Get the Blues

While in college, I had the great opportunity to study abroad for a summer in Madrid, Spain. It was July, which is Rebajas month there (or at least was. Economies were a lot different then!), which meant "Sales" - the whole country was literally on sale. Forget the Banana Republic sale one weekend, JCrew the next. All month, all stores, all on sale with massive discounts. I was in HEAVEN.

It was there that my H&M affair began. Within the city limits of Madrid alone, there were 2 or 3 H&M stores within walking distance to our dorm. And not the little one-floor things we see in malls in the States. The three story Fifth Ave-type stores. Love!

H&M stores are all a bit different in what they carry. Here in the US, this was most obvious to me when I saw the vast amounts of thick, furry leggings in the Fashion Ave H&M in NYC, but then ours in Atlanta was focused on lighter mini-dresses at the same time. And H&M's here carry mostly work-appropriate clothes, while the Spain ones were all club clothes with see-through parts and sparkles.

The hardest part about H&M's offerings, though, is that you have to be willing to dig around a bit for things you might like. I know a lot of my friends aren't big fans of H&M, but I think it's because they see some of the bigger display racks, don't see things they want, and then don't go through the other racks. The other racks are where the real gems lie. None of the racks hold just one item. What might look like all black shirts from a distance could actually be 4 different types of black shirts, all on one rack. It takes some patience, and a lot of trying things on, but H&M always, always has things that I lust over. And you just can't beat the price. Trendy items at a fabulous low cost = perfection.

Their newest line comes out today. It's called The Blues and is focused around jeans material. Their Facebook shots caught my eye, some because I liked them, others not:


Ok seriously? This looks like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air all over again. Jeggings, AND an elastic waist? No thank you.


This one is adorable. I hope our H&M here has it - it'd be perfect over leggings with some flats and a big bag once the weather warms up.


I love this dress's print. The geometric blue diamonds would look fantastic dressed up or down, for work or play.


I think I liked this one mostly because I already own this type of jacket - and its from Apple Bottom Jeans circa 2005 haha! Good thing I kept it in the closet, proof that most trends come around again.

But jeggings - sorry. Your trend will never come around again. Just die, please.