I visited Abercrombie & Fitch for the first time in years. It's come a long way, but I'm not completely sold. (2024)

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I don't have fond memories of the brand from when I was a kid.

Part of Abercrombie's revival is tied to consumer nostalgia, but my days shopping there as a child were short-lived.

By the time high school rolled around, I had sized out of its offerings.

My limited memories of the brand consist of being uncomfortable in its fitting rooms while trying to squeeze my plump body into its XL offerings and feeling inadequate as I watched my friends revel in the stylistic magic that was wearing clothes from Abercrombie, Hollister, American Eagle, and every other mall-famous retailer.

However, a decade later — and 100 pounds smaller — I'm finally able to shop at this once hot and thriving destination.

Abercrombie has changed a lot since then, and I could see just how much its aesthetic and offerings have shifted by looking at its online presence.

On the brand's Instagram page, I found a curated collection of models, "real people," and new clothing drops.

I would encapsulate the brand's aesthetic in three words: carefree, chic, and "cool" — purposefully in air quotes so its definition can be debated among shoppers.

But that's enough about "cool." Here's my experience shopping Abercrombie's menswear section for the first time in over a decade: the good, the bad, and the very, very neutral.

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The famous black-and-white storefront looked the same as I remembered it.

Although the brand has shifted its aesthetic in recent years to appeal to Gen Z-ers taking over the fashion industry, Abercrombie has held onto its signature exterior.

The bold black lettering on a white storefront felt nostalgic, and it also seemed to paint a clear picture of the sea of neutrals waiting inside.

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This was one of the most organized fashion retailers I've been to in a long time.

As I took my first few steps into the store, not a shirt, pant, nor short was out of place.

In fact, this location's superbly organized selection of clothing made the overall shopping experience the easiest I've had in a very long time.

I was first met with a selection of button-ups, polos, and slacks that could easily be paired together.

It was quickly clear to me that Abercrombie had established a color palette and clung to it, playing more with texture and occasional pattern than shades of the rainbow.

Beach vibes filled every corner of the store.

There was no avoiding the fact that Abercrombie seems to envision its customers wearing its clothing selection on a beach getaway — the sea-themed photos nailed to each wall made that clear.

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A small part of the menswear section had playful pops of color.

As I made my way past the dressier selection of pants and button-ups, I arrived at Abercrombie's summer collection, which, to my surprise, included a small offering of color otherwise not found in the store.

This playful selection — with shades of green, blue, and the occasional orange — was a breath of fresh air. However, it all felt very familiar.

I quickly realized I'd seen similar garments in other mall retailers in the past few weeks, including Zara and H&M. Most items felt "cool" and somewhat fun but lacking in originality.

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The pants were incredibly well-organized but missing a few sizes.

Again, I have to give it to those store associates: Not a pair of pants seemed out of place. They were folded and organized well.

However, my one qualm was dealing with a very sporadic size range. Some garments were stocked in all sizes, and others — well, many — only in smalls and mediums.

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Graphic tees still seemed to be very big for the brand.

Instead of tees covered in its logo, Abercrombie had a fine selection of shirts featuring bands and references to the Olympics.

I love graphic T-shirts and was pleased to see this. They're truly the easiest and most versatile garments to style.

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The dressing rooms didn't inspire much confidence.

Even though I could, for the first time, easily fit into the brand's clothing, Abercrombie's dressing rooms were a quickly triggering mess for me.

The lighting, for starters, didn't feel very flattering.

And the heat within the dressing rooms seemed to have been turned up an extra 10 degrees — though, to be fair, the weather outside was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, so who's really to blame: Abercrombie or Mother Nature?

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I found the menswear I tried to fit well and the sizing to be straightforward.

I took a few pants, shorts, and tops to the fitting room and had a major win: Everything fit.

In fact, I found Abercrombie's garments to fit more reliably than ones from other mall retailers I've visited.

For context, the clothing I tried on was either in medium or large sizes. The fit felt standard and reliable across all the items I tried.

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I felt a lot of the items had prices I had to think twice about.

I was perfectly content with the garments I tried on, but the prices seemed somewhat too high for generic clothing that I could easily find at another retailer.

Most items ranged from $40 to over $100, which felt standard for these types of basics.

But the pricing also warranted a certain level of "Why get this at Abercrombie?" that I didn't feel was answered by the time I left the store.

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My verdict? Abercrombie is much cooler than it used to be, but I'm not sure it's won me over.

I, unfortunately, realized midway through my recent shopping spree that perhaps I'm simply too late to the Abercrombie craze to feel any sort of special favor toward the brand.

For me, someone who spent half a decade working in New York City's fashion scene, Abercrombie's definition of "cool" is as plain and generic as most other retailers I've come across.

The brand really is "cool" enough for the closets of what seems to be its current target demographic: teens and young adults with limited budgets.

And I can't say I won't ever step into an Abercrombie again. After all, the brand has an easily accessible range of fashion basics that can fit into any wardrobe.

But is its menswear selection, a sea of mostly neutrals, "cool" enough to really stand out? I'm not so sure, but I guess that's up to the shoppers, who currently seem happy to be keeping Abercrombie alive.