review: H&M garden collection

I've mentioned before that I am loving floaty, floral, watercolor-esque type clothing lately. A floaty top with skinny jeans and a cardigan or leather jacket has become my go-to outfit formula lately. So, when I saw that H&M was releasing a "garden collection" full of floaty, bohemian pieces, I knew I wanted to check it out.

According to the website, the collection is made from "environmentally adapted materials recycled polyester, organic cotton and organic linen." Prices top out at about $60 for the more coveted pieces (jackets and the rose blazer), but most fall within the $20-$30 range. You would imagine the pieces to be soft, airy, textured, etc. My verdict? SOME are, MOST are not, and I found much of it to be pretty unflattering on me.

My closest H&M is notorious for slow cashier lines and congested and sauna-like fitting rooms. I just grabbed whatever I could find in my size and waited in line. When I finally tried everything on at home, I was a little unsure. The sizing runs a bit big, and while exaggerated batwing sleeves look fab on a thin, tall model...they seemed to overwhelm me. Same with the double-layered ruffles on the tops and dresses. I took a 4 in everything, and probably could have managed with a 2, save for the top and dress that have the babydoll-tie-top.



I don't know if it's because I am curvy yet small-boned and petite, but the 3rd top shown just overwhelmed me. The 1st top was cute but I didn't dig the elastic at the sleeves. The 2nd was also cute, but I doubted whether I could pull off huge bohemian sleeves. I'm still considering the last dress, but I feel like I might wear it once and forget it. Truth be told - I was on the fence about all of them. I mean everyone is raving about this collection...was I crazy? Then I tried everything on for Husband and he was very 'meh if that's what's in style now and you like it, you should keep it.' Coming from someone who rarely, if ever has commentary on my fashion choices aside from 'I love that on you' and 'no you are not and do not look fat,' this meant a lot to me. He didn't like a single piece, reinforcing my gut feelings.

The polyester items are unlined, and all of the ones I had purchased had some loose threads. I doubt the items would fall apart on me if I were to keep them, but still annoying. I will say, when I looked at the organic cotton items - they all felt soft and light. Coming in white and soft, pastel colors, they seemed like great pieces to pair with basics like khaki shorts. I didn't grab any of these, since I was shopping with tunnel vision for prints. But, they were available in plenty of sizes. I also saw a girl wearing the coveted red rose blazer, with some faded grey skinnies and a white tee. She was also super tall and model-thin. Of course, it looked great on her!

And I think that's the lesson here. Sure this stuff may have looked ok on me, but it wasn't flattering. Doesn't mean it won't look super cute on anyone else. I'd rather take the $20-$25 each piece cost, and put it towards one of the nicer pieces on my wishlist. Now, if that Ali Ro dress would only go on sale...