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Adventures in Shopping!

May 14th, 2007. Published under General. 1 Comment.

I took Tim to the Mall of America (MOA) on Saturday. Now, I tend to avoid MOA at all costs, because going there just drives me crazy. However, we were on a mission: to go to H&M.

H&M is a discount retailer from the UK and is supposed to have some pretty innovative fashion (Madonna and Kylie Minogue both have lines with the retailer) and is supposed to be dirt cheap. But the only store in the metro area that has both men’s and women’s clothing was at MOA. Since both Tim and I need some new summer work clothing, we ventured out.

Here’s a hint: if you’re not 18 and/or not a size 1, do not go to H&M. Why? Because the clothing is crap and they size it very small.

Now some of you might say that the UK sizes differently than the US, and they do - however, they had both UK and US sizing on the labels and I grabbed my normal size in the US sizing chart. Let me tell you something, as a woman, there’s nothing more demoralizing than going into a store, grabbing your “size” in a pair of pants and when you try it on, not being able to pull the accursed garment past your knees.

Couple that wonderful experience with a store full of the afore mentioned 18 year old/size 1 people. People who had the look on their face like they smelled something bad and looking at me like I had 7 heads and were covered in flaming spikes. Tim had found a shirt and he was standing in a line of people 80 deep waiting to pay for the shirt. But after my dressing room debacle and relaying the story, he looked at me and said “I’m just about ready to drop this shirt and get the fuck out of here.” So I said “then let’s do it” and we left.

Another item I discovered while at H&M: I can’t wear shirts with puffy shoulders. I look like I could take Brian Urlacher’s spot on the Bears - but with broader shoulders.

I came to the realization of why I can’t find inexpensive clothing that I like. I want stuff that’s cool, funky and isn’t made so cheaply that looking at it funny would make it fall apart. The problem is that the styles and colors of things that I really like aren’t the same as what a mass-market would buy. As a result, the items that are made are in a relative small quantity and because of that, the individual item has to be more expensive in order to make a profit. It’s why the stuff that I absolutely LOVE from Boden and Kuhlman are so expensive. Well, it’s not exactly why - but you know what I mean. I prefer a niche, specialty type of clothing - and that shit is not cheap.

So I guess what I need to do is evaluate my current wardrobe and find out what pieces I’m missing and what items I can affordably add to it to make it work for me.

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In other shopping news, my part-time job employee-discounted Timbuk2 bag (in the olive/lavender) was waiting for me when I worked there this weekend. Gotta love the employee discount!