On Hollister and Such

The biggest qualm I have against these stores (Hollister, AE, Abercrombie, Banana Republic) is their graphic tees. They're usually some sort of silk-screened design with the brand name sprawled against the wearer's hard pecks (Oh yeah, guys who shop at these stores all have great bodies. Another reason I stay away...). I just really don't understand having a company's name so conspicuously on its apparel. It's one thing to have a logo (i.e., Polo, RL, LaCoste), but I feel like a complete douchebag having "HOLLISTER" emblazoned on me. Yeah, I'm trendy, I still gel my hair, I have white flip-flops, and I just paid $30 for a T-shirt. I can't bring myself to it.

It even happens with button shirts!

Oh, sidenote. A shirt with buttons going down the front is a button shirt. "Button-down" refers to those small buttons that hold down a collar. There's a difference. But yeah, button shirts....

I was at Aeropostale once, browsing through the BUTTON shirts. Plaid's usually well done, so I pulled one off the rack, and HOLY SHIT there's a fucking "AEROPOSTALE '86" in black, of all colors, going right down the right side. My mind, blown.

So I decided to stick with small logos, or none at all. Like today, I bought 3 shirts at Banana Republic. Every single one of them is one, solid, that'srightyoudon'tknowwhereiboughtthis color. Of course, I wear shirts with "actual" designs and logos. I have tons of shirts from various universities and cities (my CalTech shirt will probably be turning the odometer over soon). I don't have many band shirts, but hopefully that'll change; band shirts tend to be just out of my college-student price range. It's rather unfortunate, but at least my Radiohead shirt always gets approval.

I've also noticed that I don't have a lot of random shirts, like a TMNT shirt or some ironic hipster graphic tee, but that's more because I tend to shop at malls, and there aren't many hipster stores at the mall. You'd think there'd be some, 'cause I mean, how ironic would that be?

I forgot I'm supposed to be talking about Hollister and such. shit.

Regarding pants.... I can't buy pants from these stores. Too fucking pricey. And stupidly overdesigned! wrinkles, holes, frays, stains... I can't get over that stuff. So like most guys, I'm a Levi's fanboy. Started off with Silvertab, moved to 569s, then 514s, and now I'm on 501s and 511s. And like most guys, my pants get slimmer as I age. Curious, isn't it. But anywho, let's face it. Levi's is the, THE, benchmark jean. And I can get 'em for $30 + tax. I don't care how incredible the six-packs of your models are; $65 pants with stains and holes are not for me. I've considered getting a pair of ($25!) black jeans from PacSun, but even with stores the size of a shoebox, I can never find out if they have a fitting room. Mais, c'est la vie. (I'M SO FUCKING STOKED FOR THIRD SEMESTER FRENCH)

And y'know, heading back to the logo thing, these brands are available only at their respective stores. So, effectively, they're store brand clothes. Now imagine yourself wearing a shirt that says WAL-MART '77 on it. You can wear it with your Diesel jeans.

-esteban