Swedish invasion

Queen’s fashionistas rejoice as Swedish super-chain H&M comes to Kingston. After taking over the space of six stores and a restaurant, H&M opened on Oct. 20 at Cataraqui Town Centre to 400 people already waiting in line. H&M spokesperson Emily Scarlett said the decision to open a store in Kingston came after countless customer requests over email, Facebook and their website. “We really like to listen to our customers,” She said.

She said 2000 people were expected to have travelled through the store by the end of its opening day. By 1 p.m., determined shoppers waited in lines curving through the entire store. The store has sections for women, men and children.

Covering 8000 sq. ft. and two floors, the store was still spacious and easy to navigate despite the amount of patrons. Like its other locations, it has a mix of trendy and traditional, formal and fun, laidback and luxurious.

Scarlett said the store was selling a lot of multipurpose items like as chunky knits, which she described as “ideal for the Canadian customer.”

“They can be layered, accessorized, worn with jeans, leggings,” she said.

Faux fur was another popular item, featured on everything from jackets, scarves and bags.

Other trends we noticed are sure to be seen on campus soon: elbow patches, tweed, and lots of leather.

Many Queen’s students are excited for the addition to the Kingston fashion scene.

“It fits the student budget, it’s trendy and there’s more of a variety,” said Athena Nicholas, ArtSci ’12. “Everyone shops at the same stores. This just adds more diversity.” Although there was a shuttle going from Queen’s campus to the store on its opening day, Nicholas said the usual longer bus ride shouldn’t be a problem.

“People will definitely be willing to take the bus. It’s worth the trip.”

Fall/winter trends we spotted:

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