And wear it, too.
Yes, young ones hooked on the deeply (deeply) serious doings of Dawson Leery, et al., no longer need wean themselves of the picture-perfect WB gang.
After all, what are summer reruns when Dawson, his very-own make-believe self, will get you through hiatus season with email? Or when a fashion house will promise to dress you in clothes just like Dawson's (and Joey's and Jen's...)?
Welcome to the real (or, is it reel?) world of Dawson's Creek.
While most TV shows are in hibernation until at least September, the WB's demographic hit is busy blurring the lines of fantasy and reality.
This week, American Eagle Outfitters announced it had struck a deal to become the "official clothing provider" for the series' 1999-2000 season. (It usurps J. Crew, which held the coveted title last year.)
"We look forward to working with the show on mutually beneficial cross promotions," said American Eagle exec Michael James Leedy, in a really exciting press-release quote.
Thrilling copy or no, the statement's not to be ignored. According to the Wall Street Journal, some of those "mutually beneficial cross promotions" include "pseudo-news features" that are to air on the WB.
The spots, earmarked for local affiliate newscasts (presumably real ones), will feature updates on Dawson's Creek, and of course, the Dawson gang's favorite source for khakis, jeans and T-shirts.
The nice thing, of course, about being a Dawson's Creek fan is that you don't even have to wait for the TV news to find out, you know, what's hanging with Pacey these days.
Launching this summer on the official Dawson's Creek Website (www.dawsonscreek.com): "Emails From Dawson."
The (fictional) aspiring filmmaker is promising to send fans weekly cyber missives, dishing on his summer internship at his (fictional) mother's Philadelphia TV news station. (Proposed email subject: "Hey, this is weird--Mom's station is airing these fake news reports about this show called Dawson's Creek. What's up with that?")
In another reality-blurring twist, the show's makers hint that some of the characters talked up in the summer-break letters may turn up on the TV series in the fall.
"Emails From Dawson" is part of the site's ongoing "Dawson's Desktop" section that routinely encourages users to sample "online chats" between the Creek kids, visit Joey's "homepage" or read local Capeside "news" headlines.
Confused?
Don't worry. Dawson will explain it all to you.