By Simone Sebastian
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
TIMES SQUARE — Forever 21 is opening one of the largest clothing stores in Manhattan on Friday, but that's apparently not enough to get Mayor Michael Bloomberg to update his look.
"My age is a little different than the average person who shops here," Bloomberg said Thursday, amidst the orange bubble skirts and shimmery rose rings. "I think I missed the Forever 68 department."
The 68-year-old mayor walked into a Forever 21 store for the first time on Thursday to welcome the new 90,000-square-foot megastore, which will be the largest single-brand apparel store in Manhattan, to the former Virgin Megastore space at 1540 Broadway and West 45th Street.
The company's founder and CEO Don Chang and his daughter, Linda Chang, who serves as senior marketing manager, showed Bloomberg the racks.
He nodded politely as Linda Chang pointed out the special sections for men, plus sizes and the couture line.
But he brightened up for a photo opportunity with Forever 21 models.
"My girlfriend's not going to be very happy about this," he said, with a smile.
The company gave him two Forever 21 bags of clothes for daughters Emma, 31, and Georgina, 27.
No word yet on what the Harvard Business School graduate and the professional equestrian think of their racerback tank tops and cosmetic palettes.
The four-level store spans nearly 20 basketball courts, and the company expects 100,000 people to shop there every day.
Bloomberg said the new megastore, which will employ 500 people, will "provide another boost to our economy" as it recovers from the recession, and spillover will help neighboring businesses.
The store opens Friday from 10 am - 8 pm. After opening day, the store will be open from 8 am to 2 am every day.
But Bloomberg said he won't be dropping by for a late-night couture fix.
"At 1:30 in the morning, I'm trying to get to sleep," the mayor said.
