New York shopping at Forever 21

If you’ve never hit a Forever 21 clothing store, take your teen or tween and be prepared to pick from a huge, trendy and fun selection that is well-priced. There are men’s sections in the larger stores, but it is mostly a girl’s and women’s emporium.

I ended up in one in Manhattan (the Union Square store) when I realized that I wouldn’t have time to get back to my hotel and change clothes before a TBEX (travel blogger’s conference) party. I’d heard that Forever 21 was inexpensive, but I had zero confidence that they would carry anything that would interest a 49-year-old woman who usually prefers tailored, structured clothing.

Wow, I could hardly get myself out of there.

I ended up with some jewelry and two fun tops – I tossed on the white pearl-decorated one, along with some long necklaces, and was instantly party-ready.  The chance to shop and be girly (not a luxury that I allow myself much these days) was a heck of a lot more therapeutic than I’d expected, too.

The store inventory size is often overwhelming (as are the crowds and the very busy staff) and no one is claiming high quality levels for these clothes, but for me, a $15-20 cute top when I desperately needed one made it well worth picking through the racks.

After returning from New York, I gave my teen daughter a purple sparkly Forever 21 lariat necklace as a gift, and she said, “Oh, yes, they have one of those stores down at Austin’s The Domain shopping center. They have good stuff.”

Uh, oh, right in my backyard. This may create wallet problems.  🙂