Back to Basics: Abercrombie & Fitch
Never in a million years did I think I would say this, but I am once again an Abercrombie & Fitch customer. And I am so happy about it! I still remember the very first thing that I purchased (well, that my mom purchased) from Abercrombie: a baby blue, short sleeve, graphic tee with white lettering. I was in 4th grade and I felt so cool. I remember wearing it to school for the first time and feeling like I fit in with the other girls. From that moment until my senior year of high school, I was obsessed with their clothes and I pretty much exclusively wore A&F and Hollister. It’s kind of crazy to think that clothing can have a profound impact on your adolescence, but I really loved wearing their clothes. There was a sense of confidence and belonging that I felt when I wore them. I can think back on all the times my mom took me to Abercrombie to pick out back to school clothes and how much fun it was (aside from the blaring music and crazy strong cologne that burned the inside of your nose).
Once I got to college, I was over the logos and graphic tees, so I retired all of my A&F clothing. The moose and I needed to break up. My wardrobe quickly transitioned to clothes from J. Crew, Anthropologie and Francesca’s. Well, here I am 10 years later and I’m obsessed all over again! While A&F still held on to some of their classic pieces (like lace camis and comfy tees) their style has really evolved into more mature designs while still feeling playful and fresh. They have tons of cute dresses (like this floral wrap dress and this tie-waist sweater dress) as well as amazing, cozy sweaters for fall—I LOVE this one!
I can pretty much thank Instagram ads for persuading me to shop at Abercrombie again. Freddy and I went into one of their newly re-designed stores last year, and I was really impressed with how it looked! It felt much more welcoming and open, and while I thought the clothes were cute and totally different from how they used to be, I didn't feel compelled to buy anything. Over the past 6 months I kept seeing Instagram adds pop up on my feed (it’s like they know what I want deep down) and a few weeks ago I just decided to check out their website for the heck of it. I immediately wanted everything! I’ll admit I went a little crazy and did a mini online shopping spree the week before my birthday because there were so many things I saw that I loved! You could say I was in a #treatyoself mood.
I bought this floral tank that I’m wearing in these photos (now on sale!), this silk lace cami as seen in this blog post, the lace icon cami and these super cozy sweatpants! When my order came in the mail and I pulled the clothes out of the packaging, I breathed in the faint scent of their famous cologne and a wave of nostalgia instantly washed over me. I felt like I was home again! What I love is that they have a good mix of basics like tanks and tees in an array of neutrals that you can wear year-round, as well as seasonal pieces like sweaters and dresses in prints to add a playful pop. Their clothes also seem to be more reasonably priced now, and they’re usually having some sort of promotion or sale going on so it’s rare to pay full-price. Plus, when you join their free rewards program you get access to perks like getting $10 off your first purchase of $50 or more!
I check their site almost weekly since they’re constantly adding more merchandise, and I keep adding things to my wishlist because it’s all so good! Sleepwear, tees, cardigans, bodysuits, sweaters, camis, I can’t get enough. The only thing I haven’t tried on yet are their jeans. I used to love their jeans because they fit me so well (when I was young most other retailers jeans were too big or didn’t fit properly), but I haven’t felt the need to try their jeans on just yet. I have some go-to denim brands that I swear by like Good American, Joe’s, and Paige, but I think in the next few months I’ll give A&F jeans a try and see what they’re like.
None of this is sponsored, I’m just am so happy to be a customer again! And now I have another retailer in my arsenal that I know I can count on for quality, cute clothes that don’t break the bank. Did you ever wear A&F when you were younger? Would you consider wearing it again? Let me know in the comments!