One Day to H&M

I don't think I've seen a media frenzy like this for the arrival of a chain store since Krispy Kreme came to town (and that was in the PBE -- the Pre-Blog Era).

So let us add to the hype: Yup, H&M opens tomorrow in Pasadena. Fans rave over the stylish store's low prices -- yup, it's the Two-Buck Chuck of the retail world.

Get there early tomorrow: The first 100 customers in Pasadena will receive gift cards worth $10 to $300. The line will likely snake down Colorado Blvd. in Old Town early Thursday.

The LA Times weighs in:

&M — and its aggressive competitors, including L.A.-based Forever 21, the Spanish chain Zara and Target — are the vanguard of a retail revolution that is changing the way Americans think about and shop for clothes. While big department stores and elite designers struggle, stores like these, which quickly deliver runway trends at bargain-basement prices, are winning the hearts and wallets of both well-heeled clotheshorses and thrifty wannabes.

The signs are everywhere: Forever 21 now inhabits the former Saks Fifth Avenue in Pasadena. The respected designer of Barneys New York's private label, Behnaz Sarafpour, is now creating another exclusive collection — for Target. Fashion glossies such as Marie Claire feature a $2,500 Ralph Lauren black cape alongside a $59.99 version from H&M. And H&M, which began its U.S. invasion just six years ago, will have 108 stores in this country when the Old Pasadena outpost opens at noon Thursday.

Curbed LA has been aggressively covering H&M's march to SoCal, while the tongue-in-cheeksters over at Losanjealous have added a clock to their site, counting down the minutes until the Pasadena store opens.