H&M is Here!

"Here" meaning "Southcenter," but we'll take what we can get. The first (and largest) of three stores planned to open in the Seattle area this year, the Southcenter H&M opens at 10 a.m. today. It's part of the mall's big expansion, which features a whole mess of new stores and restaurants, making the Tukwila shopping center the largest indoor mall in Washington and Oregon. Recession be damned.

Employees are anticipating a madhouse at the store today (and always, from this point forward), as the stylish Swedish brand has its loyal followers. Even though the Southcenter store is located adjacent to similarly trendy Forever 21 and something called Love Culture, H&M isn't expecting much by way of competition, pointing to the brand's emphasis on "cheap chic" fashion over mere trends. To that end, today's opening will feature celebrity stylist Robert Verdi on hand to give fashion tips and help customers pull together a fabulous outfit.

At 25,000 square feet, the Southcenter location covers two floors, including special sections for kids and lingerie. They've got 70 employees, all of whom were busy yesterday putting the final touches on the store and tidying up clothes racks that will never look that organized again. If you want to avoid a trek to Tukwila, the University Village location (replacing Abercrombie, thank god) and the Downtown location (where Kenneth Cole used to be) will open soon enough--this fall, though we don't have dates just yet. There's also word of the merchandise being available online sometime in the relatively near future, but for now H&M is well worth the trip.