Welcome to The Great Try-On. With spring well and truly in the air, we seized the opportunity to try on some of the best new-in pieces from some of your favourite brands, documenting the process along the way. We believe that the best way to shop online is to see an item IRL and to read candid reviews, so we hope that this leads you to your most successful purchases of the year.
It’s easy to assume that, as a fashion editor, I like to shop. While this is the case, anyone who is familiar with my byline or regularly reads my column will know that I’m notoriously picky and refuse to part with my cash unless I truly love something. There’s something to be said about consuming fashion this way, but it does mean that I largely play it safe and tend to invest in things that may feel a little similar to items I already own when it comes to adding pieces to my wardrobe. This is exacerbated by shopping online. Sure, it’s the most convenient way for me to browse for new wares—especially as I live semi-rurally—but forgoing in-real-life shopping trips in favour of the digital experience ultimately means I’m less tempted to try new things. Not only that, but I spent a lot of time deliberating over which sizes to buy (often opting for two with a view of sending at least one back). This isn’t just bad news for my temporary bank balance, but the emissions that go into sending all of these items back and forth is far from ideal for the environment.
So when our team decided to collectively try on the fresh spring arrivals from the brands we feature most regularly, I was excited to get my hands on some new pieces and test them out in real life, get to grips with the sizes and maybe even try something new. I picked H&M—a brand I always gravitate towards—blocked out some time in my diary and headed on down to my local store. How did I get on? Let’s see, shall we?
After doing a sweep of the shop floor, I headed to the changing rooms with two pull-along baskets full of clothes. We’re talking six pairs of jeans, three dresses, two suits and as much tailoring as this wannabe minimalist could drag. And that was just round one. Fast-forward three hours, and the pieces that grabbed me most were, perhaps, some of the most unexpected. Scroll on to discover what I think are the standout items in H&M’s 2023 spring collection, from the colour I’ve never worn before to the ’90s trend I’d previously sworn off but actually adored.