I tried on a bunch of stuff at the Times Square Forever21, and even snapped some phone pictures. Note that some of the stuff is not available on their site, but whatever I could find, I linked to. Here’s the breakdown of what I liked, what I hated, and what ended up coming with me in a shopping bag!

1. Fringe Neck Dress, $39
This came from the Designer-Inspired room and stuck out to me right away. Emerald green (one of my favorite colors!), neck fringe attached, and has the most adorable ruffled lace sleeves! It does have a ‘bubble’ hemline which is not my favorite, but to my surprise it didn’t look that bad at all. This resulted in a buy, but now that I look at it I’m not sure I like that wrinkled texture. Their return policy is 21 days so I still have time to think!

2. Floral babydoll, $25
This would make an ideal casual-but-still-pretty dress to run errands in. It’s very feminine and looks flattering on my body, so I would have gladly bought it, but they were out of my size (the one I’m trying on is a Medium and it’s a little baggy).

3. Striped tunic, $17
This came from the Glam Rock room and is similar to this. I liked it initially because it has a very Betsey Johnson vibe to it – pink rose with legs sticking out of it? And the stripes make it look mad-cool. Unfortunately, this cut rarely works on me (my hips are wider than my shoulders), so I had to pass.

4. Sequined Bow tunic, $27.80
From the ‘Bedroom’ room. Looked great on a skinny mannequin but utterly unflattering on my curves. Cute sequin bows, but for $27.80, I’d expect a better fit. Pass.

5. Lace dress, $25 and leopard leggings, $19
Designer-Inspired room. The nude satin bow in the front reminds me of something Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl would wear (I do believe they have this dress in reverse colors, nude lace with black bow) so of course I had to try it on. Problem: dress has no lining and since I didn’t have a nude slip on me, it looked trashy – and the leopard leggings only made it worse. Having said this, the leggings were of excellent quality and fit so well, that I did end up buying them – but not the dress!

6. Purple tulle tutu,$17.80
From the Designer room again. A girl like me can never have enough tutus so of course I had to try it on! It’s simple but, dressed up with a cool jacket and heels, can be quite striking. Plus, bright orchid color totally appeals to me! One thing about it is that the tulle fabric gets caught on everything, risking to ruin the skirt forever. I have to be careful when I wear it, but for under $20 it’s not a big concern. Wearing it makes me so happy!

Interested in more Fitting Room Confessionals? Keep an eye on my friend Glendy‘s blog – it’s currently being re-designed but will be back shortly.

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A new Forever21 opened in the heart of Times Square in New York – and one’s of astronomical proportions, at that. 4 floors, 90,000 square feet, bigger 1.5 football fields, it burrows 3 levels deep below ground! Naturally, I had to go and investigate.

I should probably mention that I’m not being paid by Forever 21 – I’m just a big fan. (Although I can see how you’d think that, let’s face it, practically every outfit I put together includes a F21 item.) The concept of “fast fashion” really agrees with me – as someone who rarely wears anything more than 5 times, I don’t want to invest my life’s savings into my wardrobe and will never say no to an opportunity to experiment with style without financial  consequences.

Escalator

Aside from it being ginormous, Times Square Forever21 also happens to be purely awesome. I adore the princess-y decor, the lucite ornaments, the checkered floors. What’s so unique about this store is that the space is broken down into separate rooms, each catering to a theme: I’ve seen a princess room (pink, frills, sequins); high fashion (designer-inspired);  rocker glam (black cigarette pants, shredded tops); boho garden party (floral prints, lace); nerd chic (houndstooth skirts, oxfords); hippie love (beaded smocks, forehead headbands), urban (early 90s-inspired geometrical prints), punk grunge (neon tanks, camouflage bottoms), and a bedroom dedicated solely to underwear!

My favorite room? Probably the high fashion: deep pink walls, black accents, and mannequin art installations.

That dress was incredible – can you believe it’s entirely made of paper?!

The “high fashion” room

The “underwear” room

There was also a first dedicated shoe salon, but I never liked F21 shoes: they all seemed black and gray, there wasn’t enough styles, and the quality looked like it just wasn’t there. There was also a wall of handbags, but the same problem: not enough variety and unimpressive quality.

Hey, did I mention there is a real NYC cab on the bottom floor???

Forever21 started out as ‘cheap clothes for youth’, but that’s no longer the case. It’s affordable fashion for all ages, really, provided you don’t take yourself too seriously and can say “yes” to all things young, colorful, and fun! So what about the quality? You’ll be pleasantly surprised – for the prince you’re paying, the quality far exceeds expectations (honestly, I’ve seen designer merchandise of lower quality than this).

What should you go here for? Jewelry (hundreds – hundreds! – of amazing necklaces, rings, bracelets and headbands to chose from, for all tastes), funky dresses, skirts and tops. Most importantly, you should come here for inspiration. The styling I saw on the mannequins was some of the best I’ve ever seen a store do, and gave me ideas how to dress myself for weeks to come! And the fitting rooms – adorable!

Tomorrow: Fitting Room Confessional: what I tried on, what I liked, and what I bought.

Deerlings: what are your thoughts on Forever21?

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Yesterday it dawned on me that most candy references in songs are not about sweets at all – they are about sex! Somehow, I didn’t quite pick up on that; then again, I am notorious for being oblivious to these things. Now I can’t stop laughing thinking of all the songs that I thought were innnocent -  I Want Candy, Christina Aguilera’s Candyman, Katy Perry’s imagery in California Girls…

There is a funny story that involves sugar, dirty references and a good dose of naivete. 18 year old France Gall recorded the song “Les Sucettes” (Lollipops) in 1966, which was written by her songwriter, Serge Gainsbourg. The song contained double-meanings and strong sexual innuendos through and through but, being naive, Gall didn’t take to the double meaning until she’d performed the song all over and it was a huge hit. Gall got really mad at the songwriter and to this day refuses to perform or talk about the song. Regardless, 40 years later, it’s still a catchy tune and the video is oddly amusing. :)

France Gall talks about Les Sucettes

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I have a new friend: Puggy Puggles!

You’d never know from a picture – or even in real life for a split second! – that Puggy is not a real dog. He is an extremely realistic toy that also functions as a purse (there is a zipper atop his back)! Puggy and I have been inseparable since the day I “adopted” him from a thrift store for only $1. I named him Puggy Puggles because I really miss my cat, Puffy Fluffles, and he kind of looks like a canine version of her.

Here he is! The leash = purse handle.

I’m just in love with him and have a feeling he’ll be appearing in many more pictures on the blog. :)

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My Russian school photo circa 1996.

I used to go to school with a girl named Irina. We must have been 15-16. In spite of being supermodel-gorgeous and the tallest girl in class, Irina was bullied mercilessly by the boys half her size. One boy in particular was especially cruel to her, insisting that she smelled (she didn’t – while other girls actually did sometimes!). He ridiculed every piece of her clothing so bad, she eventually resorted to wearing the same plain dress, every day – just to stay invisible.

But she was never invisible to me. I stood up for her – although, it seems, not enough – telling the boy what he was doing was not cool (let’s face it, appearing ‘cool’ in front of his friends was the main reason he was doing it). What amazed me is that at her towering height, she could have easily kicked him in the nuts and told him to kiss off. But she never did, taking the abuse silently. Teachers did nothing.

Irina and I lived in the same direction, so I often ended up walking her home after school. She lived alone with her mother, who worked as a cleaning lady, in a very small space (I was never invited inside but so I was told). She spoke quietly, like most bullied kids do, and had difficulty opening up. I encouraged her to go to the modeling school – her perfect face, flawless skin and stunning green eyes should have been on the covers, not hidden away.

A few years down the line I ran into Irina on the bus. She’d barely changed, green eyes glistening against her thick, straw-colored hair. I asked about the modeling school; she went for a while but didn’t pursue it. Even with all the natural talent in the world, she couldn’t get over the shyness and insecurity. I do know of another girl who did. You may have heard of her, her name is Natalia Vodianova and she has a similar story to tell, but with a much happier ending.

Sometimes I wonder how many Irinas there are out there. Bullied, told that they won’t amount to anything, and made to believe they are nothing special. It’s unfair and untrue! I feel that it’s our responsibility – yes, ours! – to tell such girls and boys that they can do anything they want, even if their parents/teachers won’t.

On the picture, Irina is 3rd from the left in middle row; I’m in purple. Can you guess who the bully is?

Answer: most of you thought the bully was the guy with a red tie, but actually it’s the second boy from the right (the blond)! Just goes to show that bullies come in all shapes and sizes…

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