so when I trip on my feet, look at the beat, it was all written in the sand

H&M; one of the most influential and current retailers of fashion around the world. A common retailer that can be found in most cities and malls, that has price points comparable to much less fashion forward retailers- but yet is featured on such websites as www.style.com, in fashion magazines like Flare, and has an extensive celebrity consumer base such as Mischa Barton, Rihanna, etc. It's a company I have always appreciated and had much respect for, so I was extremely pleased when I got hired there in September. I've gotten to know the company and clothes pretty well over the past few weeks and my admiration hasn't faltered; new stock and collections never fails to please me. Then of course, there's the fabulous collaborations. I've had a few people ask me recently if we are going to have "What's that designers name, I can't pronounce it, Lan-vin?" at our store. Unfortunately, London, Ontario isn't a place swarming with high-fashion lovers, so anyone from the area will have to go to Toronto to get their hands on the merch. I'd like to take a weekend off to go to the city and take advantage of my discount on the products, but we'll have to see.
H&M is the one company that never fails to please me with their collaboration choices, and they always leave me wanting more. In the past, H&M has worked with such legendary names as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf, Madonna, Roberto Cavalli, Kylie Minogue, Comme des Garçons, Matthew Williamson, Jimmy Choo, Sonia Rykiel etc. This year they kept us guessing for a while as to who was going to be next in line, and although most were quite sure it was Lanvin, no one wanted to verify; there was some confusion due to the widespread knowledge that Alber Elbaz, artistic director at Lanvin since 2001, has previously stated that he would never do a mass-market collection. But once sure of it, information started pouring out about where this sudden change of heart came from.

Alber Elbaz had some very insightful words as to why he finally agreed to work with H&M; his main point being to look at this newfound partnership as a step up for H&M, not a step down for Lanvin. Elbaz has stated that “we share the same philosophy [as H&M] of bringing joy and beauty to men and women around the world". Whereas Margareta Van Den Bosch, creative director at H&M, has said "Lanvin will bring to H&M luxurious French tradition that is also modern and playful."
Speaking of modern and playful, what are some of the key fashion trends you think of in relation to H&M? How about ribbons, pearls, raw edges, metallic embellishments, and bows, for starters. These timeless accents that are synonymous to H&M, are the same concepts that some have said are credited to Alber Elbaz and Lanvin- he has really focused the attention of his designs on these specific styles over the past nine years, leading me to believe that this collaboration really is a perfect match.

The final products will go on sale November 23rd, in around 200 stores worldwide. The collection was released November 2nd, three weeks before the clothes hit the stores. Price points are still higher than most H&M pieces, but they are fabulous. Almost everything is available to view online, I already have my list picked out! Very exciting stuff, only 13 days left.....