90s Chick








look one: hat // sunnies (via Ditto) // choker // dress // bag (old, similar) // mules
look two: sunnies // dress // bag // wedges (old, similar)

Ok, what year is it? Chokers are back in style, Juicy Couture velour tracksuits are trending (or so they say), and Abercrombie & Fitch is cool again? I am having serious flashbacks.

Abercrombie & Fitch! Oh how I spent much of my youth saving up for (or begging for) their clothing. Everyone I knew coveted it. I remember my grandfather explaining to me one Christmas when I got the shirt I wanted that he used to shop at Abercrombie (it was a mail order sporting/leisure brand then). Needless to say the company has quite the fascinating history.

I also vividly remember the company I loved transforming into something awful. The clothes went from plaid preppy essentials to overly-sexual, ridiculously small (they refused to sell anything over a size 10), and trashy over-priced sweats, shorts, and tees. The transition was slow, but by the early 2000s the company, headed by Michael Jeffries, was espousing a pretty horrible misogynistic and racist brand in an attempt to be "cool and exclusive."

Thank goodness Americans began rejecting this brand, teens wised up, and the company's sales began nose-diving by 2010. I think we all thought it was just a matter of time before Abercrombie & Fitch closed its doors for good. If you want to read more about Abercrombie's rise and fall, this is a great article.

Fast forward to last week. I was sitting on my couch with Brittany watching the Olympics and reading Buzzfeed. Britt chuckled when she read an article about how 2016 is really just 1996 because track suits are back and Abercrombie is cool again. When she question if Abercrombie was indeed cool again, I responded that I had recently seen one of my favorite bloggers, Mary Orton, wearing an Abercrombie dress that was actually cute. Intrigued, we decided to take a look online. We were shocked to find an array of cute, non-skimpy clothing. I was even more shocked by the prices. Within 10 minutes I had two dresses in my cart. I didn't, however, want to support the company of recent memory, so we did a little detective work.

Apparently, while no one was paying attention, Abercrombie ousted its controversial CEO, Michael Jeffries, in early 2015. Since then it appears that the brand has undergone a transformation. Instead of focusing on nearly-nude male models drenched in cologne in front of stores, the company is focused on the clothing, bringing in new designers to class things up. My teenage self is so happy to see Abercrombie turning things around. So, I decided to take the plunge and give them a chance.

The verdict? I love my new dresses! Bonus, the price was ridiculously good. With discount code and promotion, I paid a total of $52 for both. I was pleasantly surprised by the fit and quality of the dresses. Although, I did size up one size (I figured they probably still ran a little small, both of these dresses are mediums).

What do you think of the Abercrombie and Fitch reboot?


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