Ok so I am just a tad obsessed with Forever 21 and have been ever since I fist went there in Tokyo, Japan in 2012. I was always very sad that we didn't have any stores here in Australia, but that all changed on Thursday 16 October 2014!
Forever 21 opened their first ever Forever 21 store right here in Brisbane, wait what? Not Sydney or Melbourne!? Those two cities are the 'mega' cities of Australia and have seen the first of coveted imported brands such as Zara, H&M, UniQlo, Sephora and many more leaving Brisbane left behind... but not this time!
They have opened their first Aussie store in the popular Queen St Mall next to the new 'NEXT' hotel and it is HUGE and beautiful! There are two levels all filled to the max with women's fashion, jewellery, bags, swimwear, active wear, sleepwear and even menswear! There is so much to look at so if you're heading there I would suggest allocating a decent amount of time just getting through the store and looking at everything they have to offer. On top of that, there may be lines to get into the store (as was my case on opening day) and even worse, the fitting room lines!
Opening day I suspect would be the busiest as there were free gifts, DJ, photo booth and a whole lot of fun things, so if you're planning on going it shouldn't be as bad
now... but don't count on it, people are going mad over Forever 21!
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| This was only a third of the line! - they even had security guards and line barriers! |
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| So much excitement as I was about to enter the store!... but I just realised a lovely person decided to dump their maccas drink right in the middle of my photo :( |
As I got in line at 10:30AM on opening day, a mere 30 minutes after they opened the store doors for the very first time, I waited for around 30 minutes just to get in. I then spent another 40 minutes trying to navigate through the crowds to check everything out (and ended up with a bag full of stuff to try on). But alas the line for the fitting room was not budging and it was time for me to return to uni :(
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| My bag full of goodies! |
But this is not the end of my Forever 21 story, no, I would not be leaving empty handed after visiting the first Australian store on opening day. I returned later on in the day and was met with a line to enter once again, but this time taking only 10 minutes to get in and the crowds were less frantic. I picked out everything I wanted, tried it on, and then made my first, of many, Aussie Forever 21 purchases! And what made me even happier was that I didn't miss out on the free gift to opening day customers! (*strictly while stocks lasted) So now let me show you what I bought and I will also let you know about the pricing (compared to US prices).
This is a super cute skort I found in a really cool punk style area of the store. It has a traditional red/green plaid pattern, it looks like a pleated skirt at the front but it's actually a pair of shorts! *Note this is not high waisted. This one cost me $32.80 but, like all the tags in store, it was a sticker over the American price of $19.90.
This deep v-neck floral playsuit caught my eye immediately as something I would love to wear but would never suit me... you know what I mean right? But when I tried it on I loved it! This one was $28.80 AUD, which is a pretty good price, but only $17.80 US! You'd never see a playsuit like this for that price in Australia!
This is a basic red jersey material dress - everyone's gotta have a red dress right? I loved the style of a skater dress with vertical seams instead of the seam along the waistline. This was in the basics area on the lower level and cost $14.80 AUD which is very reasonable! Although the US price is $11.80.
The first thing I heard when entering the store was the lady at the door telling everyone to check out the $12.80 jeans... How cheap is that!? I could not leave without buying a pair, especially at such a good price! I know where I'll be going next winter when I need some jeans! $12.80 AUD compared to $7.90 US. But hey, $12.80 jeans, I'm not complaining!
Last but not least, my final purchase (which would have been my 2nd last purchase if the cashier didn't forget to scan my earrings.. grrrr :( I didn't realise until I left). This is the make-up sponge, of a similar shape to those special sponges that are becoming increasingly popular now, which came in purple (as above) or turquoise. I decided I wanted to give these raved about sponges a go seeing as it was only $6.80 AUD, which is a lot less than other sponges of this sort here, but is more compared to the price of $3.80 which you would pay if you lived in America.
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| Oops did I not mention my free gift I received as one of the first day shoppers? |
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| It was this cute little triangle that I found sitting at the bottom of my bag that contained some forever 21 earphones! I haven't tried them out, but I'm not expecting much since they were free... Oh well they were free :) |
So this concludes my Forever 21 in Australia shopping experience, I hope you enjoyed reading and that you may have a wonderful time if you ever go to Forever 21.
That's all for now
Sayonara! xo
