Forever 21

This shop is like Primark but for Topshop prices. There are 3 floors of clothes (most of the space is taken up by womenswear). Us men only get a sad, dark corner of the ground floor which is very disappointing. Most of Glasgow’s shops except H&M and Debenhams discriminate against us by giving us about a fifth of the floor and nothing else. It’s not good if you don’t like heights because it is so high for only 3 floors. Improve the men’s section and lower the prices and I’ll be a regular but for now I’ll stick to Primark.

This store is my only experience of Forever 21, I know it’s big elsewhere but it’s the only one I have visited. It’s a huge store, which also presents a useful shortcut from Renfield Street to Buchanan Street, but don’t make that your only reason to visit ;) my favourite floor is the top floor, here you will find numerous sales rails, spectacular shoes, bags and jewellery, nightwear and lingerie, the plus size section and (currently) the sports clothes and «essentials» (£3 t-​shirts). I am a fan of the little accessories which they sell (make up essentials, manicure sets etc) next to the till as they always have nice designs on the make up bags. Each floor has something of interest, though the sizing policy does take a little getting used to (I got a medium top today, but normally that’s not my size! Best way is pick up lots & head to the changing rooms. Staff are always super helpful, polite and friendly in my experience.

There’s just something about this shop that has always drawn me in. In my smaller days, I could actually buy things and have them fit me like a charm. Now it’s pretty hit or miss, but it doesn’t keep me from wandering about this place like a child in a candy store.
While things aren’t of the greatest quality, I doubt anyone shopping here wants anything more than just for a few wears, a night out or maybe a holiday in the sun. Loads of barely there tops and dresses to fit just about anyone.
There is a Plus size range, for those of you, like me, who have a little bit more lovin’ on your bodies than the usual preteen. Where in normal shops for grown ups (hehe), I’m usually a medium or a large, I find that the large in Forever 21 is a bit snug, so their plus sized section starts at an XL size (which, honestly, is more like a large in my book). I’m not ashamed, I’m 5’9 and built like a swimmer (I did grow up swimming competitively). If it fits and looks nice, who cares about the size or what section you bought it from, ammiright?
My most recent purchases were two lovely necklaces. I remember back when I used to doll myself up even with the simplest of accessories, so I’m slowly testing out those waters again with a few pieces that won’t quite break the bank just yet. Tiffany will have to wait. ;)
Oh, Forever 21 with your bright lights and your club house music, I will always hold a place in my heart from you. We go way back to when you were only a single floor shop in a rickety mall in the states. Now, you’re a three story, just as lovely mega shop here in Glasgow. I heart you (as the kids would say)

Sigh. Forever 21. Every fibre of my being wants to love Forever 21 more than I do, but I just… can’t. Every time I optimistically order online, I have to send the majority back. Every time I look at the «normal sized» clothing, I roll my eyes because a forever 21 large is like an everywhere else small.
The store is like a mecca of clothing. Every item of clothing you can imagine resides here. If you’re looking for it, it’s here– if you’re six stone and fourteen years old. In most places where the sizing is Small, Medium and Large, I can comfortably fit into a large, like in H&M. But in Forever 21, it’s just luck, or it has to be extremely loose fitting. I did get a very nice black, maxi dress that made me look like a real classy broad, so that was nice!
I think Forever 21 is… interesting. I go in and have a look because CLOTHES and I see things like really short denim shorts in December. You know the kind where your arse cheeks hang out the bottom? I see nice jumpers but they have really big holes in them in December. I see Maxi dresses and jumpsuits… in December. Like I accept people go on holiday and stuff at Christmas time but surely this is taking the bloody biscuit. IT’S FREEZING OUTSIDE WHY WOULD I WANT TO WEAR MAXI DRESSES AND SHORT SHORTS? There is also a severe lack of knitwear and coats and scarves.
Everything is really pretty. REALLY pretty. Even the arse-​cheek shorts but they are really lacking in options for girls who are anything bigger than a size ten. Yes, their plus size section is bigger than quite a lot of their competitors who may just have a small section of the shop– but usually, girls who fall into the «Plus size» category are catered for in other departments too because most shops have sizes up to an ¹⁸⁄₂₀. Forever 21 don’t have this and it is seriously disappointing.
Forever 21 would get four stars if they designed clothes where anything over a size 12 isn’t plus size. I don’t have to shop in the plus size section of any other shop thatI like, so why is Forever 21 any different?
I don’t know, maybe I could just lose weight?
Forever 21 does have going for it, really bright lighting so that you can see everything, it’s generally quite tidy and it is pretty reasonably priced. The stuff also tends to be better quality than Primark for just a few quid cheaper. I really love their selection of cardigans– I have one in nearly every colour for work and in some cases, they are cheaper than Primark and wash better. The jewellery selection is also really vast and there are lots of reasonably priced earring packs and necklaces. The bag and shoe department is pretty lacking, as other reviewers have said.
If forever 21 got their act together RE their sizing and their seasonal selection of clothing, they would seriously be my new favourite shop. But, in the mean time, I’ll trot back off to Primark!

I’m a few (ahem) years past 21 and have no desire to be forever 21. But I wanted a maxi-​skirt and knew that there was a good chance I’d get what I was looking for without breaking the bank in Forever 21.
This shop is massive and I’m not sure in a particularly good way. It took me 30 minutes to find any maxi skirts and in that time didn’t pick up anything else — unheard of. I traversed the whole three floors, including a shoe and accessories department — normally my achilles heel and whilst I was really pleased to find a maxi skirt that I like for £9 there was nothing else that made me want to flex the plastic.
Although, they do get an extra star for fantastic staff. I asked a member of staff if they had the same skirt in black and she scuttled off around the store looking for me and although she didn’t find the style that I wanted came back with an alternative and was thoroughly lovely.

I thought I’d reviewed here but apparently not. I’ve visited it a couple of times for different reasons — one was a browsing session, one I actually got stuff and then a third time I discovered you can walk straight through ground floor of the store as a convenient cut through from Buchanan St to West Nile St — particularly handy if you’re coming from the Underground or Queen St!
So, what do I think of this store? Well, the clothes are cheap and bright, and aimed at people quite a bit younger than me. They have some good accessories but not as many bags as I’d expect of a store this size. This store is absolutely mammoth and it can be overwhelming trying to find anything here. Personally, I really like shopping online and don’t tend to enjoy actually shopping in shops as I tend to know exactly what I’m looking for. I can’t really think of a situation where I would enjoy walking around three levels of a shop looking for things to buy, that all sounds like a bit of hard work to me (I’m too efficient for my own good sometimes).
That being said, I have got a few sports bras here and they are quite good. I wouldn’t recommend them for larger busted ladies as they aren’t super supportive, I would put them in a mid range in terms of support. I like the colour range (fluros) and these have all kept their colour and shape really well in the wash (machine wash on delicate and air dry, not tumble). On that shopping expedition I found the staff to be helpful and chatty without being intense or scary.
So really for me, this store is more of a two star job as I wouldn’t shop here in most situations, but the fact you can nip through to West Nile St (and back, obviously) takes it up to 3 stars for me.

Maybe I’m getting old, I don’t know…(Ironically I’m 21! I should love it!) But this place is just too big! Nauseatingly so. Not a single piece of clothing took my fancy, the clothing didn’t seem to be of a high quality (my sister had to return something recently due to damage after one wear!) and it wasn’t as cheap as I’d expected. Really disappointed because my friend was recently wearing a lovely ice cream cone print Forever 21 dress she’d got from a store in America. I loved it and was desperate to get shopping! I really wanted to love you, Forever 21. Sorry!

I eagerly awaited the arrival & opening of Glasgow/Scotland’s first flagship Forever 21 store. Having only a few stores in the UK (others being in London, Birmingham, Kent & Manchester) I was totally made up they had decided to open one here in bonny Glasgow! Woo!
I hadn’t actually stepped foot into a F21 before I heard about its imminent arrival in Glasgow back in 2012. Then I went to Birmingham at the beginning of the year and oops! I spotted a F21! I just *had* to go in… so as I am not reviewing Birmingham’s F21 I will keep schtum. The only reason I mentioned this is because I slightly kicked myself (more gave myself a Chinese burn) for having ‘spoiled’ my F21 virgin experience… doh. Nothing beats that initial excitement of entering a new shop/​place for the first time. So I kinda ruined it for myself. Bah.
Anyway, I was still excited to visit the new Glasgow store as obviously no two stores are exactly the same. I must admit on first entering I had mixed feelings — I was initially impressed with the sheer size of the place, the layout & how spacious & airy it felt. (The shop is laid out amongst 3 floors & each floor is pretty masooive.) Then I looked at the clothes… I was not impressed. Compared to Birmingham Glasgow’s stock seemed a lot blander & very 90’s surfer/​neon chic. Not my thang. (Been there in the actual 90’s & done that) so inside I did a wee cry. They had some excellent kitsch 50’s vintage inspired pieces in the B’ham store but I couldn’t see anything of that ilk in here. So aye, the ground floor was a BIG disappointment. So I ventured upstairs & again I was a bit saddened… then in this small area I discovered a few gems… then some more… and then more again! So what started off as me not seeing anything I liked I ended up buying 5 items of clothing! Yay.
The price of F21’s gear is pretty good — it’s not as cheap as Primark don’t get me wrong but it’s probably on par with H&M and New Look. Most dresses average a price of around £20. Some are a bit dearer and I do begrudge paying £30 for some (esp. when they’re not particularly ornate or a brilliant material) but still when you compare their prices to the likes of Top Shop, Urban Outfitters, etc. F21 are pretty reasonable indeed.
They have a huge accessories section but again I found some of their prices were a bit too expensive for what you were getting, I dunno, maybe i’ve just been spoilt by Primark’s über cheapness… It just seems you have to hunt around for the true bargains in this store a bit more so than in some others.
The guys section in here I found to be a bit pitiful — a small corner of the ground floor is the mens ‘section’ & I was very unimpressed with their stock. They also have children’s/young girls clothes too & they seemed to have some pretty cool stuff. Also there is a ‘Plus Size’ section too for those sized 18+ This did make me laugh a bit because I actually find some of their regular ‘Large’ size dresses to be very small! So I kinda dispair for any ladies sized 14 – 16. Bah.
I do like F21 for their prices, choice, opening times (they open until 7:30/8:30pm most days) & airy layout but I do not like their minimal stock policy (I heard that once they sell out of an item they do not restock it — this is great if you like to wear more ‘unique’ pieces from a high street store but not so great if, like me, you LOVE a particular dress but they don’t have any of your size left. Bah.), the amount of ‘casual’ wear (think American Apparal-​esque leggings/​crop tops in multiple colours) & their lack of variety in styles of clothing (not every woman is a fan of neon/90’s shiz). Still, I give F21 4 out of 5 as I KNOW I will be a regular customer & I the odd gems you find are worth it.
Also I have to add that you do NOT have to be 21 or below to shop here! Some lady told me she was ‘afraid’ their stuff would be ‘too young’ for her but nope, it’s not at all. Like I said you just have to hunt out the wee beauties amongst all the neon lycra & fringed crop tops.