American Apparel (Los Angeles: buying, shop, trendy)

[newtohouston2]

hey guys, i haven't been to california in several years, so i dont know what people are wearing over there. recently, i decided to look into american apparel since i was intrigued by the no sweatshop stuff. does the clothing on their website look as strange to you guys in california as it does to me (im from chicago)? even if you ignore the trashy stuff (like the completely see through dresses, etc), it seems strange to think that people would wear that stuff in 2010. specifically a lot of it seems like its straight outta the first season of "the fresh prince of bellaire". it'd be hard to argue that its the most trendy since you dont really see the stars in LA (in mags) wearing that kind of clothing. i do like a few of there items, but most of it seems very 1990's. a la fresh prince. i always thought LA was supposed to be ahead, so i would have figured this major store would be on par with it. any thoughts?

[Ceece]

I'm not really sure who is buying that stuff but it looks strange to me. I've never seen anyone wearing stuff like that.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

I see women dressed in many of the same clothes that they sell all the time. Not that you would wear all the clothes all the time. Many of their dresses are hot and I have seen women in the clubs in similar clothes. I am not a style freak or know what brand is what. I couldn't say if someone is wearing an American Apparel brand. I could tell you that ladies do wear that look. The jackets, sweaters, dresses, tops, pants. All looks normal and very in to me.

[SoCaliTrojan]

There is an American Apparel store close to where I work. I agree that they sell unusual stuff: I rarely see their stuff on the streets. No one is in their store whenever I walk by, as well.

I do wish that their products would sell since I like their principle on how they make clothes, but I wish they weren't trying to be so "trendy." If they sold more normal clothes, I may be more inclined to go into the store (I've gone in once to see what they carry).

[newtohouston2]

the strangest things i see there (other than the weird nerd/granny glasses) are the skin tight dresses that are tight all the way down (not flowy). i swear i can see will smith (the character ont the show, not the actor) walking up to them and using one of his famous tv pick up lines while wearing one of his colorful 1990's sideways hats. i havent seen people wear that stuff this decade.
like this one Stretch Velvet Double U-Neck Long Sleeve Mini Dress | Dresses | Shop American Apparel

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by newtohouston2

the strangest things i see there (other than the weird nerd/granny glasses) are the skin tight dresses that are tight all the way down (not flowy). i swear i can see will smith (the character ont the show, not the actor) walking up to them and using one of his famous tv pick up lines while wearing one of his colorful 1990's sideways hats. i havent seen people wear that stuff this decade.
like this one Stretch Velvet Double U-Neck Long Sleeve Mini Dress | Dresses | Shop American Apparel

I thought that dress was hot. Also have seen women at the clubs dressing like that.

[BRinSM]

i think the v neck shirts are popular. otherwise, the only time i've shopped there was for an 80s throw back party. i bought the knee high socks, a head band and shorty shorts.

[yamota]

the real fashion trendsetting cities are in Europe; Milan, Paris, etc. The US is about 10 years behind; it starts in the east coast in cities like New York and Miami, then moves west.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Originally Posted by yamota

the real fashion trendsetting cities are in Europe; Milan, Paris, etc. The US is about 10 years behind; it starts in the east coast in cities like New York and Miami, then moves west.

I don't know, have you seen the tela novellas on the Spanish language channels? They seem to be ahead of the curve in Mexico City and Los Angeles. lol. I know it is not the best indicator, but my wife likes to tell me that all the time. She will say look at what they are wearing and within 6 months to a year it is the big thing in the LA area.

But then as you stated Miami is on your list and many of those shows are filmed there.

As for me, red blooded American male I just know what I like. (Saying that I am no fashion expert. But I do know what I like seeing on my wife, and other women for that matter.) lol

[drshang]

The thing is that American Apparel started in LA and has moved to the more "fashion forward" cities like NYC and Miami and and the company went IPO and is pretty popular. They have just opened a store in the "fashion capital" of Paris, and have stores in Milan and other parts of Italy.

The stuff represents kind of a niche style that appeals to a certain demographic. Personally I think the stuff is, generally, pretty popular in LA but at the same time I don't think people necessarily wear it in the way its pictured on their web sites. Most of the stuff is actually quite basic...with a few off the wall styles.

I don't think LA is necessarily a fashion capital but the celebrity culture and the fact that it's one of the most laid back/casual big cities in the world cause it to be a bit of a trendsetter with modern, casual fashion...but certainly not dressier fashion like you'll see in places like NYC or Paris. I don't think LA is a fashion backward city, it's just a different style with a lot less "dress" to it, and the styles/trends that come out of LA reflect that.

Personally I think their t-shirts are generally really good quality, and a lot of the nicer designer t-shirt brands will print their designs on American Apparel tees, so a lot of people may own American Apparel tees and not know it. In my experience they hold up quite well to lots of washings and keep their fit pretty well.