H and M and Wal-Mart Trash Their Unsold Clothes

I don't know about you, but this really got me fired up! Instead of doing a sample sale, deeply discounting the items, or even giving them away to charity, Wal-mart and H&M have been destroying unsold clothes and throwing them away. The New York Times wrote that a graduate student discovered this outside an H&M on 35th Street, saying "to make sure that they never would be worn or sold, someone had slashed most of them with box cutters or razors, a familiar sight outside H & M’s back door." Check out the full story on the H&M and Wal-Mart clothes destroying here.






[photo: NYTimes.com]

Jimmy Choo Coming to H&M

My bargain shopping dream has just come true: Jimmy Choo is creating a line for H&M! According to WWD, Jimmy Choo has designed a collection of shoes that will be sold at H&M stores. We can expect to see them in 200 stores this coming November.

Is anyone else as excited as I am?
Photo: WWD

Guess who's coming to Dallas (well, maybe...)

Over the weekend while shopping at the West Village I overheard some exciting news: H&M may be coming to Dallas! This would be the first H&M location in Texas. No word on time frame but rumor is that it may be NorthPark bound. I'll tell you more scoop as I hear it...

Zara and H and M FINALLY in Atlanta

I lived in Atlanta for over 10 years and used to hope and pray that one day, just one day, I would see a sign for an H&M or Zara to open up in the city (okay, maybe just H&M since I didn't start liking Zara until recently, but you get the point). Well the day has finally come. On August 31, 2007 Zara finally opened its doors at Lenox Mall. And, in Spring 2008 (at least that's what they're saying now), H&M will be opening its doors in the Atlantic Station shopping center.

Never been to these stores before? Well here's the scoop:

H &M

H&M has often been called the IKEA of clothing retailers. I absolutely love H&M but, as I have also found with Zara, not every H&M is the same. It is great for inexpensive, basic items and some trendy items as well. I have also bought some cheap, basic costume jewelry from there.

Some negatives about H&M are that their sizing is not very consistent (a size 6 in one item may be completely different than a size 6 in another item), and the quality level is not necessarily consistent either (I have some earrings that broke on the 2nd wear, but I have a blazer that I am still wearing after 2 years). All that aside, I have found some really fabulous items at H&M and I always love going to the 5th Ave and 51st St location when I'm in NY. Unfortunately you can't purchase any H&M items online, but they do have a cute magazine that you can flip through.

Zara

Zara is another one whose quality of clothing is inconsistent. Though I had visited many Zaras around the NY area, I was never really impressed even though some of my friends swore by the store. Then I went to Europe and oh my goodness! I fell in love! What I love about Zara is that they pay attention to all the latest trends and release the items that are most popular. The problem is they have their best merchandise in Europe and a lot of their items never make it over here to the States. Also, they don't really give any love to us petite girls. If you have long legs, however, they have great pants for you! I particularly love Zara for trendy items that really stand out and can last a season or two (but not longer than that). You can't purchase Zara clothing online either, but they do have a Trends section that's kind of cool.

My wish for you ATLien Divas out there is that both Zara and H&M have fabulous selection to make you all happy!

H&M Friends and Family Discount!

Check out H&M May 25 - 28th! Print out the graphic and enjoy the savings!

Also, register for future H&M friends and family email alerts at: http://www.hmfriendsandfamily.com/.