PHOTOS: Take a tour of the first H&M in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – The first H&M in the Philippines opens to the public 9am on October 17 – but fans will likely be falling in line much sooner than that. (READ: H&M CEO on opening first PH store: What took them so long?)

A surprise performance at the opening party. A giant countdown clock positioned in strategic view even to people in cars passing by. The promise of special offers on opening day. What appears to be a significant investment by the brand into promotional materials (you could not have missed the billboards around the metro, on Megamall’s escalators, hanging from the ceilings). These have all contributed to stoking the general anticipation to a fever pitch.  

Take a look at Rappler’s photos of the store, taken before it first opened to party guests on October 17. 

In the store, you’ll find: 

• First floor: basics, accessories, shoes, lingerie, women’s wear
• Second floor: women’s casual wear, most of the DIVIDED line, active wear, more accessories, denim
• Third floor: menswear, children’s wear 

A few tips: 

• If you’re coming with friends, rethink a big group – you will all likely want to go your separate ways, depending on your shopping objective
• Coming from the first floor, you may want to start from the entrance closest to the mall entrance. Cover the floor moving towards the escalator, so that when you’re done, you can take the escalator 
• For anyone who may need it, there’s an elevator inside the store, located midway, some distance away from the escalator 
• Expect fitting rooms to be full, so anticipate what sizes you’ll be needing or check if you can approximate your size for certain pieces 
• Understand what you’re looking for and the pricing tiers within H&M. Remember, within H&M, the Studio line is more premium, the Divided line trendier, and within the H&M brand, there’s active wear, the modern classic line, women’s casual wear et cetera. So your spending will matter on what you are going to pick up. You may want to choose a few trendy pieces, or just 1-2 Studio or premium pieces in order to watch your spending 
• Wander. One of our representatives liked a cropped top she saw, though she wanted a black piece, not the mint green or white that was available. She found it later a few paces away from the main display. You may want to ask the store staff – the Philippine team is trained by staff from the region, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, where H&M stores have been in operation for some time. 

Don’t forget, there’s another wave of excitement to come, particularly when the Alexander Wang for H&M collection drops. For now, take a closer look at the collection here. 

Will you be lining up, or will you prefer to wait? Did anything catch your eye? Let us know in the comments below. – Rappler.com