Hah, Bella! I was just going to mention Spanish holding company “Inditex”. Brilliant, brilliant beyond belief. Each retail store caters to different markets. Massimo Dutti is a little more up-market and classic, which is why Rute loves it. Stradivarius is completely over the top and caters to youngsters (that’s where I got my skinny micro check black and cream pants). Zara is their trendy yet sophisticated goldmine and sits somewhere in between the two markets. Zara is a completely vertical operation and is one of *the* most successful chain stores in the world - does ZERO advertising. ZERO!!!
Over the years, I’ve found the sizing of both H&M and Zara extremely inconstant. Generally their bottoms run small and narrow. However, with the volume trend I would not give up yet, Marianna and Michelle. By all means keep stopping by and fitting on items especially in the light of your changing bodies. Also, Zara’s accessories and handbags are fabulous.
I’d focus on the woven items in both stores at the moment. They stood out more than the knits. I tweeted about a slouchy H&M handbag which is divine for $24.99. Cream, brown, black and beige. By the way, beware of all the beige in these stores too.
Maya, that purple shirt dress looked fabulous and was not too short in my book. I think that the black shirt dress which I wore when we met is shorter. And you really need that cropped blazer.
