Hipster porn aside, you know you love those shirts. Something else that’s near and dear to your heart? Sesame Street. To commemorate the show’s 40th anniversary, American Apparel sifted through the archives to select original line drawings of Jim Henson’s characters for limited edition T-shirts that will be sold in 25 stores and online later this month. Not only are they cute and—given our current obsession with all things ‘70s and ‘80s—surprisingly modern-looking, unlike Lindsay Lohan and Ungaro’s design FAIL, this is one designer collaboration we’re actually feeling.

American Apparel: the store people either love to hate or hate to love. As for us, we go back and forth, at times comically appalled by its hijinks and shenanigans, other times in love with its new fashions. Shopping at American Apparel can feel like a guilty pleasure—you know you’re buying into hipster culture, yet you’re going to be just as happy to purchase the same zip-up hoodie that everyone else has.

Then there’s this, which does make us question the company’s true moral barometer. (Even though the latest scandal involved an ad which looked like teenage porn, the model was 23—so, there’s no real legal encroachment there.) While the kids line is nothing new, these leg warmer items and the little one wearing them are. Seriously? That girl is practically a toddler and already practicing her Playboy poses. [American Apparel]

The remake of “Fame” comes out in two days and we are getting our spandex ready. Join us after the jump.

American Apparel does smutty ads like no one else. Whether there’s nip involved or just a hint of ass crack, their amateurish photography and mostly naked ladies have been getting people off—from newspapers and magazines to thousands of websites the world over. After years of practice, countless campaigns featuring hipster girls spread-eagled and guys with super hairy legs in various states of undress, it’s no wonder that they’re so skilled. In homage to the company that’s gone as far towards the skanky side as you can without actually putting out full-on porn (arguable, we know), the geniuses at Style Crave have compiled “The 50 Sluttiest American Apparel Ads of All Time.” And because they’re the 50 sluttiest that don’t actually involve legitimate nudity, it’s vaguely SFW. Oh joy! [Style Crave]

Sure, I had a tie dye kit ... when I was 11. But American Apparel‘s come up with the idea to sell bottles of dye for $4 so crafty daredevils can artfully stain their own tights, men’s briefs and zip hoodies. Tanks, harem pants, and tube bras which have already been tie dyed are a safer bet if you’re worried about turning your fingers swirly purple, blue and green. Hmm, will hip hippies hop on the love bus? Somehow, I don’t see this one happening as a trend for fall. Maybe a pride of hipsters who all look like they wandered home from a Phish concert will prove me wrong. [American Apparel Tie Dye]

The model in these photos is actually 23, but her youthful gaze (what so many women aspire for, apparently!) has gotten another American Apparel ad banned by the UK Advertising Standards Authority. That ad (see it here) originally appeared in Vice magazine and caught the watchdog group’s eye because, apparently, it “sexualise[s] a model who appeared to be a child under the age of 16.” The fact that she’s not doesn’t matter, I guess. I wonder if they still went out and bought some leggings though… [Marketing Week, Gawker]

Most of American Apparel‘s shenanigans seem oh-so-cleverly crafted just to elicit laughs from the fashion blogosphere or to make imaginary people look like buffoons (because who buys metallic crop tops anyhow?). The latest, however, a “Bag-O-Scraps” is either a genius move in terms of resourcefulness or a test to see just how far AA fans will go to pledge their monetary support to the brand. According to the product description, the collection of fabrics is fit for many an arts and crafts project: “Make clever jewelry, accessories, a card for your grandma or a colorful hanging sculpture for your apartment. Each bag comes with a zine (printed on scrap paper, of course) with five fun and easy scrap projects, complete with how-to instructions.”

This American Apparel baby sling looks like it’s either making this kid miserable or just very confused. Either way, he’ll grow up to be painfully hip. Poor thing. [American Apparel]

The hilarious part of this is that a quick glance at this new Gap ad will only send interested customers running to the rival they ripped off. (In fairness, they did add a dash of Calvin Klein, circa the Brooke Shields days.) Back to the drawing board! [AdWeek via Scanner]

Dov Charney, American Apparel’s oft-sued CEO and general pervy slimeball, is at it again. This time around, he’s been accused of discriminating based on looks. Again. Apparently, one of his store managers tipped off Gawker, saying that Charney sent out a memo requesting that those employees not genetically blessed enough to hold up American Apparel’s aesthetic standards be fired. With all the time he spends sexually harassing dozens of employees, we’re surprised the dude even has a minute to actively discriminate based on looks!

But seeing that he has, in fact, made the time for the important things, we too will take time out of our day to make fun of him for it. With that in mind, check out our “How To Tell If You Work For…” chart, in which you’ll find every indicator you need to decide whether or not you do (or should) work for American Apparel or Abercrombie & Fitch, a company entirely different aesthetically but similarly besieged for discrimination legally.

Not long ago, we told you about how American Apparel introduced a new line of jersey bedding. My first thought was innnn-teresting. Next brainwave: Why the hell do I want a set of jersey sheets? Sure, jersey sheets (t-shirt sheets for those not trolling the aisles of Bed, Bath & Beyond on their Sunday mornings) are insanely affordable and can feel (when they’re new) like the inside of a just-purchased sweatshirt before the first wash—but I just can’t get into them. For two reasons…

We knew that American Apparel had very liberal views on immigration reform, but not this liberal. The company is under fire from U.S immigration officials for allegedly hiring about 1,600 employees who are not eligible to work in the United States. An additional 200 employees are said to have “discrepancies in their work records.” Officials are threatening to deport the workers if they are unable to prove legal residence in the U.S. American Apparel’s founder and CEO, Dov Charney, who was born in Canada, said in a statement, “It is the company’s hope—and my personal hope as an immigrant myself—that these employees are able to confirm their work authorization so that they may continue to work at American Apparel.” [Stylist.com]

American Apparel has been a mecca of hipster clothes since it debuted more than 10 years ago. But how much longer can people continue to wear deep V-neck shirts, gold lamé leggings, and hot pants? The company seems to know that the demand for these products could wane, so they’ve been adding new items to their stable lately. First it was butt-less tights, then scrunchies, and now the company is selling sheet sets. If AA is getting into the home decor business, we have a few ideas for what else they could make with their fabrics of choice.

This bow tie pays homage to the teddy bear we’ve had since we were 7, but if anyone asks, we’d just say that we’re taking fashion cues from Andre 3000 or Tucker Carlson. But really, how cute would a seersucker bow tie look on a Wall Street girly-girl outfit like a button down shirt, a pair of tight jeans and a hot blazer?  [$19, American Apparel]

Sometimes we wonder if American Apparel isn’t just pulling our chain with each increasingly slutty product they put out. Some of these things seem like they were made solely to stir up controversy rather than for a profit. If that’s the case, Dov gets points for marketing smarts (which doesn’t effect his overall loss of points for being a total douchenozzle). Here, four AA items that outweigh the rest in terms of skankiness…

Yes, I buy American Apparel clothing from time to time. No, I am not a fan of their ad campaigns—I refer to them as “hipster porn.” When I heard about their sleazebag CEO, Dov Charney, and his alleged sexual indiscretions with employees, I was even less motivated to spend $50 on assless tights. But I am a longtime fan of Cirque du Soleil and their amazing combo of acrobatics, dance, and performance. So I was kind of shocked when I heard about the new unauthorized, tell-all biography, called Guy Laliberté: The Fabulous Story of the Creator of the Cirque du Soleil about Cirque’s impresario. Apparently, he adds a whole new meaning to the term “circus freak.”’ Could this clown be the next Dov Charney? [Independent]

We’ve kept silent while Dov Charney has screwed around with fashion.

We put up with the pervy advertisements.

We put up with Charney masturbating in front of a Jane reporter.

We put up with his numerous sexual harassment lawsuits.

We put up with messing with our main mensch, Woody Allen.

But we’re not going to take it anymore—the scrunchies must be stopped.

American Apparel’s Coming Soon section shows products that will be sold by the retailer in the near future. Along with an oversized hair bow, a shiny vinyl weekend bag, and a nylon spandex micro-mesh long sleeve button-up, the store is planning to offer “sheer luxe cut-out pantyhose.” The name is misleading. It’s not like these tights have a fancy cut-out pattern in them. No, there isn’t anything covering the wearer’s ass. I guess American Apparel knows what its clientele wants? [American Apparel via Refinery29]