Although I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been to H&M, I was really looking forward to it opening at Southdale last week. It’s close to my house and there’s really nothing else at the mall that carries trendy accessories for cheap—the kind you need for a theme party or to experiment with a fleeting trend like, say, studded leather bracelets or fingerless gloves. I have never, however, purchased a stitch of clothing at H&M. Oh, I’ve tried on plenty of things and admired them on other people, but nothing has ever fit quite right or been made well enough to justify even the crazy-low price tags. Case in point: Yesterday I hit the store with my friend Suzette. I brought 13 items into the dressing room, including the adorable mod strapless mini below. Let’s just say that none of the dresses could be worn in public—and that mini didn’t even cover my hoo-ha. The only item that fit, and didn’t feel like it would pill or fall apart after just one wear, was a sequin striped dress that I will actually be sporting as a t-shirt. Go figure.
On the bright side, the store has much nicer, more boutique feel then the MOA location. It’s two levels, with women’s on the first and men’s on the second. The staff was friendly and super helpful, and there weren’t any of those mile-long lines H&M is notorious for on the weekend. I noticed the lingerie for the first time, because it was displayed in nice, neat color stories, and immediately thought: bridal shower gifts. Finally, I know that some fashionistas are disappointed about the MN stores not carrying the Jimmy Choo for H&M collection, but my guess is that few of us would actually spend $180 on a designer discount line. Would you?
