The H&M Experience

And what an experience it was. Let us begin the H&M story from the very beginning... 

My infatuation with H&M began at a a Retro Star sale about three years ago. I remember my mum picking up a black cropped jacket and contemplating whether to purchase it or not. Though it was only ten dollars, my mum was calculating whether it would be money well spent, or money wasted on something that would be pushed to the back of the wardrobe, never to see light for years. Oh the struggles of bargain buying. When she showed me, I asked her what the label was. She replied with ‘H&M,’ though she hadn’t heard of it before. I convinced her into buying it as I was intrigued that a H&M item had ended up in a sale in Melbourne. At the time I didn’t really have a clue of H&M’s quality but somehow I had formulated in my own mind that it was a quality brand, and so the first H&M purchase was made.

I seemed to have forgotten about my fascination with H&M until 2012. In that year, Lana Del Rey was cast as the brand’s face and voice for their Fall/Winter campaign. She sang a cover of ‘Blue Velvet’ for the brand’s commercial which was so euphonious that the words trickled like honey off her bee stung lips. The pink angora blend sweater is what sent me craving, combined with the winged eyeliner and the thick and luscious hair, my love for H&M was reignited. But it seemed my ‘Burning Desire’ (see what I did there? If you’ve listened to her Paradise edition of Blue Jeans you’ll know what I mean) was not to be fulfilled. The lack of a H&M store in Australia meant that my dream of recreating Lana’s retro-style look was not going to be translated into reality.

Fast forward to just last year when a rumour was spread that H&M was coming to Australia. With the installation of Zara already in Bourke St, it was a speculation that was quickly becoming a possibility. As the months went by my hope that H&M was actually coming rapidly grew. Finally it was announced that, in fact, H&M would not only be coming to Australia, but to Melbourne. I could not be happier and it meant, in my mind at least, that Melbourne was truly the fashion capital of Australia. Sydney can have their Opera House and Queensland their Big Pineapple, but Melbourne is claiming its ownership on fashion. And so the date was set, April 6th was to be the grand opening day of H&M. During the lead up to opening, H&M’s Australian website was launched and advertising was presented around town featuring Aussie model Miranda Kerr. Could it get any better than this?

And it did. Well, not the one and a half hour wait in line to get in, and that was a couple of hours after the official 10am opening. We amused ourselves (my mum, sister and myself) by reciting our French verbs and watching the people around us. My heart began to race as we reached the entrance to H&M. Though it was noisy and bustling inside, a state of calm washed over me as I was in complete awe of not only the beautiful architecture, but the sheer volume of absolutely gorgeous clothes. I was in a fashion lover’s heaven.  

I was surprised by a few things from my venture into H&M. Firstly, the size. Before it opened I could not calculate how or where they would put the store. H&M takes up the entire GPO building, from floor to ceiling. The only negative is that in some places towards the exit the ceilings are quite low, but otherwise it is spacious. Then onto the prices. The prices are so affordable that it is dangerous. Twenty dollars times ten is two hundred dollars. Not the most advanced mathematical problem, but it is something to consider. However, compared to other stores’ prices it is very, very cheap. Not only are the items reasonably priced, the quality is there, which is often rare with cheaper brands. What shocked me was how a twenty dollar skirt could be so heavy, so thick and stylishly tailored. 

My advice: do not enter on an empty stomach and make sure you have/had water. I made the mistake on going without breakfast that morning and getting stuck inside without any food or water. At one point I was scared that I was going to faint, it was definitely an experience! What was strange is that I felt satisfied that I endured through discomfort and I truly experienced the opening day. It was my idea of an adventure. Forget steep hills, fresh air and a lack of a plentiful water supply, give me crowds, aching arms, a sweaty brow and knocks to my side any day. Do take note that the change-rooms on the ground floor tend to have a shorter line, try to avoid the change-rooms near the pyjama section if you don’t want to wait.

I left H&M on that day a very satisfied customer, bags in hand with urge to go home and admire my purchases. I loved it so much that I went back again just a couple of days ago. Two trips in three weeks. My love for H&M is officially burning...

Happy Easter!

 

I hope that everyone had a fantastic Easter. I know that I am a little late on this post but I have only just waken from my chocolate-induced coma. 
It was quite fitting that I recently grew my love for rabbits, long before any mention of Easter, might I add. Almost unintentionally I seemed to have collected a little bundle of products that give a nod to Easter, but that can be enjoyed all year round. First and probably the most exciting of the bunch, my rabbit slippers. I will go into more detail about these in an upcoming post (*wink* *wink*) but lets just say that I can not get enough of them. Am I allowed to wear them even outside the house? Probably not, but a girl can dream, right? Next up is yet another rabbit related item, this time in the form of a real rabbit. Alright, so the softness and cuteness may be a little over exaggerated, but how can you resist those ears, and those feet? I shall say that this was perhaps the most exciting purchase I made from the H&M opening (yet again, to be told in another post). To the far right of the first photo we have a bunch of carrots. Literally, this is the title that Lush gave them, and rightly so. What makes these carrots different from your everyday carrot is that, unfortunately, they are not edible, and they are limited edition. They are bubble bars that you swish around in the bath water, creating beautifully and richly scented bubbles. I am oddly excited to dip these carrots into my bath water, that is, when I take the time to have a bath. Also, these must count as one serve from your five a day... 
I have, yet again, more rabbits. In my defence these are my sister’s rabbits, though I wouldn't mind keeping them for myself. The first is a matte china rabbit that has a perfectly little, rounded body. There is also a smaller polished china rabbit with folded ears with paws at its mouth. I thought they looked perfect in the grass at the front of my yard!
The last three items are a must have for Easter. More conventional than the aforementioned ones they are a Lindt chocolate gold bunny and, of course, bunny ears. Lindt bunnies are synonymous with Easter and one of these is all I ask for each year. This one in particular is white chocolate so that is why the ribbon is white, but I usually ask for dark chocolate. Easter is not complete without Cadbury's Mini Eggs, oh the amount of them I devoured this year. They are rounded chocolate eggs with a layer of hard candy on the outside, coloured and speckled. Not to mention they are almost exactly the same as a blackbird’s egg, as my uncle pointed out. Who knew you would be learning about birds from this post? And finally the bunny ears: no real need for an explanation expect they were two dollars from K-mart and I forgot to wear them on Easter...to save for next year!

What items must you have at Easter time?

Uniform

The systematic tapping on the keyboard, the flick of a page, the ticking of the clock, the slow, rhythmic sounds of the air-conditioning, the flashing lights, the whirl of a fan. As I look around the classroom each student seems to be deep in study. A student reading in one corner, another typing on their keyboard, someone rustling through their notes. As I look up from my desk, all I see is a wave of navy blue, white and green (bottle green to be precise). My most worn outfit, in fact, the one that I wear exactly five days a week. And, amusingly, the duplicate outfit that each and every other student has in their wardrobe. The admired school uniform (please, note my sarcasm). The almost jail-like attire that each student is required to wear, minus any personal touches and absolutely no room allowed for alterations. Not a feature of every school, but definitely the most loathed characteristic of those who are forced to wear it. But why do we hate our uniforms so much?

It is in the very word itself that lends school attire to be so heavily despised; uniform. The school’s aim to create a homogenised environment means that everyone is no longer an individual, but part of a whole. It is this restrictive nature that creates such distaste when the mere thought of uniform is brought about. In a time where the search for one’s self is on the forefront of every adolescents mind, the restriction of freedom to express this sense of self is almost painful. No wonder I’ve heard people organising a bonfire at the end of the year to burn their uniform; can I join in?

The only time that many students have to express themselves is afterschool and on the weekends. Living the student life means that coming home from school only means doing another two or three hours of study, that of which is spent in pyjama bottoms and an overstretched t-shirt. I’m not sure that I want to resemble the lazy aura that my “home” apparel radiates. So that leaves the weekend. But I just remembered that I work all day on Sunday at a café: another uniform. So then there’s Saturday, but that’s if I’m not spending the day studying. That means that I have one day of every fortnight to wear what I want. Lucky me. But living vicariously through fashion blogs and Instagram is the same thing, right? Spending copious amounts of time online looking at clothes on websites is almost the same as actually owning it? Whatever makes me sleep at night.

Uniforms are not so bad in the sense that they take away the stress of having “nothing” to wear, though they may resemble a potato sack. It seems that uniforms defy the era they are in, ignorant of changing fashion. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why uniforms are so despised; they are dated. Especially for a lover of fashion like me, though tartan and its nod to the 90’s may be back in fashion, the trend does not seem to translate into my tartan uniform. Though I wish I could look “preppy” in my navy pleated skirt and long socks, in reality I have no shape to my body and the fabric tugs in all the wrong places. 

Maybe I won’t burn my uniform, instead keep it to show my grandchildren one day. They’ll probably just laugh at how ugly it is, and I’ll laugh along with them because I couldn’t agree more. 

Do you/did you have to wear a school uniform?