At H&M, cheap chic for material girls

H&M knocks out shoppers with a one-two punch, high style and low prices. Sales for the Swedish-based retailer are up more than 30 percent in the United States alone, the fashion destination's rapidly expanding frontier.

Last year, shoppers stampeded to H&M to snap up designer and Beatle daughter Stella McCartney's offerings, which included a $79.90 version of a $1,665 sweater she made for the Gucci Group. This spring's hotties include the "naughty secretary" frock that revs up a basic black dress with a saucy, cleavage revealing inset in pristine white. Priced at $59.99, it's part of the H&M's new M by Madonna line.

I've found H&M's quality to be inconsistent, ranging from a tweed pencil skirt I bought three seasons ago that wears like iron to a chintzy T-shirt that lost its shape faster than Elvis. Even that isn't a deterrent to buying because most of H&M clothes are both fashion forward and cheap, enabling consumers to shed the duds and glide on to the next trend setter.

So how big can H&M get? Think MEGA. Today, there are 129 H&M stores in the United States. Retail analysts believe there could be more than 1,000 in only a few years.