It's funny--today I had on an 'old school' striped tie that I bought years ago at Abercrombie & Fitch in St. Louis. I was on a trip with my parents and it turns out that location was a 'clearance center' of sorts and I bought 2 ties for about $5 including this one! Fast forward about a decade and A&F is definitely not the store it used to be! I remember visiting Atlanta when A&F took up 2 floors at Phipps Plaza. The first floor was mainly clothes, but the 2nd floor has a lot of cool 'stuff' like hunting and fishing gear, old books, and even random collectibles (I even remember seeing antique rifles if I remember correctly!). "Preppy" was still in and classically tailored (and styled) clothing was how their brand was positioned in the marketplace (along with the image of the 'gentleman traveller'). My how times have changed! Yes, I'm acting all of my 44 years of age today, but I do miss the classic chinos, books and 'toys' that you could find there. Now? You can still find chinos, but you'll find them worn by a topless model (yes, maybe even a topless female model, with 'parts' covered of course). It's also quite loud in there too and I doubt you'd know much of the music ; ) I can't fault their marketing prowess (and the clothes still seem to be well made) but it's clear that this old fart is no longer their target market! Oh well, I can still wear their ties... Happy Friday!
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