"Forever" is Actually How Long It Will Take You to See Everything at New Forever 21

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There's an old joke about two old men sitting around in a restaurant, and one of them says, "The food here is terrible!" And the other one says, "Yes, and the portions are so small." We thought about this joke as we explored the new megasized Forever 21 at Los Cerritos Center. And no, we don't mean that Forever 21 is terrible, far from it. It's just that if you're not a fan, the new 85,000 sq. ft. space isn't going to convert you. (In fact, it may terrify you.) Even if you are a fan, your initial delight—no, more than delight: glee, ecstasy, exaltation—may turn to dumbfoundment. It's that freaking huge.

Two bright, shiny, gleaming, extremely well-merchandised floors. Complete with escalators and staircases. It is all things Forever 21: the extended sizes line, Heritage, the new kids line, men's clothing, all the makeup and beauty products, the slightly-higher-end Twelve by Twelve, and full rooms devoted to shoes, underwear, jewelry and accessories.

Every recent trend imaginable is here: so many iterations of the bandleader jacket, the bandage skirt, harem pants, sequined and/or studded everythings, plaid dresses, Ed Hardy-ish studded and bedazzled tees. And the newest Forever 21 capsule collection, rockabilly-inspired looks that are largely unwearable by anyone over the age of 25, or anyone larger than a size 6 (just sayin', as it's a lot of super-tight, super-short dresses, short-shorts and rompers).

There is no experience comparable to it. So. Much. STUFF. For a lot of young shoppers, it's probably better than Disneyland. It's definitely not where you want to go if you actually need to find one specific item. When we were there, exploring it in the name of journalism, it occurred to us that we needed a slim-fitting, black, long-sleeved shirt. Our head nearly almost exploded at the possibility of combing through everything. Sadly, we weren't equal to the task and left empty-handed.

It's definitely worth a look-see. The novelty factor alone is off the charts. Even if you're not a fan, considering there's probably two billion things in the store, you're likely to find at least a couple of things to justify the trip.
· Storecasting: XXI Goes XXL and Nordstrom Gets a Makeover [Racked]
· Forever 21 [Official Site]