We need models for the California Vintage Online Store. We are looking for a couple girls and guys in the Southern California area who want to build their portfolio and get discounts on AA clothes. It's an unpaid gig, a few hours tops each shoot, and we'll need 1-2 girls and 1 guy every week. The shoot will be at the factory in LA. All models will be reviewed by AA model scouts and could be considered for paid American Apparel shoots as well.

If you're interested please e-mail us your name and a photo or two of yourself to vintage@americanapparel.net.

We thought we'd share this recipe for a great holiday dessert that we enjoyed here at the factory yesterday. Feel free to put your own twist on it. Happy holidays!

Here's what you'll need:

1 jar marshmallow fluff
2 big sized containers of orange tic tacs
1 orange
1 container of cool whip topping
fresh pomegranate seeds
small casserole dish

smooth contents of marshmallow fluff into the bottom of casserole dish. peel orange and cut into small cubes. place on top of marshmallow fluff. empty content of one tic tac container into blender and use the grate setting to pulverize tic tacs into a powder. sprinkle tic tac powder on fresh orange and marshmallow base. spread cool whip on top of marshmallow/tic tac delight. empty second container of tic tacs into blender (saving a few whole ones in which to top the dessert). blend on grate setting and coat top of cool whip with powder. sprinkle a few pomegrante seeds on top of cool whip, as well as the remaining whole orange tic tacs. the dish is complete and ready for contemporary magic consumption! enjoy!

Today's Small Business Summit Center story in the NY Times is by guest blogger Stacey Blume, owner of underwear and lingerie company Blume Girl. She chronicles her experiences and the dilemma of manufacturing in the US vs. outsourcing to China, which has been a topic of great debate particularly as of late.

Stacey initially began sourcing garments for her new clothing line at American Apparel then as her business expanded, she moved production over to China to manufacture at half the cost but not without a slew of problems that came with that such as manufacturing and quality control issues and language barrier. After several frustrating attempts and trying out different foreign factories, she realized that the it wasn't worth the trouble and cost savings and has returned to producing her underwear at the original manufacturer, American Apparel.

Read the whole story here.

This Saturday, Viva Radio is hosting one of the first in a series of events, parties and appearances by the Viva crew as a part of an unofficial Viva Tour. DJs and contributors Neil & Jordan, Tedward, Glen, and Matt will be coming up from NYC to Burlington, Vt. and combining forces with local businesses Maven Skateshop and Tick Tick (.org) graphic design firm to host the craziest dance party Burlington has ever seen in a long time. The Viva Party, Back On Track!, will be held at Second Floor, a club in Burlington's most popular nightlife area, Church Street. Check out, VIVA-Radio (.com) for more info. and if you're in the area, stop by to cut a rug with the VT1 American Apparel staff and the Viva boys!"

This sexy yet familiar looking series of ads for Cats on Broadway, which is a "pseudo-revival of the acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Weber musical, Cats, caught our eye. The synopsis on the theater's site sounds, mm, interesting:

We'll be there.

Our shiny new Vinyl Weekender duffle is one of Uncrate's (the shopping blog for the man's man) pick of the day: From the T-shirt gods at American Apparel comes this roomy Vinyl Weekender Bag ($54). The duffle-style bag is perfect for those casual trips down to Vegas or to the Cowboys game.

Cowboys game, really??

We're adding this to our wish list for the holidays: Helvetica Coffee Mug.

Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej has started a national pink shirt fashion craze after royal astrologers determined that pink would be king's color for luck and he was recently spotted in a pink shirt and blazer combo. It's got the public lined up and camping out in front of stores while factories are working hard to keep up with the demand. And apparently, this isn't the first time the king's sparked a trend: it's a tradition for Thais to wear bright yellow shirts on Mondays as it was the day of the week that His Majesty was born. For a guy who has no official political power, he sure has some clout.

For Thais and lovers who don't want to bother with queueing up for hours, may we suggest the Fine Jersey Leisure Shirt, which comes in a lovely Lemon color and two shades of Pink?

So my mother lives in England. She called me up all excited-like last night. "Have you ever heard of the band CSS, Jordykins?" Yes I have, Mom.

"Oh. Well, I just read something in the Sunday Times: the singer says that she always wears American Apparel! Imagine that! I'll email you the site and you can send it to the owner (the one with the mustache, I believe?) and I'm sure he'll give you a promotion, right?" Of course he will, Mom.

"You'll have me to thank when you're the boss of the company!" Of course I will, Mom.

So here it is, Dov: "[CSS' singer Lovefoxxx] loves clothes but doesn't care about fashion. Does she shop? "Yes, but I don't find anything I like. I buy American Apparel leggings that I wear every day. Everything else is boring."

Get back to me any time about that promotion, Dov.