FASHION Magazine

To those about to brave summer music festival season, we salute you. You’re about to enter the void of abnormally oppressive heat, witnessing filthy bodies flailing from side to side and a steady barrage of nudity, whether you like it or not. It’s all for the music, man—though for the sartorially inclined, it’s really all about the clothes.

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Never a stranger to controversy, Dov Charney is in the hot seat again after having finally admitted that American Apparel’s long-held “Made in America” practices may not be as steadfast a policy as everyone had thought.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, the label’s head honcho was adamant that American Apparel would keep creating its products in California… for now, at least.

It’s all about the waistline this season—playful peplums and midriff-baring crop tops reigned on the runways, styled in countless ways which have celebs taking part in the resurrection of the 1990s-esque look. Lana Del Rey kept the navel-grazing trend simple, pairing a crisp white crop shirt with a retro polka dot maxi skirt, spotted while leaving her hotel in London. Rihanna dared to bare in a navy and nude striped crop and matching navy maxi skirt with a high slit at the 15th annual “An Unforgettable Evening,” benefiting EIF’s women’s cancer research fund. Want to channel these striking looks? Check out our 10 affordable picks all under $100!

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Check out the cropped look in our Spring Trends Guide »

Today, the WWF is teaming up with grannies nationwide for National Sweater Day—a day to raise awareness about energy conservation. Led by spokesgranny Gladys, in her poinsettia-patterned knit, the campaign is meant to persuade the thermostat-inclined (guilty as charged) to don a sweater and turn down the heat. As Gladys says, grannies are “natural energy conservers” who put on a sweater when they get cold. And as we learn in the hilarious campaign video, you can sign up to receive a phone call from an on-staff granny who will nag gently remind you (as grannies do) to turn down the heat. We’ve picked our favourite knits to help you conserve energy for the day.

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Well, it looks like the future of American Apparel is a little sunnier than previously predicted. After scandal and bankruptcy trailed the company for most of last year, they have recently reported $157.9 million in sales during the fourth quarter of 2011, a 9.7 per cent gain over the same period in 2010.

A velvet pencil skirt is ultra-luxe, and wearable all winter long. ($40, store.americanapparel.ca)

The post Daily steal: Velvet skirt, $40 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

This polish is loaded with snowflake-size glitter. It’s perfect for the holidays and just the right price. ($9, store.americanapparel.ca)

The post Daily steal: Glitter polish, $9 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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For some, wearing pantyhose can be as unpleasant as getting a filling. They’re tight, they itch, and they’re a real hassle to get on and off. On last week’s episode of Dexter, a less-than-refined Debra Morgan wonders if anyone has ever died from “crotch asphyxiation.” Although we’re certain that no one has—yet—we can definitely relate. But with the temps drop, drop, dropping, we’ve come to realize that our beloved leg-baring days are nearly over. So when, exactly, are we expected to officially bust out the nylons? When it reaches 5 C? –3 C? Once the snow falls?

Trick-or-treating aside, one of our favourite Halloween rituals has to be attending a screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show. For those of you virgins (we’re not really calling you virgins) who have never been to a show, we implore you to try it for yourself this year. There are generally midnight showings for many days leading up to and on Halloween night, and it’s a great excuse to dress up, bring some rice to a theatre, and let your freak flag fly.

But, what to wear? The Rocky Horror look can get a little trashy at times, so we present our ultimate guide to haute-ifying it. Yes, some of these price tags are a wee bit of a splurge for one night only, but we predict that you’ll want to wash and repeat for many years to come.

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Go straight to Columbia »
Go straight to Dr Frankenfurter »
Go straight to Janet »
Go straight to Magenta »

This round-collar button-up is great in the heat, and a perfect layering piece when it’s chilly. ($52, store.americanapparel.ca)

The post Daily steal: Round-collar top, $52 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Visit teambuy.ca before Sunday, October 2 and buy a coupon to get half-price American Apparel goods. You can pick up this sheer red maxi, the perfect layering piece that can translate from summer to winter. ($25, teambuy.ca)

The post Daily steal: Half off American Apparel for $25 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Never far from controversy, clothing company American Apparel is in the news again after a plus-size-model search gone awry. Recently, they launched a contest to find “booty-ful,” “XLent” girls 18+ “with a little extra wiggle room where it counts” to model their new, larger sizes in basic styles. Nancy Upton, being “super ooged out by American Apparel in the past,” decided to poke a little fun at the company, and sent in pictures that she thought were equally as condescending and mocking as the search itself.

These pictures include Upton in the following scenarios: posing naked, in the position of a pig on a spit, with an apple in her mouth; bathing in ranch dressing; splayed on the kitchen floor, guzzling chocolate syrup; and fully clothed, old Hollywood—glamour style, in a pool, shoving a roasted chicken into her mouth.

Upton won the contest by an overwhelmingly popular vote but received a letter yesterday from creative director of American Apparel Iris Alonso, scolding her for her pictures and her attitude. Alonso, for some reason, also sent her snippy letter to various media sources, essentially giving the press another reason to prey on the company’s practices.

It’s a shame that your project attempts to discredit the positive intentions of our challenge based on your personal distaste for our use of light-hearted language, and that “bootylicous” was too much for you to handle. While we may be a bit TOO inspired by Beyoncé, and do have a tendency to occasionally go pun-crazy, we try not to take ourselves too seriously around here. I wonder if you had taken just a moment to imagine that this campaign could actually be well intentioned, and that my team and I are not out to offend and insult women, would you have still behaved in the same way, mocking the confident and excited participants who put themselves out there?

Turns out that although she won the contest, Upton will not be used to model the clothes, which doesn’t seem like something she wanted to do anyway. After reading extensively on this story we are hungry and exhausted, and even more weary of AA’s business practices.