Fashionable shorts

Happy birthday Big Bird, love American Apparel

To honour Sesame Street’s 40th birthday, American Apparel is devoting a clothing line to the classic kids’ show. T-shirts adorned by characters such as Ernie and the Count will hit 25 stores worldwide this fall. There’s still no word on whether the Halifax location is included.

Mustachioed money-makers

Whether you love or hate the bit of fuzz lining your partner’s lip, it’s raking in the cash. According to a report by Quicken and the American Mustache Institute (yes, you read right), moustachioed men are more likely to score high-paying jobs. At the beginning of the year, Americans sporting the facial hair earned, on average, 8.2 per cent more than their bearded counterparts and 4.3 per cent more than those free of facial hair. And you thought you’d have to go to grad school.

Naked hiking in Germany

Forget fashion if you’re headed to Germany. In fact, ditch those duds altogether. The country will designate an 18-kilometre trail through the Harz mountains “clothing optional” next May. Those wary of seeing others in their birthday suits can still do the hike. Just steer clear of the paths with signs that read: “If you don’t want to see people with nothing on then you should refrain from moving on!”

More plus size models…

From Joan Holloway’s Mad Men character, to plus-sized shows like More to Love, bodacious bods are making a come back. According to a Globe and Mail article, more people are loosening their belts and relaxing rigid diet and exercise regimes. Magazines, seen as “the staunchest defenders of the skinny ideal,” are slowly joining this movement away from Olsen twins thin.

…Or not

But Karl Lagerfeld might suggest you hold off on the Halloween candy. The German designer blames bigger ladies for pushing the anti-skinny trend. “These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly,” he told Focus magazine. Lagerfeld himself is known for using super-skinny models. The plus-size debate came up at last month’s London Fashion Week when Canadian designer Mark Fast put size-12 models on the runway. Flip to the Opinions section for a debate on whether Body Mass Index should decide who struts the runway.