H&M preview now in Miami

Vanessa Paredes/Columnist

Andres Bedoya/The Beacon

There is nothing better than the perfect mix of affordable and stylish, especially when you are a college student on a budget.

Swedish multinational clothing store H&M offers a plethora of inexpensive chic items from shoes and accessories, to swimwear, evening outfits, blazers, jeans and intimates. You name it, they have it, for both men and women.

However, until recently, H&M was a foreign concept to Miami, making it difficult for students in the area to take advantage of the popular retailers, especially since the company does not offer an online shopping option.

A “pop-up store,” or preview H&M store, opened its doors June 1 to the greater Miami crowd. Basically, the boutique sized H&M near Lincoln Road is meant to be a teaser for the full sized department store that will make its way onto our streets this Fall.

For those of you who have never walked into an H&M before, their clothing has a very simplistic look with an edge. Basics are an easy find, but what really makes H&M stand out are key pieces, such as dressy blazers, fun summer prints, bold colors and flattering cuts, fitting most body types very well.

Lines gathered outside of the popular store for weeks, buzzing with excitement that the desirable shop had finally appeared on the radar. I decided to visit the store myself, but a some time after its opening (to avoid getting trampled by a crowd of really trendy, but still scary, customers).

The location was very small compared to the superstores I had been to in West Palm Beach, Orlando and New York. Not only was the place tiny, but the merchandise was scarce. Sizes 2-6 were pretty much non-existent, making it very difficult for shoppers, including myself, to find things.

With a lot of patience and determination though, it is not possible to leave the store empty-handed and unsatisfied. Being inside that H&M preview store might have been a total tease, but it was also a reminder of its awesome deals and how stylish the clothes are. Shifting through the racks of $5 tank tops and $24 party dresses was refreshing, after shopping in stores like Urban Outfitters or J.Crew, where a simple tee might run for $30—on sale.

Satisfied, but still hungry for more, is how you will leave the H&M pop-up store if you decide to visit it this summer. Students in the Miami area, girls and guys, who could really use a breather from overpriced brands might want to start making the store a household name because H&M is not far from a glorious steal.

Haute Topic is a bi-weekly fashion column. Email at vanessa.paredes@fiusm.com.