HOME EC/SHOP: American Apparel Pricing is Worse than Puberty

The other day I had a few minutes to kill before catching a bus, so I decided to stop into American Apparel and look around at all the displays of partially-nude malaise. Why not - sometimes I AM almost tempted to pay $75 for a solid-colored hoodie, after all.

Browsing through leggings, I found many hilarious variations, including side-zippers (for better breakaways?), thermal plaid prints (for those days when you want the world to think you're wearing long johns as an outfit, without actually gaining the full-body warmth and comfort of long johns?) and extra-high waists (for the "Blossom" cropped shirt revivals that are already, tragically, going on).

But then I saw something too ridiculous even for American Apparel.

Slashed leggings. As in leggings, but with a series of cuts running up the side.

Now fashion-wise, these are not the most egregious thing I've ever seen, even in American Apparel stores, even on that specific display rack (I'm not even including the fake-denim parachute-pant romper in my comparison, here, located a few aisles down, so you'll see I'm being eminently fair).

But these leggings were absolutely just REGULAR leggings that were attacked during the manufacturing process with a pair of sewing shears. They had that characteristic curling-edged look that jersey fabrics get when you cut them (I've been known to hack up my clothing on occasion), and they did NOT have any sort of stitches bordering said slashes that might help contain the intentional damage, like some of the pairs of "distressed" jeans I've seen, and which older people than myself have already complained over ("why would you pay for clothes that are already half-wrecked, I ask you!").

But I'm not taking issue with the distressed nature of the leggings. It's a choice - perhaps I want my leggings a little closer to hooker, but what with all the repetitive movements inherent in a modern lifestyle, the computing, iPhoning, and nerdy-chic 'hobbies' like knitting that I dabble in, carpal tunnel is a real problem, and gripping scissors is an additional risk-factor my look slash vibe just doesn't require. I just can't be BOTHERED to snip at my own leggings at random. Scissors are for poor people.

I accept all of these arguments. What I do NOT accept is the fact that the slashed leggings, leggings almost guaranteed to fall apart faster, as they were labeled as "stretch jersey" just like the solid pairs halfway down the line without any sorts of roadblocks in place to further the self-destruction already started for you by AA, cost SIX DOLLARS MORE than the solid pairs.

I am expected to pay six dollars for the privilege of not spending TWO MINUTES with a pair of scissors.

I must be getting old, because I definitively do NOT "get it."

-Posted by Jilly