Lanvin ♥ H&M

Last year, a friend and I went to the Jimmy Choo event at H&M in Dundrum, Dublin. This year, it's the turn of Lanvin. Unfortunately, I couldn't accompany my friend as I'm currently working in Amsterdam.

Therefore we struck a deal. I would head to the H&M store in Kalvertorade while she headed to Dundrum back in Dublin. I think I definitely got the better end of the deal - she was queueing from midnight, getting No 6 in line, while I headed out at 6am and got No 30. God bless the lasstitude of the cloggy nation. It saved me from the overnight ordeal I would have experienced in Ireland.

I have to say that I found this even to be much more enjoyable than last year's Jimmy Choo event. While we were standing in the queue on Kalverstraat, we got treated to some free tea or coffee. In addition, early queuers also received a free Lanvin wool scarf (in navy, red or pink) and later when it started to drizzle slightly, we all received a H&M umbrella to keep us dry. Top marks for hospitality.

As I was an early arrival, I was able to gain admittance in the second group of shoppers (a whole hour ahead of my friend in Dublin due to the time difference). There was a really good selection of dresses, tops, jackets and coats. The yellow, pink, purple and floral dresses were the ones which featured heavily in the advertising campaigns, but to be honest, I was more intent on a black dress - something with a little more longevity.

I ended up purchasing the dress below - €149. The only fault I could find with the collection is that the largest dress size was a 42. This could be very disappointing for some folk, as a 42 really isn't all that big. All the dresses come with their own printed cloth dustcover and a chunky hanger.



A great collection of accessories and shoes accompanied the clothing. I nabbed these beauties below for €99, but I did have to go for a size 38 rather than my usual 37 as I did find them tight-fitting. Sunglasses (chunky a la Wayfarer) were flying off the shelves at €19.95 while I did hum and how over the lovely chunky red gothic style necklace at €39.95.

All of the shoes & accessories came packaged in lovely cardboard boxes which really added to the designer sense. Even the sunglasses came in a chunky little box. For the sake of comparison, the shoe box featured in the picture above compares well with my Miu Miu, Dior & Prada boxes at home.

All in all, I enjoyed this collection at H&M. I'm not a die-hard fashionista. I prefer style to fashion. And even though this collection was definitely fashionable, a few items were also quite stylish. And the carrier bag in which I received my purchases is nothing short of adorable. Well done!

Jimmy Choo for H&M

So, my newly-married friend texted me yesterday to find out if I was heading to H&M to shop for the Jimmy Choo diffusion line. TBH, I hadn't really considered it, as I like my Saturday mornings in bed, but the thought of catching up with my friend, and shopping for shoes won out.

I arrived in Dundrum for 6am as I figured that it would be busy. I'd estimate that I was about the 100th person there, and when my friend and her sis arrived, I'd say that they were somewhere around 120. The first 160 people were given wristbands, which would get them access to the accessories area in allocated timeslots for 10 minutes. Clothing items would be a free-for-all with no restrictions.

When I entered the shop, the two rails of clothing had been stripped. It was apparent that most of the items were in the accessories section, so I went for a coffee with my friend, returning later to gain access to the shoes. There still was a good selection when I was granted access in my group of 20 and I was quickly able to nab the clutch that my friend wanted, as well as the shoes that each of us had our eyes on.

I had wanted the red, strappy, patent sandals, as they were the only style with a platform sole. (top lefthand in the above picture). My usual size, 37, was all gone, but I tried on a 36 (the last pair) and they fitted! By the time I left the shop, it was 10.45 am (4.75 hours after starting to queue), so I was delighted to leave with a gorgeous royal blue bag on my arm.