Herald Square Had Personal Shoppers for Versace x H&M

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We arrived at the Herald Square H&M for our designated 10:25am shopping time a bit early, so we were able to watch the group before us get let into the pen. To our surprise, the crowd wasn't browsing too ferociously and we hoped that our group would also play nice. (Male customers were gossiping about physical fights in the men's section, though we didn't see anything.) Between each shopping group there was a five minute restocking and organizing period. Employees kept the floor well-organized and the displays looking clean.

Everyone wearing a hot pink band was directed to form a line to shop the Versace collection. The timer started, and we were let in to the gated area. As we passed through, a personal shopper greeted us with a shopping bag, offering to hold our items and find anything specific we wanted. Given the time limit, this situation was very helpful, and much appreciated!

While shopping, we took a good look at the quality of the collection. Most higher priced items used nice fabrics, such as silk and leather. However, lower priced items didn't compare in craftsmanship. There was lots of polyester on the care tags, and looking at the construction we saw most seams were surged and also not covered. In particular, the floral corset ($129) featured seams on the outside that suggested excellent fit, but underneath the boning was quite rigid and uncomfortable looking, and didn't look like something we wanted to be digging into our ribs.

We had hoped the Herald Square location would carry the studded leather dress or metal mesh dress, but we found mostly printed and ruffle dresses. There weren't too many housewares sprinkled about, and we also didn't notice the studded mini-skirt. Employees told us they had run out of all the stock in leather jackets and faux fur vests.

The bottom line: We were thrilled we were allowed to leave the store until our given shopping time. The "personal shopper" employees were are a nice touch and a great help. The only disappointment was we expected items to be well-crafted, and alas we were met with subpar arrangements. Don't call us fabric snobs; we just wanted to see some extra care put into this ultra-hyped collection.—Apneet Kaur
· The Versace x H&M Launch Was More Manageable at 34th Street [Racked NY]
· Inside the Fifth Avenue Flagship, Versace for H&M Is Going Fast [Racked NY]
· The Versace x H&M Line in Midtown Started 22 Hours Ago [Racked NY]