Friday, January 15, 2016

Goodbye, Favorite H&M

It's the end of an era: the store that brought me fabulous jumpsuits, fabulous designer collaborations, and endless fabulous dressing room moments, is closing down. This Sunday is the last day for the old H&M Herald Square at 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, which has been usurped by the new, biggest H&M in the world flagship H&M Herald Square at 34th Street and Broadway. Confused? Just remember, the Broadway bowtie at Herald Square is one seriously busy retail intersection. For a time, H&M operated two stores practically across the street from each other. 

Me and H&M in 2012.  

Why so nostalgic, you say? It's just another H&M, you say? Because it is by no means just another H&M to me. It's the H&M I cut my blogger teeth on, it's the store that helped me shop for New York Fashion Week, it's the H&M I first waited in line for my first designer collaboration (Commes des Garcon), and it's the H&M that emotionally saved me from a deep dive into hormonal depression during pregnancy.

Me and H&M Herald Square, 2010. I could post these photos for years. Don't tell me you have never bought anything striped or polka dotted from H&M, because I won't believe you.

 If you didn't gain 50 pounds during your pregnancy and have complete strangers ask you on the street "How many you got in there?" then move along. But if you remember that day when suddenly nothing fit and you had five months to go, and you called in pregnant and late to work because you had to find clothes that could actually get on your body, and you went to H&M Mama in Herald Square, and the first thing you tried on were drop crotch leggings that made you feel adorable and stylish, and you sat down in the dressing room and cried, well, then you understand why I have strong ties to this particular H&M. What ensued were cute maternity leggings, dresses, sweatshirts with hoodies, and super cozy pajamas. I went almost nowhere else for maternity clothing, because why would I spend $$ for kind of not very pretty maternity clothes when I could shop for a lot less at a store that made their maternity stylish? Oh, Old H&M Herald Square, I will never forget you. I practically had my baby in your store, I so lived in your maternity department, and I'm pretty sure if I had gone into labor in the dressing room you would have wrapped me in a cute maternity robe and I would have named my baby Hennes, or Mauritz. But not Hennes Mauritz, I'm not that in love.

Then, of course, post birth, there was the baby clothing shopping. Cute baby headbands, adorable ensembles, and the best pack of organic cotton onesies in town. Also, yes, drop crotch baby leggings.
Not a dressing room photo, but that's all H&M Herald Square. 

Adieu, old H&M Herald Square, Hennes and I are going to miss you.


Old H&M Herald Square
47 West 34th Street and Sixth Avenue
Closing Sunday, January 17
Entire store is currently on sale

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