i've been hearing from friends in the fashion industry about the invasion of the real forever 21 to manila & finally last fri, it has landed. i planned to go on its opening day to make ush-show-sow. (alright to be honest, i wanted to get a gc, as i read from chuvaness that they're giving away such for early birds. i love freebies!)
for some reason, i forgot about it & good thing i did cos my good friend jinj told me the place was packed. there was no way, i could've gotten a free voucher she said. & peeps were shopping like there's no tomorrow. everybody stylish & nagpapanggap na stylish were there. designers & merchandisers including their mm's & probably even their vp's opted to go on field that day & do competitive check. read: shopping ;p
so i said, curious me will go when the curiosity is over. so tonight, since i was around mega, i thought it's been a week & it's a thu so maybe there won't be too many peeps & i was wrong. they had like 10 or 12 counters & yet the queues are sooo loooong. henry sy's magic in the works again ;p
dreamy-eyed women & gays (probably envisioning how to wear their new outfits the next couple of days) & not-so-happy men (probably fielded in by girlfriends/wives to line up for them while they're in the dressing room or checking out the fancy accs.) were braving the loooonng lines with, i would say, 4 items ave. per customer. mr. sy must be very happy. hurray!
i'm happy for sm. i heard they were eagerly anticpating to bring in h&m about 3 years ago. (hence, the specualted reason behind facelift of sm mkti & sm dept stores.) at around the same time, rustan's peeps were saying, they will bring in h&m. why it didn't come to pass, dunno.
i'm happy for the fashionistas on a budget & me-self. they don't have to contend with vintage (read: uks) products. not a fan. alright, i did buy a few items but eventually stopped. i didn't like boiling clothes.
i wonder how this will affect brands like mango, zara & even local brands. f21 has very affordable items. the night before f21's opening, i happened to take a sneak peak at zara sale at gb & as usual, ladies & gents were grabbing items like mad. i wonder if it's still the same story the day f21 opened its doors. are they hurt by the new kid in town? i wonder what happened to old (fake daw) f21 here in manila before.
worth noting are the trendy & pretty shoppers in the "candy store" for fashionistas. those that i only used to see at shang are here. sm seems to be attracting more upper class clientele. they started with m&s, then the block, mega atrium, to which i have to ask, is it working? are the tenants making money? doesn't look like it. except forthis latest venture. let's see if it holds.
while i was doing all these wondering & scanning the huge & expansive fashion store, to be efficient, i was also picking up a striped knitchambray combi mini-dress, cute bandeau, jersey shortalls, plain v-neck tee, true blue jeans, silver loop earrings to try on & welcome to my wardrobe. but i wasn't brave enough to wait in line for the dressing room so i said i can't go wrong with my choices. & given the inexpensive prices, it won't hurt if later, i change my mind. like i don't like the fit or it doesn't look good on me. besides, i can always wrap it for christmas gift to friends (oops, there goes my secret.). it's fast approaching anyway. by now, some brands are already brainstorming for their concept for christmas. they might also want to start plotting how to conquer or tame this latest entry to the roster of fashion brands.
so, i told me-curious self, i'm going to buy these stuff right away, no need to fit. i showed my true color & my real nature came out of its shell, shopaholic sachi emerged. i have to buy these now! i have to get my shopping fix now! i've tried it on the mirror, i justified. but then, i look at the box office hit line, & i say, forget it, i'm hungry. it's a little past dinnertime.
what??!!! me, getting hungry while shopping? i can't believe it! in my whole shopping life, this is a first! i don't get tired or hungry when shopping. i've shopped long & wide, sometimes even in heels, sometimes with a slight fever & flu, during sale in metro manila malls, in flea markets, in hk, in bkk. i don't get tired because i'm in my element. up until tonight.
what happened to me? this is so not me. i have changed! i'm free, i'm liberated from the shackles of commercialism & instant gratification. i'm no longer a shopaholic! i'm released of my vice... should i be scared? ;p
anyway, i left the store without any goodie (sorry to the sy's, i'm not parting with my moolah tonight. so what, for definitely sure, they're not the slightest bit affected.) but i didn't feel that bad. huh? i don't know me anymore. i've matured ;p but i swear, i'll be back, better prepared. i'll go when the office folks are still trapped in their cubicles so i'll have a grand time hehe.
f21, i'll be back with a vengeance & shop like crazy. friends, let's sugod! ;p
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