Mexx store review - Euro urban style

Mexx Soho
500 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
212-343-7954


With a sprawling international presence (would you believe 2 stores in Afghanistan?), Mexx has barely touched the American market with only 4 stores in the NYC and DC area, and no way to buy online right now. This is certainly a shame for anyone elsewhere, as I found the brand to be quite a good value.

Style-wise, I admit that I can't distinguish between the different Euro labels very well. I associate stores like H&M and Armani Exchange with a sleek and slim style, cooler color scheme shying away from loud colors, and open almost sterile store environments. However, it was Mexx's mix of style, quality, and price that makes me recommend it. Unlike H&M, its clothing (and clientele) tends to be more upscale and is of better quality - at a higher price of course. It lacks A|X's slightly snobbish appeal and is noticeably less expensive.

Mexx doesn't have a petite section, but the sizing was suprisingly better than I expected. I picked up a few size 0 items and found them to be comparable to petite's sizing in stores like Banana Republic and much slimmer than Ann Taylor. Definitely, the sleeves and hems are a bit longer than traditional petite's, but the body fit is more snug. Given a choice, it's much cheaper and easier to fix sleeves and hems than taking in at the body. Here's a rundown of some of the items I picked up to try.

This long blue cotton skirt is great. The waist is only 27", smaller than this BR skirt in size 00P I tried on. I appreciate the quality of the zipper and it's interior button reinforcement. All the stitching is well done - the seams all lie flush and there's no puckering anywhere. I always want a lining for skirts and dress pants, so the full length cotton lining was very appreciated. The designers were even thoughful enough to think to have the lining stitched so that the "outside" side is facing your legs so that everything is smooth. All the hems are finished so there's no snagging or shredding. The price? $79.

The button down fits me almost perfectly. For this shirt, I should have a slightly longer torso, and be slightly fuller. Ideally, I would want to be 13.5" or 14" from the bottom of the collar to my natural natural waist - the shirt measures 14.5". However, I'd be happy to wear this as is. It's made from a thin, filmy cotton that tends to wrinkle, so it's not my personal preferred cotton weight, but very good for hot weather. The lines emphasize a feminine cut and hourglass-like figure, which helps me, since I'm so flat and straight. $44 full price is perfectly reasonable.

As you can see from the pictures (please ignore the horrendous matching job!), this linen jacket is too big for me - particularly in the shoulders. But otherwise, it's a good fit. It's cut for a bigger busted woman, but the waist size is perfect for me (although slightly lower than ideal) at 25" for a jacket. As for the skirt, it's a big looser than the other one at 28", and I'm not too thrilled with the decorative extra fabric at the waist - it makes me look like I have a puffy butt! Costwise, the jacket was $119 and the printed skirt was $59.

I'll definitely be keeping Mexx on the list of stores to stop in regularly!