The Situation

Soft-porn styled Abercrombie & Fitch looks even less classy than Jersey Shorewith PR stunt

It looks like everyone isn't a fan of Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and his Jersey Shore castmates. Abercrombie & Fitch has released a statement describing how Sorrentino's use of its clothes could cause "significant damage" to its image.

I can only imagine what the A&F marketing meeting sounded like. Between discussing how "soft" the soft-core porn catalogs should be and figuring out where to deploy their armies of topless models (Vatican?), someone making a joke about paying the cast of Jersey Shore to stop wearing the brand must have sounded pretty funny.

"The Situation thinks we should pay him money to wear our clothes? We should pay him to not wear our clothes!" [Hearty chuckle.]

But it turns out that issuing a press release begging reality stars to stop wearing your clothes is just not that funny. Sorry, Abercrombie, but it comes off as asinine and a bit pathetic.

This just makes Abercrombie sound like a dick. Who wants to shop at a company that would mock you for daring to wear its clothes?

First of all, is the Jersey Shore cast wearing your clothes really that damaging to your business model? I guess when you have a brand based around selling $50 T-shirts to the "right" kind of teenagers, anyone who doesn't embody the white, All-American prepsters look is an issue. (Just ask plastic-surgery-obsessed CEO Mike Jeffries.) Maybe that's why Abercrombie keeps getting sued for discrimination.

If Abercrombie really wanted the cast to switch to American Eagle or Aéropostale, I'm sure a quiet offer with the right kind of dollar amount behind it could make that happen. I mean, Pauly D appears in a Miracle Whip commercial in which he says he hates Miracle Whip. They will take the money and the disdain and they will laugh all the way to the bank, or perhaps to the bar if that's closer.

Abercrombie probably thought this would be like when a fledgling Southwest Airlines issued an open letter to Raquel Welch offering her a job as a stewardess because she was young and sexy and fun. That made people think Southwest was young and sexy and fun, too! This just makes Abercrombie sound like a dick. Who wants to shop at a company that would mock you for daring to wear its clothes?

Finally, if I had been asked yesterday what kinds of clothes the stars of Jersey Shore wore, I would have said Ed Hardy, Juicy Couture, garbage bags and whatever else makes really high-end stripper fashion.

Now I know they wear Abercrombie & Fitch.

boots with a story

Houston bootmaker offers $5,000 cowboy boot and gator hunt adventure

Republic Boot Company Gator Hunt

Photo courtesy of Republic Boot Company

Houston bootmaker, Republic Boot Company, turns gator hunts into a custom pair of boots.

In Houston, where custom boots are a source of great pride and style, one local brand is taking the bespoke boot experience to a new level. Republic Boot Company, known for its elevated, hand-crafted creations, just launched a Gator Hunt Experiencewhere customers can source an alligator hide, which will be transformed into a pair of cowboy boots.

Part adventure and part traditional craftsmanship, the experience begins with a hunt in the marshlands near Anahuac, about an hour from Houston, and ends with a custom-made pair of alligator-skin cowboy boots tailored to the client's vision by a Republic Boot Company boot specialist.

"At Republic Boot Company, we pride ourselves on crafting boots that are not just footwear, but a legacy," said Chris Conrad, owner of Republic Boot Company. "This new Gator Hunt Experience takes that commitment to personalization to an unprecedented level, offering our customers a unique and memorable journey taking them from the bayou to the heart of the Bayou City."

The gator hunt is $5,000 per person and includes an 8.5-foot alligator (larger alligators incur extra costs). Individuals of all experience levels can participate, and all necessary permits and equipment are provided to ensure a safe adventure. After the hunt, the hide will be tanned during an eight-month process to ensure a one-of-a-kind pair of boots. Just in case the kicks aren't enough of a conversation starter, participants will also receive a professional mount of the alligator head.

Alligator hunting season runs from September 11 to September 30, so the boots won't be ready for the 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Once they are complete, however, they will be wearable pieces of art with a memorable story behind them. Those interested in extending their only-in-Texas half-day hunt into an overnight experience can book overnight accommodations through Republic Boot Company.

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