QUICK AND DIRTY WITH ROBERT VERDI
Our day has finally come. H&M, the highest authority in fast fashion, has graced us with a store — at long last. Las Vegans started lining up inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort at 10 p.m. the night before the opening as a show of appreciation for the Las Vegas launch. By noon last Friday, 550 hungry shoppers had H&M management checking and double-checking store capacity (210).
We called on Robert Verdi, E!’s style expert, to convey exactly why an H&M opening inspires the kind of excitement comparable to a Beatles concert. "For the longest time, there wasn’t a democracy in fashion," he said. "Fashion was for the rich." As one of the first people in line for Manhattan’s first H&M opening, Verdi is all about spreading the style wealth. He planned to share the bounty of his shopping with his top client, Eva Longoria, who has the stylist frantically snatching hangers off racks with the rest of the fanatic customers. According to Verdi, the early bird gets the size 2 and he competed with a lot more birds than usual. But he said it was worth the trouble.
"H&M is like a great dessert that tastes delicious and somehow only has 60 calories," he said of the affordable, high-quality inventory.
Here’s a glance at Verdi’s top picks from the first H&M in Las Vegas. (The second opening — a 27,000-square-foot flagship store — takes place next month at Town Square.) If you watch the gossip magazines close enough, you just might spot Longoria in a few of these must-have pieces soon.
1. Cap sleeve dress, $24.90. "It’s familiar but how exciting is it in chocolate and marigold?"
2. Graphic print top, $24.90. "I’m a color lover. Anything that can be playful and layered."
3. Bomber jacket, $49.90. "This is a classic bomber but it has a modern edge because of the slimmer cut and it’s a little shorter."
4. Cable knit, cowl neck sweater, $24.90. "This girl — I make them up in my head as I go — should have a black satin clutch and over-the-knee boots."
5. Slicker, $34.90; galoshes, $49.90. "My mother was the kind of lady (who) wore shoes to match her belt and a hat to match her gloves. That’s why I love these."
6. Plaid blue and black trousers, $29.90. "These are a big menswear trend. Look at that great wide leg!"
7. Starry gloves, $5.90; starry scarf, $7.90. "I love that they are what they are: Practical, they’re about warmth but really they’re about fashion."
8. Polka-dot dress, $24.90. "Guys never have had that option of just putting on one thing and you’re done. That’s why the dress is so great."
Contact fashion reporter Xazmin Garza at xgarza@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0477.
