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The Fashion Statement: Lanvin for eBay, I mean H&M

Filed under: Apparel, The Fashion Statement

Yeah, I did it. Early Saturday morning, I hauled myself out of bed and headed downtown to stand outside in the freezing cold for hours...just to get my hands on a Lanvin for H&M dress. I was in Washington, D.C., and that was good, I thought. The collection was going to be in only one store in the D.C/Maryland/Virginia area. Still, I'd have better odds at F. Street, NW, than on 5th Avenue in New York or the Bev Center in L.A.

An H&M saleswoman told me that the store would open by 8 a.m. and if I got there between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., I should be okay. I arrived at 6 a.m. and was within the first 80 people. Not bad, I thought. I'll definitely get my hands on the dress I want. This is totally worth it.

Just before 8 a.m., they handed out colored wristbands and canvas gift bags containing a Lanvin for H&M scarf. Very nice. Each color wristband would allow 20 people at a time to shop the collection. They'd have 15 minutes. I was in the fourth group which would get me in by 9 a.m. Security everywhere. Very organized. Impressive.

Then the doors opened and, literally, all hell broke loose. Like Supermarket Sweep, people rushed the back corner where the collection was cordoned off, got through the metal barricades and started grabbing. The guards insisted nobody got in before their appointed time. But by the time order was restored and I got in, the collection was completely gone. I actually did walk away with a dress but only because it was too small for someone else.

H&M ostensibly enforces "a limit of purchasing a maximum of two pieces per product, i.e. not more than two sizes or pieces per product per customer." They're most likely trying to discourage people from flipping the merchandise for a profit. Lot of good that did them. I saw an army of guys walk out with armloads of dresses, T-shirts and shoes. You're telling me they're preparing for a New Year's Eve party?

Sure enough, Lanvin for H&M is a hot ticket on eBay. Page after page is filled with dresses and T-shirts. At the store, most dresses were tagged $199. On eBay, "buy it now" options are reaching $700!

As a Facebook friend put it: Lanvin should have just created a collection for eBay.

Did any of you go? Tell us your Lanvin for H&M story.

Tags: eBay, HM, Lanvin

The Fashion Statement: Lanvin at H&M!

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

I can see the lines snaking around the block now! H&M confirmed it: Men and women will be able to get themselves some Lanvin at about 200 H&M stores on Nov. 23, according to Women's Wear Daily.

Word broke yesterday that the sizzling hot Paris label may be collaborating with cheap chic retailer H&M. Fashion industry bible WWD reported that the Swedish retailer was expected to announce plans with Lanvin and its creative director Alber Elbaz within the coming week.

Upon hearing the news yesterday, the fashion blogs went nuts, writing things like "Yes, Please!" and "Cross your fingers." Even a few well-heeled ladies I talked to vowed they would pick up a piece or ten from the capsule collection.

To wet our appetites, H&M has been posting 23-second highly stylized black and white videos on Facebook and Youtube. Quotes from a mystery designer comes through the mouths of male and female actors captured in flashing images that show everything but an actual face. Initially, the rumor mill focused on Tomas Maier of Bottega Venetta and Carolina Herrera as possible originators of the quotes. Then, WWD wrote yesterday: "While the camera never lingers on the faces long enough for recognition in the clips, the voice-over of designer musings, while electronically altered, are unmistakable Elbaz-isms."

Tags: alber elbaz, erin fetherston, HM, karl lagerfeld, Lanvin, madonna, rodarte, stella mccartney, zac posen

Continue reading “The Fashion Statement: Lanvin at H&M!”

The Downscaling of Ginza, The Changing Face Of Japanese Luxury

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Tokyo's Ginza district has long been known as Japan's most fashionable shopping street but the street's changes reflecting the country's fluctuating economic picture. The Independent has an interesting piece on the street's shifting fortunes which have seen luxury brands moving out to make room for a new kind of retailer. In 2008 Louis Vuitton scrapped plans for a new Ginza flagship store. Last year, Versace pulled out of Japan altogether. But those store windows aren't staying vacant. Instead fast fashion stores like Uniqlo, Abercrombie & Fitch, H&M and Zara have moved in. The operators of Japan's Seibu department store announced that the store is closing but Forever 21 is moving in. Where there was once Gucci, now there is Gap.

Last year I wrote about the changing look of luxury in Japan. In the past years, logo-chasing was important to the Japanese shead-to-toe Louis Vuitton was seen as chic. Now many trendsetters favor a high-low approach, combining expensive pieces with more inexpensive items or pairing vintage finds with new pieces. The Ginza area still has enough fancy stores to attract tourists in search of a bit of glamour but with tourism down, focusing on more dependable, regular shoppers seems like a smart strategy.

Tags: fast fashion, FastFashion, forever 21, Forever21, ginza, gucci, hm, japan, louis vuitton, LouisVuitton, shopping, tokyo, zara

Tiffany & Co. Doesn't Want An H&M Next Door

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Sharing the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles with a grocery store (Gelson's) doesn't seem to bother Tiffany & Co. but the jeweler draws the line at H&M getting too close. The LA Times reveals that Tiffany has sued its landlord at the Westfield Century City shopping center saying that a planned H&M would violate the terms of its contract. Tiffany's contract with Westfield forbids retailers that are not considered to be "luxury, upscale or better by conventional retail industry standards." to use or lease certain spaces within, fronting or adjacent to the Tiffany store. The lawsuit alleges that the location of the H&M store so close to Tiffany will cause "irreparable injury to Tiffany's business reputation as a luxury retailer."

The LA Times keenly points out that in Pasadena along Colorado Boulevard, the H&M store and Tiffany are very close to each other. Also, while H&M is a low-priced retailer, the store's focus on trendy style isn't offensively downmarket. Tiffany's lawsuit seems to imply that the H&M shopper and the Tiffany shopper are such separate people that they don't mingle or that somehow a person who buys a $19 sweater instantly becomes a Tiffany undesirable. It seems an odd distinction for a brand that had spent the last couple years reaching out to the aspirational consumer and bumping up its line of silver jewelry in order to attract new customers. Certainly there is a gap between a silver necklace and a $19 sweater but these days plenty of malls and shopping centers feature both expensive stores and lower market ones reflecting today's affluent shopper who often purchases at both ends of the spectrum.

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Tags: hm, los angeles, LosAngeles, mall, tiffany and co, TiffanyAndCo, westfield mall, WestfieldMall

Jimmy Choo For H&M

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Shoes

Fast fashion just got a boost with the announcement that H&M is partnering with shoe and handbag brand Jimmy Choo. The luxury brand, famous for sky-high stilettos and large purses, will create a line of shoes, bags and accessories for men and women that arrive in stores on November 14. Tamara Mellon, Jimmy Choo's founder and chief executive, promises "a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection - the perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!"

Jimmy Choo will create clothing for H&M which will be designed to match the accessories rather than the other way around. With all the designers pairing up with lower-priced stores there has been a bit of high-low fatigue lately but this particular collaboration should be a hot seller.

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Tags: fast fashion, FastFashion, hm, jimmy choo, JimmyChoo, shoes

Cheap Chic Update: Commes des Gar�ons in Tokyo, Online Lookbook

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

The much-anticipated Commes des Garçons collection for H&M hits stores November 13, but if you happen to be in Tokyo, you'll get a five day head start. The name that put the low in high-low fashion is opening a new store in Tokyo November 8 and will start selling the Comme gear that very day.

If you haven't seen it, check out the newly-released online lookbook of the collection. Designer Rei Kawakubo says she's excited about her collaboration with H&M in order to reach "people who may not yet understand Comme des Garçons."

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Tags: commes des garcons, CommesDesGarcons, high-low fashion, High-lowFashion, hm

Fall Fashion Fabric-Obsesses to Distinguish Itself from Mass Market

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

As the fashion world eagerly awaits New York Fashion Week in a matter of days, the clothes we're seeing now in stores and tempting ad campaigns are focused on rich fabric and unique detailing -- in many cases, hand-crafted lace made by Parisian artisans or breathable lace from Japan. The goal goes beyond creating one-of-a-kind pieces: designers are hoping to make it impossible for mass brands like H&M or TopShop to copy their work when the materials themselves are out of reach. Designers made use of age-old, labor-intensive techniques to distinguish themselves from the knockoffs, many of which appear on shelves before the originals are even produced.

And shoppers are responding to the shift, favoring an investment in iconic brands that are easily recognizable (think Prada florals, Dries van Noten marbelized prints) instead of the cookie cutter clothes glutting the market. Because as fun as the cheap thrills are, there's nothing so demoralizing to a fashionista as walking down the street and seeing a bratty thirteen year old wearing the identical hippie tunic from Forevs 21.

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Tags: dries van noten, DriesVanNoten, forever 21, Forever21, hm, lace, prada, topshop

Commes des Garcons for H&M

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Following early speculation about what exactly Commes des Garcons would come up with for its collaboration with H&M, a couple of photos have surfaced of the new line, which will hit stores for, oh, about 30 seconds in early November. The collection draws on designer Rei Kawakubo's trademark deconstructed jackets and cropped pants, mostly in black with the occasional polka dot. You can see for yourself in the September issue of W (on newsstands today).

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Tags: commes des garcons, CommesDesGarcons, deconstructed, h and m, HAndM, hm, rei kawakubo, ReiKawakubo, w magazine, WMagazine