Having bought most of my summer wardrobe in H&M back in May/June I found myself left with few options when browsing through the rails in recent weeks.
With pretty much everything decent in the women’s section already in my possession, I decided to take my chances in the children’s section and it didn’t disappoint.
Click the pic for the full Back To School 2014 range
If you’ve been following this blog series you’ll know that at 5 foot 4 inches and about 129 lbs I’m lucky enough to be able to wiggle into the largest kids’ clothes but finding shops that cater to normal body shapes ain’t easy.
H&M’s children’s section is an exception to the rule as it actually recognises the fact that kids come in all shapes and sizes.
You see H&M has this fabulous 14 years plus size that just so happens to fit anyone who’s anything up to 5 foot 8 and around the 34 inch mark in the chest. I’ve never been more grateful for what my mammy didn’t give me.
The first and arguably best bargain I came across was this delightful fine knit cardigan. I’d been on the hunt for something similar for months but just couldn’t find a decent one at a reasonable price.
At a mere €6.99 I felt it most definitely warranted a go in front of the mirror.
I nabbed the blue one for myself and when the mammy (who is in her fifties and struggling to find clothes that don’t make her look like an aul wan) saw how well it fitted she decided to chance her arm with the grey one. Needless to say, it was a hit and she’s been wearing it regularly ever since.
Not content to stop there with the knitwear, we continued to browse around until we came across this sweet little star jumper.
We opted for the 170 (that’s the 14+) despite being able to squeeze into the 13-14 and at €9.99 the mammy gladly dropped the white version into her “I’ll buy that” pile. It wasn’t until I dropped into H&M in Cap 3000 on a recent trip to Nice that I spotted and fell in love with the grey one.
Two sweet little crop tops (which have since been removed from the H&M website thanks to the changing of the seasons but came in at €5.99 each) later and I was convinced that the kids’ section was a veritable treasure trove for the shorter legged young lady.
I didn’t dare attempt to squeeze my thighs into the trousers for fear of shattering that beautiful illusion though.
The other half (who is around 5 foot 8) was forced to give the lads’ range a go while we were in France and found the 14 + size offering of this classy red sweatshirt a slightly snug fit.
That’s not to say it didn’t look well on him though, so I was rather disheartened to lose the battle and leave it behind us in the shop.
With the added benefit of hindsight I do think he probably made the right call but I just find it so difficult to say no to a good bargain.
It’s just one of the new autumn offerings that look rather delightful, so chances are you’ll spot me slipping a few more kids jumpers over my head in front of a H&M mirror this August.
Y’know, just for the craic.
It's Strawberry Blonde 