Advertising Is Good For You

Memorial Day print from the Lilly Pulitzer Design Studio

 

Gatsby-inspired illustration from Anja Kroencke

Click here to see Anja Kroencke's portfolio.

Abercrombie & Fitch is mean. And creepy.

Michael Jeffries, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, explains why the clothing retailer won't sell XL or larger clothing to men and women:

In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely. Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don’t alienate anybody, but you don’t excite anybody, either. 

This is what Michael Jeffries looks like. I don't dare comment on his looks. He'd probably sue me. Or his plastic surgeon would.

But wait, there's more. 

The Smoking Gun published a list of rules everyone must follow when traveling on Abercrombie & Fitch's corporate jet.

It's hysterical. And more than a little scary.

For example, the male flight attendants are not allowed to button up their shirts. 

Actually, "scary" doesn't cover it. How about creepy?

All the rules come from an Abercrombie & Fitch manual that, according to The Smoking Gun, "was recently filed in U.S. District Court in connection with an age discrimination lawsuit brought against the Ohio-based clothing firm by an ex-pilot."  

And, yes, the rules are for real. Bloomberg News confirms it.

Celebrity Saturday: Michelle Obama gets the royal treatment

Created by Grey, to promote The Sunday Times Best Dressed List issue:

Via Ads of the World

DD minus for store layout

Via a colleague

Issey Miyake celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fashion brand's retail stores

In case you didn't know — and I didn't — Issey Miyake stores in Japan are named Pleats Please.

These ads were created by Taku Satoh Design to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Issey Miyake Pleats Please brand.

 

Via Issey Miyake Inc.

I still don't approve

First Vera Bradley, now Dooney & Bourke.

More Disney-themed handbags for grown women.

Celebrity Saturday: Diane Von Furstenberg for Evian

Fashion designer Diane Von Furstenburg has designed a limited-edition bottle for Evian water.

Click here to see a series of limited-edition Coca-Cola cans designed by fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

                                                                            Via If it's hip, it's here

Vera Bradley, you're dead to me

I live in the Boston area, home to lots of real preppies, not just wannabes. So I knew about Vera Bradley long before the company's printed fabric bags became a must-have for young women. I've even owned a few myself. But the love affair is over.

This fall, Vera Bradley is introducing a Disney-inspired line of bags and accessories. As you can see, Mini and Mickey have been worked into the fabric pattern.

Disney branded clothes and bags for grown women are a major pet peeve of mine. Until the Vera Bradley people regain their senses, my Cupcakes Pink umbrella stays in the trunk of the car.

Limited-edition Diet Coke Cans, designed by Marc Jacobs

These cans will be available in North Western Europe and Scandinavia starting next month.

 

Via If It's Hip, It's Here

Celebrity Saturday: Drew Barrymore and Rachel Weisz

Drew Barrymore on March 2013 Harper's Bazaar:

Rachael Weisz on March 2013 Harper's Bazaar UK:

A Tim Burton nightmare for your feet

I'm not a fashion forward type of person. Shoes like this make me laugh.

Nicholas Kirkwood Mixed Media Swirl Wedge Sandals. Available for $1,595 at Saks.

 

Celebrity Saturday: Kate Hudson for Ann Taylor

Via Daily Mail