Let’s take a journey down memory lane to the clothes of my youth. Many of my fellow middle and early high schooler peers donned almost exclusively logo-clad garments from what I like to call “the triple A’s” (American Eagle, Aeropostale, and Abercrombie & Fitch). I did not have that luxury. Whether it was the lack of inclusive sizes offered that could accommodate my thicker frame or the high prices my parents were not willing to spend on a cheesy graphic tee, I didn’t frequent these retailers much in my youth. If you told me that would all change in my adulthood, I would have thought you were joking.
Since about 2017, Abercrombie & Fitch has been on a rebranding journey. In an attempt to shed itself of its problematic past, the brand has installed new leadership, elevated its pieces to target a more mature audience, extended sizing, and created inclusive inseam options across product categories.
“We began truly building relationships with our customers and with those who felt they were not served by the brand in the past. Developing any relationship is reliant upon two-way communication, so we started with listening, “Corey Robinson SVP, Head of Design & Merchandising , Abercrombie Brands, tells Refinery29 in an email.
While the brand still has a way to go with extending its sizes, it has laid a solid foundation for creating very intentional size extensions rather than hastily grading up from straight sizes. Too often, designers scale up their plus-size options from straight sizes, without redesigning or refitting for consideration actual plus-size bodies.
“Our intention is to make Abercrombie a brand where you don’t just ‘fit in,’ but where you truly belong, and in order to do that, we’re deliberately taking time to study the unique concerns in each category, speak to our customers and associates who wear those sizes, test the fits with multiple body types, and provide solutions for the greatest amount of bodies in those sizes,” explains Robinson of its newer approach.
Abercrombie & Fitch gifted me an assortment of their products in the extended sizing range so I could give my full honest review on how the garments from this new era really stack up. Keep scrolling to see what I thought about various garments across product categories.
Size Worn: 36 (22) Long
Size Range: 23-37
Denim is always tricky, especially when it comes to extending sizing. With the creation of the Curve Love denim line, I found the fit of the jeans to be one of the best I’ve tried in a long time. I always have gaping because of my hip-to-waist ratio. That was reduced noticeably with the design of the Curve love Ultra-high Rise Ankle Straight Jeans that I got to try on. There was enough room around my hips without it feeling too baggy. As far as length goes, I opted for the long denim because I wanted the pants to be full length without a crop, and they go right down to my ankles which is ideal. Check out more thoughts I had on Abercrombie Denim here.
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Dresses/ Jumpsuits
Size Worn: XXL
Size Range: XXS-XXXL
I was eager to try on dresses and jumpsuits because it seems like there are more and more weddings, holiday parties, and special occasions coming up every day. I tried on the Open Tie-Back Midi dress, Twist Front Cutout Jumpsuit, and Off-The-Shoulder Midi Sweater Dress and was pleasantly surprised at how well they fell on my body. But for the purposes of my review, I want to focus on the midi dress for its event-ready potentially.
The Open Tie-Back Midi dress is the perfect wedding guest ensemble. The cute open-back details and the cinched-in waist/flowy skirt combo are particularly striking. This dress is also reminiscent of ones you might find while shopping at Reformation. I love the slit and that the sleeves were elasticized to accommodate a wide variety of shoulders. I have a slightly shorter torso, so the straps were a teeny bit too long on me. The materials were a little bit silky but also felt a little like crepe fabric.
I wore an XXL which translates to a 20-22 on Abercrombie size charts. With the stretchy shoulders and tie belt, I also think it’s possible for someone one size larger than me to wear the XXL. I’m also happy to report this particular style goes up to an XXXL(24-26).
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Tops
I tried on a few different types of tops from A&F that I really liked. My favorites were the seamless rib scoop-neck bodysuit, the luxe loft squareneck tank, and the 90s oversized button-up shirt. As far as sizing goes, I was XXL (20-22) across the board with all the tops. For reference, I’m pictured above wearing the bodysuit and button-down top. If you scroll down on this article, you’ll see me wearing the tank top!.
They all fit properly so you know A&F definitely put a lot of work into making sure sizing was consistent no matter what top you get. The bodysuit and tank fit close to the body. If you like a looser fit, these might not be the right tops for you.
As far as texture goes, the bodysuit was a ribbed knit that was actually a true seamless top and did not show any lines around the bottom area. The tank top felt very soft, almost like a furry animal, and was almost a little fuzzy to the chart. The oversized white button-down was honestly pretty standard as far as tops go. It fits really well and wasn’t tight on my arms which is usually an issue for me with button-downs.
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Pants (Non-Denim)
Size Worn: 36W(22) with the long inseam
Size Range: 23W-37W with extra short, short, regular, and long inseam
For me, finding pants that I really adore is particularly difficult and too often incredibly disappointing, so this is the category I was most looking forward to trying on. My favorite article of clothing I tried from Abercrombie’s offerings was the vegan leather 90s straight pants. I absolutely LOVED them. If I could sing sweet lovely tunes to them all day long, I would. They were that good. For faux leather, they had a pretty authentic leather feel. The quality of the craftsmanship was very apparent.
The pants felt smooth and easily glided on over my thick thighs with no problem thanks to the little bit of stretch in the pants. There was absolutely no waist gaping. I’m 5’9″ and got the 36W with the long inseam. I could have definitely gotten the regular inseam and been fine on length. These pants are extra special because they come in four different inseam lengths. It’s probably one of the most inclusive inseams options I’ve seen available. I cannot emphasize enough that these feel like they were made just for me. The black is cool and classic, and the dark brown is a good way to wear a leather look that has a warmer feel to it. With how great these were, I’ll definitely be looking forward to trying other faux leather goods from A&F.
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Loungewear
Size Worn: XXL top & XXL bottom (w/ the long inseam)
Size Range: XXS-XXL w/ short, regular & long inseams
Up until 2020, I didn’t really wear sweats much at all. However, with the increased push towards comfort during the pandemic, I finally caved and began integrating comfy sweats in more of my day-to-day looks. Abercrombie has a surprisingly solid collection of sophisticated-yet-comfy sweats. I tried on the Luxe Terry Colorblock Crew Sweatshirt and The Luxe Terry Wide Leg Sweatpants. First off, these sweats are sturdy and have a good weight to them. However, they aren’t overly thick, so it’s definitely possible to layer a turtleneck under it and even throw on a puffer coat for extra chilly days. The soft terry fabric feels luxurious and extra smooth to the touch. I love the wide-leg design as opposed to gathered sweatpants bottoms because it looks a little less like something you threw on without any intention. The set looks pretty refined for loungewear. The smooth lines and perfect stitching make for a very high-quality feeling fabric.
I wore an XXL in both styles. I think someone that’s somewhere between a regular 2XL/3XL in plus sizes would fit in the loungewear XXL. I’m usually around 22 and it fits me pretty well. I have thicker hips and thighs than my waist usually and my bust is an inch or so more than their size chart accommodates for, but I still fit in this set well.
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