FASHION Magazine

It seems like Abercrombie & Fitch just can’t stay out of the news. First there was the lawsuit regarding the employee with the prosthetic arm who was forced to work in the stockroom so no one would see her. Then there was that time the retailer tried to pay off Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino so he wouldn’t wear their T-shirts on TV. Weirdest of all, though, is the news today that the Milan flagship store forced its workers to undergo boot camp-like punishment for their misdeeds.

When store workers weren’t cheery enough or didn’t follow orders they were forced to do 10 push-ups (for the men) and 10 squats (for the women). The company has yet to provide a comment but has seriously stepped in it, especially as a company email (written in April) was quoted as saying that the push-up and squat protocol “will bring about a great result—we will learn from our mistakes.”

Ignoring the blatant sexism (women can do push-ups too!), this is one of the most ridiculous things we’ve ever heard. How anybody thought this was a) a good idea or b) a feasible idea is completely beyond us. I mean, did the shop clerks just “drop and give them 10” on the floor? Mid-sale? Shirt-less? Bi-zarr-o.

Remember when Abercrombie & Fitch was selling graphic tees that read “The Fitchuation”? Well, apparently, neither do they. In fact, they have recently offered pay Jersey Shore’s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino to stop wearing their clothes. Seriously.

The official statement voiced the company’s concern that by wearing A&F clothing, Sitch was undeniably hurting their image. They even went as far as saying that this association with the label is contrary to the nature of their brand. We don’t understand how they forgot about every single shirtless-boy-in-jeans-with-an-eight-pack ad campaign they’ve ever released. The best part? The statement was titled “A Win-Win Situation.”

We understand the concern of being associated with Jersey Shore–esque behaviour, but there’s something fishy about A&F’s request. It came just in time for the company to report a 64.4 per cent rise in second-quarter net income during their quarterly earnings call this morning. It sure doesn’t seem like the Sitch is actually that bad for business!

Check out Gucci’s super future-y ad for their new fragrance Guilty, featuring Evan Rachel Wood. On a gossip-ier note, apparently the 22-year-old just split with fiance Marilyn Manson (again). [Racked and Huffington Post]

Taylor Momsen ran her mouth the other day in an interview with Spin Magazine. “People think pop is rock, and the lines are getting blurred. Now Rihanna‘s wearing f—–‘ leather jackets, and it’s really annoying.” Taylor will most likely regret this next time she finds herself encountering Rihanna in a dark alley. Those leather jackets have spikes. [Huffington Post]

Rodarte and M.A.C Cosmetics have sparked quite the controversy with their recent makeup collaboration, where a nail lacquer shade was named after Juárez, a Mexican town that happens to be notorious for its high rape and murder rates. The Rodarte designers have already apologized, “We never intended to make light of this serious issue and we are truly sorry,” and M.A.C sent an email to editors saying they will be changing the name of the shade. [Vogue UK and The Cut]

Just because he designs for some of the world’s biggest luxury hounds, doesn’t mean Marc Jacobs doesn’t have time for the other side of the spectrum: “OK, recently I watched every episode of Jersey Shore‘s first season. I don’t know if it was any good and I certainly didn’t learn anything, but it was definitely hypnotic and it gave my brain a vacation.” [The Cut]

Check out the behind the scenes of the Louis Vuitton Fall ad campaign. [Youtube]

After being in the news for looking surprisingly thin in recent photos, Crystal Renn‘s agent asserted she was still a “solid size 10.” She’s been hiking a lot lately, perhaps explaining why she looks so toned. [The Cut] Read our interview with Crystal Renn from the August issue.