STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

f413 · Kenneth Cole

H+M

CarrieS · Marc Jacobs

I agree with the quality aspect. I'm not super-impressed with it, but they do have some cute stuff, and being so cheap, it's hard not to pass up, especially when it's a trendy item.

My biggest rant with H&M though is the fact that they don't even have catalog or online shopping. The closest store to me is in Chicago, 6 hours away, so I can't shop there at all. I always get super-pissed when I see something listed in a magazine that's credited as H&M and then the magazine puts the website address up. I'm always thinking "What the hell is the point of putting the web address when you can't even buy from there?!!" Just makes me mad.

Sorry H&M, but not everybody lives in Europe or on the East coast!

I did hear rumors of them setting up catalog and online shopping sometime this year, so I hope that's true!

Cricket · Gucci

I've only been to the huge H&M store in Munich, Germany. It was a beautiful store. Very clean. It was in a very touristy, high end shopping area, though, and Europeans generally tend to not be as messy in stores as Americans. I'm sure it's a 180 degree difference from most of the stores over here. I didn't look at clothes, though. 7 months pregnant at the time, so I bought accessories.

e_doli · Dooney & Bourke

i have been to 4 different h+m stores (one in NYC and the other 3 in CT). yes, the quality of a lot of their stuff is not the greatest, but what do you expect for the price? most of the stuff i buy there is trendy and i'm not expecting to wear it forever. i have gotten some really cute tops and skirts there for next to nothing (like $10-15 each) and nothing has blatently fallen apart. and they have saved my butt many times when i needed an outfit for something at the last minute.

with the prices they are charging, it really doesn't bother me that the stores are not in tip-top shape. (although the ones in CT have never been really bad) i don't shop at H+m expecting the same experience as when i shop at someplace like neiman's or bergdorf's.

i do agree with carrie about not having stuff online -- that is annoying. but then again, i can't see buying from h+m without actually seeing the stuff b/c the quality can vary so much.

honey · Gucci

i've always wondered why h&m doesn't have online shopping. iirc, it's available in europe. anyway if you buy something from them try & pay with cash. the last thing i bought from them i ended up returning and it took thme 2 weeks to credit it back to my account, and i had to call corporate headquartes twice to find the status of my refund.

eta: i've noticed that their prices have been slowly increasing. honestly i prefer zara and f21.

-- Edited by honey at 16:03, 2005-01-23

SheilsBabe · BCBG

I agree that the state of the store can be hard to deal with sometimes. But I've scored some amazing deals there, mostly on wear-to-work stuff. I agree with honey about forever 21, especially if you're looking for going out clothes.

miss t · Dooney & Bourke

At H&M, I don't expect much, since the clothes are so cheaply priced. However, I got a coat and few blazers and they have held up really well. In stores like H&M, you just have to be willing to be a self-service shopper, it's not Saks or Nordstrom. I guess you you get what you pay for.

bliss · Dooney & Bourke

I've never had a real complaint about H&M. I agree that you pay for what you get but I've never felt cheated or annoyed after purchasing an item from H&M. I love the place for accessories and going out outfits. I live in DE and I have never had a problem in their store, it seems awfully clean to be staffed with a bunch of teenagers.

-- Edited by bliss at 10:37, 2005-01-24

twinkle · Coach

Yes! I agree completely. I get major shopping rage whenever I walk in to one of those. They are always a mess, overcrowded, lines too long, and worst of all, the only cute things i can ever find are on the mannikins and then they dont exist in the actual store!

Lola · Dooney & Bourke

I love H+M, but I'm the kind of shopper that likes the thrill of the hunt. I love searching and finding the best deal! The majority of my work clothes come from H+M, my fave pair of grey cuffed trousers are from H+M...and my store is always clean and organized, which helps a lot!

Lilykind · Hermes

I'm like Lola and am a huge fan of the thrill of the hunt. So I H&M. I own some work shirts from there and I've also owned some trendier throwaway items. For what I'm paying, I have no complaints and I've never had issues with clothes falling apart. I just recently gave away a pink tank top and a button down from there that was from 2000 (that were $2.50 each too! ) and it still looked almost new after a number of washings.

I've been to a number of H&Ms and I feel like the more urban, the more messy. I think I literally had to kill people in order to buy a purse at the Downtown Crossing store in Boston. I've also had similarly bad luck in NYC, although I do buy things from there I also am frequently running at a higher stress level at the store on 5th Ave. I frequented the one in West Nyack, NY at the Palisades Center when I was in HS and I knew that store like the back of my hand, plus it was never in a massive horrific state of disarray.

I REALLY REALLY wish there would be some person who understands that H&M needs a presence in Los Angeles!

I personally have a lot of trouble shopping at Forever 21 because I'm too curvy for 75% of what they sell and the candy-coated atmosphere can get to me after a while. So I gravitate towards H&M for my cheap impulse buys.

shkitty · Nine West

quote:
Originally posted by: Lilykind
I've been to a number of H&Ms and I feel like the more urban, the more messy.

I completely agree, the H&M in center city PHL is always a mess, and I 've even been there early in the day. But the one over in Cherry Hill is not so bad (well not on the weekends). My only dissapointment with H&M is the sizing. I find that I have to go up a size for a better fit. But this has always been a problem with european sizing and my body. Otherwise, I feel you get what you pay for there. Although I have several pairs of pants that have held up over 2-3 years. Go figure !