Tomorrow Alexander Wang x H&M, the 10th H&M designer collaboration, is going to hit the H&M online store as well as selected retail stores in an annual event of queueing and website crashes. I already gave my opinion on the topic about a year ago but after a fierce discussion with some friends over lunch today I want to go a little further into details.
Rhianna wearing an Alexander Wang x H&M cropped top leggins combo in the street, pic elleuk.com
… H&M celebrates the launch of its designer collaboration – this season Alexander Wang H&M. Its 10th anniversary right now, which is celebrated with the release of a nice coffee table book. In a post around a year ago at the time Isabel Marant pour H&M hit stores I already stated my concerns about the way these high street x high end collaborations are blurring the lines and somehow further contribute to luxury loosing its luster!!!
H&M designer collaborations 10 years anniversary book, pic vogue.fr
So let’s continue with the fall trends. After we analyzed the outerwear trends in detail I feel its time to concentrate on another key item of any cold wether wardrobe – its a sweater! And while cashmere is always a classic choice – I feel that with the advent of sportswear-as-ready to wear neoprene sweaters or mesh jumpers are an off the moment choice. Let’s find some brands that played with this trend for fall!
black neoprene sweater form Balenciaga pre-fall, mesh sweater from Stella McCarteny pre-fall and quilted leather sweater from Milly fall 2014, all photos from style.com
The Balenciaga cutout boots, which were first shown on the runway for spring 2011, are a hit and inspired many brands from high fashion to high street to launch their own take on the cutout shape.
Balenciaga cutout boots, photo@pinterest.com
The Alexander Wang H&M collaboration is number 10 in a line of annual collaborations between the Swedish high street retailer and fashion designers. It was officially announced during the Coachella festival and is scheduled to hit the retail floor November 6th.
The success between the different collabs varied considerably. While the Margiela collaboration from 2012 was disappointing, last years Isabel Marant H&M collaboration was a big hit. It helped to boost H&M’s revenues for November and was worn by “testimonials” like Victoria, the Swedish crown Princess, and Emmanuelle Alt, Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris.
Emmanuelle Alt, Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris, wearing a H&M Isabel Marant blazer during Milan fashion week, photo@http://www.southmoltonststyle.com