When I was sitting on the plane to NYC for the first time nearly two years ago, an eager young beaver watching a continuous loop of Sex and the City on my new laptop and ready to take on the Manhattan magazine world, one of things I was most excited about was making my first trip to H&M.
In my three years of college, I had become a fan of Forever 21, the mecca for cheap trendy clothes, but I was always careful to use a discerning eye to pick out the pieces that would add some pizzazz to my wardrobe while still looking classy. Reading magazines religiously, I had come to learn about H&M, another mecca for cheap trendy clothes, but located only in Manhattan. The H&M pieces shown in fashion spreads seemed to be much more up my ally, blending cutting edge trends with classic sophistication (instead of latching onto the tacky trends and running with them, overdoing the sequins and glitter and polyester, as Forever 21 is apt to do), and I was ready to buy up the whole store.
Indeed, a made a point to visit H&M on my first full day in Manhattan and emerged with lots of cute stuff that I still wear today - a flowy silver racer-back tank, a black skirt suit, an asymmetrical lavender striped skirt.
The weird thing was that whenever I'd wear one of my Forever 21 tops, I'd get tons of compliments on it, with my friends always asking me wear I got it. At first ashamed of my second-rate H&M wannabe, I sheepishly said, "Forever 21," but always made the point to say that you have to be VERY choosy when shopping there (thereby making me sound like a savvy bargain hunter with style). Slowly but surely, much to my amazement, the girls all wished they could hit up a Forever 21, too. I suppose the grass is always greener, right?
Well, New York must have missed my Forever 21 style, because not long after I returned to Portland, two new outposts opened up in the city, one just blocks from where I lived during that summer. I remember Kristen excitedly telling me about finally getting the chance to shop there, but I just braced myself for her inevitable disappointment. Indeed, she quickly realized that the Forever 21 pieces in my wardrobe represented only a small percentage of what the store had to offer (and I must add, the most stylish small percentage of what the store had to offer), and the novelty of Forever 21 soon wore off.
Until yesterday, that is. The New York Times' new Thursday Style Section devoted an entire article to Forever 21. I can't for the life of me figure out why, now, they decided to write about the (in my opinion) second-rate H&M, but I guess I'm not surprised. The New York Times isn't exactly Vogue, or even Lucky. When you let them expand their style coverage to two days a week, this is what you get. In any case, I wanted to share some of my favorite parts of the piece with you, my dear readers...
If stores were Hilton sisters, H&M would be Nikki, and Forever 21 would be Paris. Where H&M might have restrained cargo pants and khaki blazers along with camisole tops, Forever 21 offers a dazzling array of silk chiffon halter tops, sequined denim jeans and terry cloth hot pants.
My point, exactly.
On my second visit the canvas drape shielding my 30-something body from the crowd of teenage girls was pulled back by mistake at least twice. Sorry, they mumbled. The drape closed. Then, giggles.
Ha ha. At least that's better than the room-less communal dressing rooms at Century 21.
All prices end in 80, a spokesman said, to give back "just that little bit more to the customer."
Awww, that's sweet. I love little bits of trivia like this.
And what's the lesson you're supposed to come away with from this post? We DESPERATELY need to get an H&M out here in the Northwest! Okay, I guess I'll have to settle for the one opening in San Fran later this year. Who wants to join me on a little H&M shopping spree?
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