clothes have never been recovered, throwing a wrench into the designer's European Press activities, and to remind people of the designer's predicament, he has placed a mock "Wanted"-style bulletin in the window of his Mercer Street Collection boutique with a strangely Unabomber-esque sketch of a totally unidentifiable perp.

Of course, the poster is also available as a t-shirt, presumably for sale inside the store. We're not sure that the proceeds from the tees will make up for the expensive theft of an entire sample line, but a little humor can always ease the sting of a costly loss. As the bulletin states: "The thief is still at large and considered dressed to kill."

Marc Jacobs 163 Mercer Street between Houston & Prince Streets, SoHo

DESIGNER DEPARURES: Will Stores Accept Simon Spurr The Label Without Its Namesake?

There is little news from the main players in the split of designer Simon Spurr from the company that bears his name as both the designer, his former business partner and the most of the retailers who carry the label have reserved comment about the surprising situation. In a follow up, WWD confirms several points including that the company was as blindsided by the development late last week as retailers and other followers of New York's menswear industry were. Company co-founder Judd Nydes is expected to continue the business without the designer, but influential Los Angeles stylist and retailer Ilaria Urbinati, a co-owner of the boutique Confederacy, which has carried the designer since he started the brand with a denim line, announced that she will not continue to sell the label without Spurr's involvement. “He was the heart and soul of the company. The brand is 100 percent about him and his aesthetic and vision. I don’t think it can survive without him,” she tells WWD.

Spurr's client list includes an enviable group of the most exclusive stores here and abroad like Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Maxfield and Jeffrey among others, and most of them have not commented on the situation, perhaps in hopes that it will resolve itself amicably. Will they be willing to risk continuing to carry an expensive line so closely associated with its designer's personal touch without him? Will this become a situation where a designer is bitterly separated from his own brand like that of Joseph Abboud, for example, or one where the designer bides his time and eventually regains control of his trademark, like Roland Mouret did?

One thing WWD clarifies is that Simon Spurr the person is still eligible for the CFDA Mens Designer of the Year Award for which he was nominated only days before he resigned.

Future of Simon Spurr Brand Up in the Air By David Lipke (WWD)
Previously:
Today In Head-Scratchers: Simon Spurr Leaves Simon Spurr

LOVE AND WAR: What Kind Of C.Wonder Will We Be Seeing At Columbus Circle This Fall?

Chris Burch's new retail concept C.Wonder has gotten all kinds of attention lately. Customers love the well priced preppy looks, but it has not been lost on observers that the new chain bears much more than a passing resemblance to his former wife Tory Burch's brand —and Tory is widely believed to be Not Happy About It.

Anyway, recent weeks have brought word that Mr. Burch has finally stepped down as Co-Chairman of the Board of his ex's company and is said to be looking to divest himself of his shares in the company. Meanwhile, C.Wonder is set to open its second Manhattan unit this Fall in part of the space left empty by Border's at Time Warner Center (above).

But will it look like the chain's first store which opened in SoHo last year? Rumors have the two adversarial former spouses working together to create a greater distinction between the look of the two brands, without resorting to legal action that could be damaging to both the Tory Burch label and the new company run by Mr. Burch. This all makes us curious to find out if the much larger Columbus Circle C.Wonder will look substantially different from the original SoHo version that has caused such a kerfuffle behind the scenes. If it doesn't look different enough, are we in for a round of lawsuits?

Chris Burch Steps Down As Co-Chair of Tory Burch (The Cut)
Previously:
Now Unofficially Open: C.Wonder Launches Glitzy Preppy Style In SoHo (10.21.2011)

HOLY $#!‡: A Japanese Department Store Needs A ?µ¢&in' Translator

It's sale time in Osaka, Japan, but one department store apparently needs a primer on what English-language words are appropriate for sale signs. We have the fine folks at Gawker to thank for directing us to the Japanese Subculture Research Center, a very entertaining blog about Japanese Culture filtered through a Western sensibility. They relayed these pictures from a reader of mixed japanese descent who found took the above photo in Osaka just a few days ago.

Japanese fashion has a longstanding history of decorating clothes with English-language words that they don't actually understand, often resulting in outfits with hilarious nonsense messages, but this takes things a step further. Maybe the folks at this store are unaware that this particular colloquialism, while prevalent in movies, cable TV shows and Hip-hop to name a few things, is not considered appropriate a part of discourse in polite society.

Or, maybe they just wanted to get attention and shock people. (We have posted the unredacted photos after the jump, just so you can get the full effect, but if you are the type to be offended by casual use of coarse slang for copulation, then by all means, do not click through!)

Either way, we think its hilarious, but the great crime here is not one of vulgarity, but of exaggeration. 20% off is emphatically NOT a great ?µ¢&in' sale. It's a nice little savings, but no excuse to break out the vulgarities. This morning, we got an email from Mr. Porter (the new men's offshoot from Net-à-Porter) announcing its final reductions up to 80% off.
That's a ?µ¢&in' sale.

It’s no ordinary sale. It’s a F___IN’ SALE! (Japanese Subculture Research Center via Gawker)

MYSTERIES of the UNIVERSE: Yes, People Are Still Lining Up In Front Of The UGG Store

A couple of years ago, The Shophound noticed a strange phenomenon in SoHo in which people would stand in long lines in the cold outside what was then the only UGG store in Manhattan despite the fact that UGGs are widely available in over 80 stores in New York City. At the time, we thought it was some kind of fluke or a sign of a tiresome trend that had hit its peak, but no, last year there were more UGG stores and consequently, more UGG lines.

In case you were wondering (and we know your curiosity has been burning on this one) the lines are back again —at least in midtown. The above photo was taken yesterday afternoon in front of the UGG boutique at the corner of Madison Avenue and 58th Street where the line extended nearly halfway down a particularly long block. Why anyone continues to do this, we have no idea. It seems pointless on all fronts, but, as you can see, many people (tourists, they have to be, right?) in line are already converted devotées to the chunky, unflattering footwear.

We're beyond going on and on about why we can't stand UGGs at this point, but we still cannot endorse waiting in line for no reason whatsoever, so if you are hopelessly addicted to these shoes and you ust buy them from an official retail outlet, you might want to know that the third UGG boutique in New York, on Columbus Avenue between 67th and 68th street does not seem to be plagued with lines. In fact, The Shophound passes it often in our travels, and we have not noticed any lines outside since the beginning of the Holiday Shopping Season. So if you must indulge yourself, get out of the SoHo and Midtown crowd melée, and head across town to the more civilized West Side, just don't tell anyone we sent you.

COPYCATS: In Which We Discover Ralph Lauren Blatantly Knocking Off Maharishi

So, the other day, The Shophound was wandering through Bloomingdale's on 59^th Street to see of there was anything worthwhile remaining of the last Summer markdowns when we noticed the lavishly embroidered pant you see above. We thought, "Oh, look. Bloomingdale's is carrying Maharishi now."

Many may know Maharishi as the London based sportswear line that gained a cult following by festooning military-style clothing with bright Chinese-style embroidery. At the time the label reached its peak —the late 1990s and early 2000s— it was an unlikely and charming combination. For a time, the label was a mainstay at Barneys and other similarly influential retailers, but after a while, shoppers moved on to other brands, and the label became less visible in such stores. Unfortunately, the style spawned many unfortunate imitators who copied the brand's ideas with less finesse (culminating in the hideous cacophony that is Ed Hardy), but somehow, the originators always seemed to get the look right.

Imagine our surprise when we took a closer look at the pants before us and discovered that they were not from Maharishi at all, but RLX, Ralph Lauen's high-tech athletic line.

Now, Ralph Lauren has been accused of copying things for most of his career as a designer, and most of the time he probably wouldn't argue. His inspirations, however, tend to include the classics whose origins are decades in the past, or vintage items that are lovingly adapted for modern consumption. You can't fault someone too heavily for trying to reproduce the elegant line of Cary Grant's suits if nobody else is making them, and it goes without saying that he has found an enormously receptive customer base for his products, but Maharishi is still very much alive and in operation. While the RLX pants are probably not a direct copy of a Maharishi embroidery, the concept is clearly lifted wholesale from the British company. Compare the images below (click to enlarge). On the left is the RLX "combat pant" taken from Ralph Lauren's website, and on the right is a current offering from Maharishi, the signature "Original Dragon Snopant", virtually unchanged from the version The Shophound picked up in 1999 from Ron Herman at Fred Segal on Melrose in Los Angeles (at the very least, you can say they are consistent). Over the past 15 years, they have produced their signature "snopants" with innumerable different embroidery designs, and it has become the brand's flagship item.

So you decide, copying or "hommage"? We know where we stand. On the plus side, maybe this means its time to take our Maharishi pants out of the "Archives" closet and put them back into rotation.

 

COPYCATS: In Which We Are Shocked And Dismayed At The Way Club Monaco Is Trying To Replicate J.Crew

About a month ago, we mentioned that Club Monaco had engaged Michael Williams of the much admired style blog A Continuous Lean to add some juice to its men's departments by bringing in third party artisinal and heritage brands to complement it's own line. At the time, we expressed that this would have been a more novel idea if J.Crew hadn't been doing this exact thing for the past few years and getting quite a bit of positive feedback from the public and press. Club Monaco, welcome to 2007.

Honestly, we hadn't been paying much attention to Club Monaco's menswear for quite a while, except for that time we noted that they were ripping off Thom Browne in a particularly blatant way. When they opened in New York in the 90s, the Canadian chain was noted for being a great resource for popularly priced interpretations of designer trends. At its best, you could find a great outfit that might have evoked Prada or Marc Jacobs or maybe even Jil Sander without slavishly copying them. The same held true in the men's department, making it a nice, youthful and trendy counterpoint to the Gaps and J.Crews of the city. We wondered how it would change once it was purchased several years ago by Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., and while the women's lines appear to continue looking trendy, the men's lines have gotten bland, basic and boring—and smaller. The two Club Monaco stores on the Upper West side no longer carry menswear at all, and though we haven't done a full survey, we wouldn't be surprised if other branches have followed suit..

It's no wonder the chain is looking for outside help. Though Mr. Williams' efforts are not expected to be seen until September —and then only in the Flatiron District location— We stopped by the store a couple of times this month to see what state the men'd department was in, and what we found was lots of khakis, denim, checked shirts and chambray, chambray, chambray. In short, it looked like they spent the afternoon at J.Crew and took notes. See the mannequins pictured above which look like they could have been plucked out of a J.Crew store. One small vitrine showed a selection of Timex watches and classic Ray-Ban sunglasses that also looked suspiciously familiar (above left), as both brands have been featured at J.Crew for seasons. Then everything from the belt fixtures to the label on a plaid shirt (at right) started looking like they had been adapted from an obvious source. There were Filson-esque accessories from a local producer and, instead of Alden's classic shoes, there was a selection of rubber-soled bucks from Mark McNairy's English made line. Actually we have to admit that both of these resources were welcome sight to The Shophound, particularly McNairy whose shoes we love, but in the context of the shop, they didn't add much to the argument that the merchandising concept wasn't heavily cribbed from a competitor. That doesn't mean that there are not some nice things there. We have been J.Crew fans for a while, so naturally there was lots of stuff there we liked, it just wasn't particularly original looking. Creatively, the concepts we saw were bankrupt.

Of course, the point of this is not so say, "Look who's copying whom!", although that's always fun. We would have thought that with backing from America's (and arguably the world's) most popular designer, Club Monaco would have, at the worst, started looking like another one of Ralph Lauren's various recognizable divisions. This could have become a default strategy in the men's areas in particular, where Lauren is strongest, but instead, like some kind of fashion snake eating its tail, Club Monaco has chosen to ape J.Crew, a stronger competitor which, though widely admired at the moment, has, at times, itself been accused of taking a few pages from Lauren's book.

Our point —and we do have one— is that Club Monaco is clearly trying to avoid becoming just another of its parent company's recognizable American classic labels. Instead of developing its own identity, however, it seems able to do no better than blatantly copying one of its most successful rivals. Given the coany's resources, they should have been able to come up with at least a few original ideas

Previously:
Club Monaco To Enliven Its Men's Department With Third Party Brands.Wonder Where They Got That Idea?
Club Monaco Does Thom Browne

 

 

SCANDAL du JOUR: Abercrombie's Push-Up Bikini For Girls Hits The Outraged Airwaves

It's been a while since Abercrombie & Fitch has been able to whip up a bona fide scandal. From nudity in the A&F Quarterly to those racist t-shirts (remember them?) the chain has always been able to raise someone's hackles, and the latest was all over the morning TV shows today: a padded bikini top for girls starting at age 7.

It hardly seems worth joining in the outrage over such a product at this point. The inappropriateness of it would seem to be staggeringly obvious, and yet thoughtful judgement has never appeared to be an important part of Abercrombie's merchandising decision-making process. In the past the chain has generally caved to the public's ire. The Quarterly, despite a brief reappearance last year, was discontinued, and those "humorous" Chinese-themed t-shirts were pulled from the shelves. In this case, however, they seem to be defiant as the Ashley Push-Up bikini top has merely been retitled a "triangle" top, and put on sale. Of course, as any swimsuit shopper knows, a triangle usually refers to an unstructured top with no support —a simple triangle of fabric— and this creepy little item is somewhat more than that. Expect this story to continue for a day or two, and dominate the 5 PM newscasts before it disappears into the vague memory of scandals past.

Abercrombie gets pushback over ‘push-up’ kiddie bikini (Today Show)
Abercrombie criticized for selling push-up tops to little girls (CNN)