High Fashion meets Retail

“Good fashion is evolution, not revolution.”

                   --Pierre Balmain

From east coast to west coast and Istanbul to London, hundreds of people stood in line for the release of the Balmain x H&M collaboration on Thursday, November 5^th.  Individuals paid others to stay in line for them and some camped out overnight in front of select stores selling the collaboration of the two. When H&M opened their doors that morning, people ran in grabbing what they can.  Adults fought and trampled over each other, determined to get their hands on the collection first.  I looked at the Balmain collection being sold at H&M and don’t get me wrong, I like a few of the pieces and would have purchased them but to what extent do you go to get designer clothing at a discount price?

Balmain is an haute couture fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain in 1946.  His clothing starts around $1500.00 and up and has an extensive collection for both men and women.  The most expensive item in the women’s collection at H&M was a long-sleeved mini dress with hand-sewn beads, priced at $649. Is it Balmain taste on an H&M budget?  Other pieces in the collaboration of the two included leather and faux fur jackets, beaded clutches and shoes and embroidered tops.  This is where French couture meets urban chic.  H&M have been collaborating with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Cavalli and Versace since 2004.  I’m looking forward to see what other designers they will collaborate with in the future.