Has H&M got really good lately?

[laundryhamper]

Has H&M got really good recently?
I always thought it was a bit flimsy/tacky/polyester, but I just went to a huge H&M in Melbourne and got loads of good stuff, mostly H&M Edition.
A structured white cotton shirt with cropped sleeves and little tufts of thread all over it, a blue striped shirt, a pair of off white embroidered jeans…I am most impressed. This comes after a skirt I bought last year that was a suspiciously good Zimmermann knock off.
What is going on??! Or am I just very late to the party (wouldn’t be the first time)…

No I feel it’s worse especially for sizing. I find it difficult to find XL, sizing seems to stop at L in store now.

I hadn’t bought anything from H&M for a quarter of a century - but a few weeks ago (on another sleepless night) found exactly the shiny black kitten heeled boots I’d been imagining, on their site, in the sale.

They’re the thinnest leather I’ve ever encountered, and may not survive even half a dozen wears, but they lifted my mood as well as my outfit for a sombre occasion, so I’m happy.

The words ‘Premium Selection’ are always guaranteed to catch my attention, so I may be tempted to browse now and again. But I doubt I’ll be tempted to buy anything else - I’m just too habituated to its being a source of low quality ephemera.

Where has the colour gone? Last time l went in, it was 50 shades of beige.

What I had about H&M is how everything looks so creased and shabby on the hanger. May as well get it delivered and folded. The do t steam anything. Awful presentation.

Would love to see how that tufted shirt fairs in the washi g machine op. DD bought a pretty blush pink, pin tucked blouse. Took so long to press and steam. They don’t think .

I got a brilliant dress in there just after Christmas in the sale, it cost me £7 and o had so many compliments on it when I wore it. The other thing I bought was a pair of jeans, I never usually buy ‘cheap’ jeans but these fit me perfectly in the cut I was looking for and the length was exactly what I was after.
There’s one near my office so I sometimes wander in there during my lunch break - I have to say for the most part I’m not very inspired, it’s a lot of beige/grey which don’t really suit me but I’ve found the occasional gem.

I think it's gone downhill in the UK. I struggle to find decent stuff and size availability is poor. I still
go in and search though.

Every now and then it goes through a really good phase I think. I got a lovely cardigan with an Argylle/ish pattern and a slightly oversized collar recently. (Sorry I can’t see it to link, it’s probly gone now.) It’s shit quality though. I always used to maintain you could find well made stuff if you rummaged but I don’t think that’s true anymore.

I think if you use the website, filter by cotton and linen and read the reviews you can get some nice pieces. I have some lovely linen skirts that are holding up well.

I just bought a lovely red twill a line skirt. It looks lovely and is good material.

First thing I've got from 'Hennes' for years.

Fair point and actually I have just washed it for the first time - will post a pic shortly (pre iron)!

I popped in last week for the first time in a long time! Really impressed with a lot of designs, they had some lovely looking bits but the quality just felt so poor, even compared to New Look next door. Really put me off.

I feel it’s gone the opposite way, unfortunately! Loads more man made fibres that don’t last and look cheap. It used to be my go-to but I struggle to find anything decent in there nowadays, and the prices have rocketed up.

The majority of people on MN are in the UK, and the stuff here has been on the slide for years - I think it’s because we’re the dumping ground for everything that doesn’t sell elsewhere!

The shops themselves look like jumble sales, messy and chaotic, and the clothes are nowhere near as well made as they once were (I have a few tops and dresses from way back that still look good).

Even their website is ridiculously overstocked and difficult to navigate - I get their mailers and occasionally click through on a blouse or something, but it doesn’t take you to the item, it takes to you to ‘blouses’, of which there are 1000 +. Do they really think I’m going to dick around going through that lot? They’re like one of those restaurants that has a 40 page menu and you know all of it’ll be a bit shit because they’ve got no real direction and are trying to appeal to everyone but not doing any of it very well.

I was amazed when I went to H&M in Japan though. The designs were obviously tailored specifically to that market, the shops were really beautifully curated, even down to the colour palette across the store, and the stock seemed to be much better quality. But that could have been down to the way it was presented, and I couldn’t buy anything anyway as I wouldn’t have fit into any of it!

I find odd bits in there but I have to have time to look and try. Got some line trousers I adore but lost weight and know I won’t be able to replace them. Jumble sale sums it up

I love H&M, and have stuff thats lasted for YEARS but go through phases. Im curvy, like fun clothes and dont suit beige/black, so we regularly break up when they go through opposing phases! Their site now includes all their other brands but I still end up filtering to H&M own brand. I shop online despite us having a local H&M because I find it so uninspiring in the shops here - Agree that you get a better selection overseas. They've started ramping up the shapes/colours i like again so have my eye on a couple of things!

Ok here we go, here’s the tufted shirt. Hasn’t been ironed. I reckon it just needs a bit of steam around the hem and cuffs and will be perfect!

OMG - I had that exact shirt about forty years ago!

Truly. Don’t remember where it was from - maybe Monsoon or Next or French Connection. I was in my twenties.

Amazing.

Yes the flagship H&M store in Melbourne is laid out really well in “stories” with colour themes and kept super tidy. It helps that it’s got the entire ground floor of enormous old Victorian building with high ceilings etc. It’s much nicer to shop than H&M in the UK.

My strategy online now is to search for H&M Edition and that whittles the options down to a more manageable selection.

Here is the blue stripy shirt I got a couple of weeks ago and just washed (but not ironed or steamed) - you can see it’s got self-covered buttons which is really unusual at this price point.

Yes! I think some of the stores (Regent Street!) are much better than others, with broader range and higher end pieces. Lots of linen, cotton, good quality denim. Mannequins well styled so you can get outfit ideas.
I think location matters as they don’t seem to put their more tailored ranges in all the stores.

Wasn’t good in London recently. The quality was on par with primark except the odd piece.

I haven't been in my local store for few months now here in norwich, as before it was full of polyester rubbish, the one thing I have from there around 6 years ago is a cashmere black jumper, a little bobbling now, but still in good shape. Most other things have gone in the bin or charity shop.

my shirts look like that after I've tried to give the cat a worming tablet...

@gatekeeper Sadly I have no cat or else I’d give it a try!!!