Despite being clad in a gorgeous new Calvin Klein thick knit scarf, adorable festive mittens and my tall chestnut Uggs, I returned to Birmingham on Saturday after a trip to Loughborough and felt frozen. A hot lemon and ginger tea was all that I had on my mind for the evening, but after all of the hype that I had stumbled across on Twitter yesterday I decided to explore the newly opened Forever 21 store in the Bullring before taking my final few steps home. What I found was a palace in which Topshop and Primark had merged to create a chic, quirky and cost effective range of clothing!
Amidst enormous (and beautiful) posters of their British face, Amber Le Bon, I allowed myself to be mesmerised by the simple and fresh decor, the pleasant and helpful shop assistants and the pre-styled mannequins that graced the three floors so invitingly. Amounting to both a positive and negative shopping experience, the shop is not necessarily divided into categories; instead, everything is jumbled up and you must browse the entire space to explore the endless pop-up appearances of dresses, shoes, scarves, bras and all that lies in between. Although it was difficult to pin point my favourite parts of the experience because the entire thing felt like a whirlwind of joy, relief and excitement, the following items made a lasting impression on me (and a dent in my bank balance…)
Leather skirt with lace trim (not to mention those divine leopard print wedges!)
Liza Minelli eat your heart out... beautiful sequin shorts
Get the Gwen Stefani look in these L.A.M.B-esque plaid clips
Channel your inner Kate Moss in these stunning biker boots (I've been wearing them since Saturday and can personally confirm that they are uber comfortable).
All of your problems are solved. Following the launch of this demure little palace you will never be stuck for your Custard Factory outfit again!
