I know, it’s like I was born yesterday or something but I just recently realized how cool H&M really is.  Well that statement isn’t entirely true. I first discovered H&M in New York City when I was in high school. It was like the coolest place on earth and it made me the coolest person on earth when I could say “I got it in New York.”  Then H&M start popping up in every mall in America. It started to lose its luster and I stopped going to H&M all together.

Today, shopping at H&M has literally become part of my job. H&M is a great place for a stylist to find clothes on a limited budget. Because I am now a pro at combing through racks and finding what will look cool and expensive, I’ve started shopping there for my personal wardrobe as well.

Some recent H&M finds include: a great faux leather pair of shorts (wearing them as I type this), a giant black hooded poncho, a brown leather mini skirt, some awesome blazers and jackets, and I even managed to find a great looking pair of pumps there that are actually comfortable.

A couple of H&M shopping tip for you …

1.) If you find something awesome you need to get it that day. I have seen items that I liked and returned the next day to purchase only to find out that its gone and never coming back.

2.) Ignore the sizes. Seriously, H&M clothing can really hurt your feelings if you aren’t careful. I picked up a size 4 skirt only to have it fit me like sausage casing. However in other pieces a size 4 is too big. If the dressing room lines are too painful (I still never try on), give the clothes a serious eyeball before purchasing. If your normal size looks too small, then it probably is. Just go a size or two up if you have to. It’s H&M … not you.

3.) Shop the sale rack- I don’t recommended waiting for something you love to go on sale (because the chances of it making the sale rack are slim) but I do recommend shopping the sale rack. Items on the sale rack can be priced as low as $5. I did an entire sale rack shopping spree and scored big time. It was pretty fun too.