American Apparel Spring Dresses

Sometimes I really hate American Apparel, and this is a perfect example why (totally NSFW and NSFL). If you don't want to click, it's a mesh dress modeled by a completely naked girl who looks like one of the Slovakians at the end of Hostel. I don't need to see some child bride's nipples, and I certainly don't need a dress that's 100% see-through and 100% tacky. No, American Apparel. That's enough.

And yet... they have some other really cute, normal dresses! Sure, they're all just a smidge too short, and all of the models look unhappy and malnourished, but the dresses are cute nonetheless. I've been dying for a cute shirtdress, and this Pinpoint Oxford Shirt Dress, $62, is just about perfect.

AA is very into the "you can wear it different ways!" trend, but that tends to mean, "One cute way, and four ugly ways." Who wants to wear the weird nightgown look modeled on the far right? She looks like one of the Darling children in Peter Pan, and not Wendy. However, since I'm all about the waist, I approve of the middle look, and the left one isn't bad either. It also comes in Oxford blue, so you can rock the complete classic button-down look.

My other favorite is the Poplin Cross-Front Dress, $36. First I have to give them credit for matching the red belt (not included, sadly) with the turquoise dress-- it takes a pretty basic dress and makes it a standout piece. But I also like the simple, always flattering cut, and that underneath the belt is an elastic waistband. These types of low-cut shirts are fabulously sexy, too, because guys really have to work to get a glimpse of your cleavage; it's not like regular V-necks, where everything is on display. The sleeves are cute, too, and give it a bit of a kimono feel. And, since it's poplin, it won't be totally see-through like all of AA's jersey dresses.

Also, for those of you in possession of March Vogue, could you do me a favor and flip to page 349 (it's the article about Europeans shopping in the US and how they're totally better at it than we are), and tell me if you think the purple AA dress on the left is the same as this one. I can't decide, because while the gathered waist and cross-front neckline are the same, the shade of purple on the website is a lot brighter than in the magazine, and it almost looks like there's a stripe of darker purple along the neckline in the magazine (although that could be a shadow). Vogue, you need to be more precise in their descriptions! It's not far to feature a $36 dress and then not give me the proper clues to track it down.

Moving on: I posted about the Le Sac dress, $38, before, but I continue to be amazed at how great it can look tied one way and how ridiculous it looks tied another. The seafoam dress looks glamorous enough for a movie premiere or spring wedding, while the orchid dress makes me think of auto-asphyxiation, and having to spend all night adjusting your boobs. I do like that you can buy different strings, so you're not stuck with the black.