Boy, do I feel sorry for Woody Allen. His reputation is probably ruined.

Just think. His image was on an American Apparel billboard. In two places! For a whole week!

He wants $10 million and I don’t blame him. To be associated with a hip, laid-back L.A. company like American Apparel is just such an unimaginable affront to a neurotic guy who’s so excruciatingly New York frumpy.

Oh, and Allen complained that the ads had a “sleazy quality” and were “not classy.” He is so right. Never mind the fact that Allen’s longtime companion, Mia Farrow, broke off their relationship when she discovered Allen was having an affair with her adopted daughter. I mean, nobody thinks that’s sleazy or anything.

Now, I suppose you could argue that American Apparel has taken a big step toward rehabilitating Allen’s image, and maybe Allen should pay American Apparel $20 million for the PR boost.

But I don’t believe that. No, siree. C’mon. American Apparel is hip and edgy and sexy, and it is a brand embraced by today’s urban young. Allen wouldn’t want to be linked with any of that. He’s spent way too much time cultivating his image as a disturbed and snooty 73-year-old pampered crank whom many Americans have tried to put out of their troubled minds.

– – –

I’m not sure I’ve ever heard many kind words about Skechers USA Inc.

Some competitors apparently believe the Manhattan Beach footwear maker stealthily knocks off trendy designs; Vans Inc. last year sued, for example, accusing Skechers of appropriating Vans’ distinctive checkerboard design.

What’s more, Skechers seems absent from L.A.-area civic efforts, and its stock has gotten dissed by professionals. (It was named in an article titled “Five Warning Signs Your Stock’s a Fad” on TheStreet.com in late March.)

I won’t argue with any of that. But I will offer up these kind words: Skechers sure seems like a smart company.

Take the announcement in late March that it has signed a licensing agreement to create Skechers-branded sunglasses and prescription eyewear. Such licensing deals, with a little luck and pluck, can be low-risk money-making machines for established brands like Skechers.

And take its earnings report of a couple of weeks ago. Profits were down but much better than expected. More impressive: The company attacked its expenses and inventory wise moves going into a downturn. Its balance sheet looks good.

But here’s the thing that really resonates: Skechers aces the shopping mall test.

In that test, you put aside all the analysts’ opinions and financial reports, and simply look at whether the company’s products are selling.

Seems to me that Skechers footwear is abundant on the street. Both my wife and my 8-year-old daughter buy the shoes. (They are not only stylish and reasonably priced, but Skechers products provide more support than most similar shoes, my wife reports.)

OK, so maybe Skechers won’t win an award as a cuddly corporation. But tell me: How many other companies create fashion products that are wanted by girls as well as adult women?

Charles Crumpley is editor of the Business Journal. He can be reached at

[email protected].