Cynthia Cheng Mintz
The biggest complaint I heard from people lining up for the Lanvin (Hearts) H&M event today (Saturday) was the fact that they didn’t know that the stores were opening early for the event (Lanvin for H&M launched today in North America, but will go to the rest of the world on Tuesday, November 23). However, a wrist band policy was in place, preventing the mob scenes that occurred in previous years. In addition, there were a limited number of items people could take into the change rooms as well as purchase (a max of two items of the same kind). I arrived at the store shortly after it opened and was able to get a wristband for 11 am. That had me worried, as usually everything was gone within minutes. However, a wristband assured me a place in line. I returned to the store just a little before my timeslot and was not surprised to see that most items were gone.
Left: Lanvin Loves H&M coat as it was originally intended – a coat
Right: Belted (from Boutique Jacob) and converted into a dress
Boots are from Donald J. Pliner
There were several ther women who were at my slot and we were all lucky to be able to pick out something, even if it wasn’t in our size. I originally had two items that I planned to try on, with one which was at least three sizes larger than what I normally take at the store. Another girl begged me to let her have it, since it was just her size. At first, I was hesitant as I wanted to see if smaller sizes were available in the change area. Then, we were told that all dressing room returns were for people who were waiting for the items (the 11 o’clock slot was the last to be able to get anything). The item I eventually bought was a coat in size 2 and rather light weight. Definitely not Toronto winter friendly. However, it can be converted into a gorgeous little black dress once it’s belted!
To tell you the truth, I was a little hesitant about the Lanvin collection when I first heard about it. Personally, I didn’t think H&M had any amazing designer collaborations since Stella McCartney in 2005. Subsequent collections had been really crazy and totally not my style. However, when I actually saw pictures of the collection, something changed. There were actually a few pieces (including the coat/dress) that I had actually wanted. Hmmm….who will they pair up with in 2011? Anyone taking guesses?
