For something fairly mainstream, similar to Zara, Gina Tricot, etc. I would suggest Express or The Limited (which can be found in almost any shopping mall in the US). They (along with NYCo) are all owned by the same parent company. Limited tends to have a nice range of professional wear (dressier pants, button shirts, etc.). Express has slightly more vibrant styles and/or colors. NYCo stocks a lot of very well-priced basics like colored t-shirts and knit tops.

If you’re into a more casual American look, then you might like chains like Aeorpostale, American Eagle, or Abercrombie Fitch.

For more eclectic or unique options, the choice would really be specific to the area you’ll be in, since you would want more independent stores.

In general, I just recommend finding a shopping mall near where you’ll be, since they’ll have a wide range of clothing store chains to check out. Simon Malls tend to be very similar across the entire country, but they usually have a decent variety of stores and are often well managed. You can find their mall listings on their website:

In general, you’ll find (especially with the weak dollar) that clothing is extremely inexpensive compared to Norway. Jeans tend to cost $30-75 depending on the label. A plain t-shirt would probably be $8-20. I’d guess around $30-40 for a top, and $40-100 for a dress, depending on the style. Formal gowns (I just shopped for an evening gown in Oslo and ended up ordering one from the US) are typically $100-300.

However, sales in the US are fantastic, and you can often find things marked down to half that much.

Enjoy your shopping trip! We’re also headed to the States next week to stock up for the year!