Long, long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Abercrombie & Fitch marketed itself as a wholesome, outdoorsy sort of store - a capital place to buy a field jacket or a brown wool cardigan.
It was competing for the same oatmeal-heather-loving, duck boot-wearing customers as L.L. Bean.
But that was then - before A&F decided to mine the rich pop-cultural vein of soft porn.
Thus the Christmas issue of the A&F Quarterly - which is a cross between a catalogue and a skin mag - goes on sale this week with a prohibition against anyone under 18 buying it in stores.
A&F rep Hampton Carney explained: "You have to be over 18. You have to go into the stores to buy them. They are $7. You have to show your photo ID."
The Yuletide issue is rife with naked girls and boys in sexually suggestive poses - even an orgy scene or two (either just getting started or just ending).
The mags sport a red sticker carrying the warning: "Editors Note: Due to mature content, parental consent suggested for readers under 18."
