Unlike the crazyness that seemed to have happened within the first hours of its inauguration, the store was, for a saturday, very quiet but then, it's located on luxury upper money Saint-Honoré street and not popular and commercial Rivoli street.
The space is beautiful, with a luxuriant inner yard, clear and luminous, not overflowing with merchandise, is also in my opinion a subtle reference to the Céline store located on rue François 1er with its raw, in a permanent state of under construction ambiance.
Lots of cute things here and there: skincare, makeup, jewelry, accessories mixed up in an orderly yet cute display according to a look /color scheme/mood board.
The shoe section offers lots of options: flats, very high heels, Nike sneakers. I tried these plum loafers but considering that I bought so many shoes lately, I've reached a (relative) saturation point and would feel utter guilt adding another pair right now so I didn't linger around.
The sale assistants are really nice, polite, helpful yet not too intrusive which is an extra bonus point in my opinion. Much better than the treat-clients-like-they're-transparent policy going on at Zara a few meters farther down the same street.
But when it comes to the matter at heart: clothes, I'm not completely convinced by & Other Stories.
Don't get me wrong there are some very nice and interesting items but there's often too much going-on for me. As if the brand wants to prove to your face its so buzzed about creativity.
So you'll find lots of slits, transparent panels, volume, colorblocking, pleats, materials mixed, draping, neoprene, stripes, 80's - 90's influences, etc.
It left me with an after taste of try (too) hard.
But maybe it's because I'm not in their marketing target. I guess I'm too conservative, prefering basics, classics with a little twist, natural materials rather than synthetics.
Don't get me wrong there are some very nice and interesting items but there's often too much going-on for me. As if the brand wants to prove to your face its so buzzed about creativity.
So you'll find lots of slits, transparent panels, volume, colorblocking, pleats, materials mixed, draping, neoprene, stripes, 80's - 90's influences, etc.
It left me with an after taste of try (too) hard.
But maybe it's because I'm not in their marketing target. I guess I'm too conservative, prefering basics, classics with a little twist, natural materials rather than synthetics.
My only real & Other Stories coup de cœur was that dress bellow.
i was intrigued by &OS after seeing their online debut - looks a lot less cluttered and more 'clean', but your shop review is very interesting. i imagine this is H&M's gesture to the arty/slightly avant garde/indie market. are there really a lot of synthetic materials? and i wonder what the 'stories' are for the designs/collaborations.
RépondreSupprimerI agree, my own online experience made me expect "more", maybe because of the presentation with models in situation.
SupprimerI wouldn't say it's cluttered but the overall impression is a mix-match of trends.
To me there's no clear identity of the &OS brand like even COS, also an H&M brand, has. Maybe I was expecting too much due to all the buzz around this launch and maybe it just needs time to mature a bit more.
Oh and there are collaborations with other designers like Clare Vivier and another american (I think) artist whose name I can't remember.
SupprimerAs for the material, there's a bit of natural fibers (silk, cotton...) but a good part is synthetic or mixed up, like in Zara or h&m...
I love the dress you found! The zippers are a great detail.
RépondreSupprimerYes, I stopped in my tracks in front of the dress, I didn't buy it though... Too many dresses and skirts already waiting to be worn...
SupprimerI had a feeling it was those burgundy slippers - I had them in my basket not so long ago and by the time I went to check out, they'd gone. Guess it wasn't meant to be. I see they are back in my size again but I'm spent up now. See - not meant to be!
RépondreSupprimerI know what you mean. I don't push it either: when something is right, planets align!
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