Late Friday night/early Saturday morning, my partner-in-crime J and I climbed out of our respective cozy, warm beds to venture out into the frigid cold to join our fellow shopaholic Torontonians in the line-up for the Lanvin (hearts) H&M collection. The original plan was not to head out until closer to 5am, but on our way home from work at 5pm on Friday evening we saw that over 20 fanatics had already camped out (literally – there was a tent pitched and sleeping bags rolled out) outside our local H&M, so we moved our schedule up to avoid disappointment. In line before 3am, we had over 5 hours to kill before the doors opened at 8am. When the adventure finally ended around 11am, we’d devoted 8 hours to the whole endeavour.
J and I spent the bulk of our non-shopping time deliberating the merits of lining up so early, hashing out our plan of attack once the doors opened and – when we tired of the first two activities – people watching. When the doors finally opened, we found ourselves right in the eye of the hurricane that was the Lanvin for H&M menswear section, which was cleaned out in what felt like 10 minutes flat. Having witnessed how quickly the menswear had been snatched up, our anxiety levels rose 10-fold as we waited impatiently for our 9am time slot to shop the womenswear.
When our 15 minutes finally arrived, J and I were the shopping dream team, bagging most of what was on our joint wish list. The rest we managed to pick up in the change rooms. When we finally left the store, we were lugging around 2 dresses, 4 t-shirts, 3 pairs of shoes, 4 belts, 1 skirt, 4 lipsticks, 1 bow tie, 1 cardigan, 4 charity bags, our backpacks, and our lawn chairs. It’s been over 3 days now and my shoulders are still sore! But it was all worth it.
For those eyeing my spoils of war with envy and hoping to score when the next collaboration rolls around, I present to you my top 5 observations from the backseat-slash-pieces of unsolicited advice for H&M designer collaboration shopping. You can thank me later for these gems:
1. Study like it’s an exam.
A woman behind us in line confidently and unknowingly spread false information to our fellow linemates throughout the wait. She declared that she was waiting for “Lah-vin” to inquiring passersby (at least know the name of the design house), and informed everyone that 100 wristbands would be handed out (try 320) and that each shopping time slot was 10 minutes (actually 15). I’m surprised she managed to show up on the right day and in the right place. I reviewed the lookbooks and price list and read up about the shopping rules in advance; knowledge is power, even where shopping is concerned.
This one is self-explanatory. If you want that yellow dress that badly, take matters into your own hands. I’m not by any means a morning person, so crawling out of bed at 3am sounds like hell to me, but that dress was worth sacrificing a few hours of sleep. My friendly suggestion is, then, get out of bed at the ungodly hour the rest of us did, or forever hold your peace. If your excuse is that you didn’t know the line-up would be that crazy, see #1 above.
3. Come prepared.
Some of our linemates made makeshift beds out of free newspapers they found nearby. Others donned shorts with patterned tights to join the cue – cute, but definitely asking for a nasty case of frostbite. Check the weather forecast before you head out for a 5-hour wait outdoors in the Canadian winter – you can’t buy a thing if you’re being treated for frostbite at the local hospital. I wore my Canada Goose parka and brought a chair, which didn’t require a whole lot of pre-planning, but made a world of difference to my comfort level during that frigid cold wait.
4. Play nice.
We had another linemate – a cast member of Lake Shore– who (a) left the line to grab a delicious breakfast in a warm and toasty diner nearby and then inserted himself back near the front of the line by wowing some other linemates with his impending super stardom, and then subsequently (b) yelled loudly in the middle of the menswear section “I got everything I wanted! I got everything I wanted!” at everyone he budded in front of, who I’m sure didn’t get everything they wanted. His behaviour was beyond obnoxious (and I’m sure the precise reason he was cast on Lake Shore). My advice? Play nice, boys and girls. The salesperson holding the yellow dress I wanted wasn’t technically allowed to give it to me, but she threw me a bone when I smiled and asked nicely (and quietly)…thank you!
5. Buy now, think later.
You’ve waited 5 hours in a blizzard and it’s finally your 15 minutes to shop the collection. By this time you’re mentally and physically exhausted, but hang in there! Grab everything you might even be remotely interested in and don’t let any of it go until you’re absolutely 100% certain you don’t want it. Now is not the time to make rash decisions about those gorgeous bow pumps. If you’re not sure, take them home and strut around the house in them. You can always take them back for a refund if you decide they’re not for you once you’ve settled down from the excitement of it all. Thanks to J for reminding me of my own mantra that day! I may be returning 3 pairs of shoes later this week, but I have no regrets about what I left behind at the store.
So there you have it – what I saw, what I bought and what I learned, all rolled into one neatly-packaged blog post. Hope everyone got what they wanted - whether it was a fancy faux fur coat or a good night’s sleep!
P.S. An exciting tidbit for those of you who have diligently read up to this point in the post – stay tuned for a Lanvin for H&M giveaway coming soon!
Geat tips, S!! I never want anything bad enough to line up in the cold, unless it’s for an awesome rock concert with general admission. I guess my attention span is too short to stay in the line haha
I’m glad you got so much stuff! I need to see everything on you please!
I’m not usually the type to line up for things either, but I couldn’t resist this collection! This was my first collabo line-up experience. Wasn’t so bad!
haha thanks for all the tips! Quite humourous – especially the Lake Shore guy. WHY Toronto would make up such a show, I have no idea. Jersey Shore was enough.
I can’t believe people lined up the night before! Crazy crazy people .. including you. LOL And I wanted to “casually drop by” after work on Saturday too. Good thing I didn’t. Was everything nearly gone when you left the store? Seems like you bought a lot! I can’t wait to see you wearing those items!
xx The Little Dust Princess
Yes, I’m the first to admit that I’m a crazy, crazy person. But clearly not The craziest since there were a good 90 ppl in front of me in line! There was still a lot left later in the afternoon according to updates on Twitter, but everything was definitely gone when I dropped by yesterday.
I was very anxious to hear the account of your lanvin -H&M hopping trip, and it definitely did not dissapoint.
I went to yorkdale, but sadly, way too late. I got there around 7:50, and the line was almost all women, so I wasn’t concerned about getting a mesnwaer piece for myself. However, by the time I got into the store shortly after 8, the entire menswear section was empty. I definitely should not underestimate male fashionistas. I can’t wait to see all of you purchases in person.
Btw, I think i know exactly which lake shore cast member your talking about, lol, he’s so repulsive.
Aww, Derek!! That’s suuuper sad. I wish you’d told me you wanted stuff in advance – I would’ve happily picked up some menswear for you at the Eaton Centre. What were you looking for? Let me know and I’ll keep an eye out for returns.
Next time, we’ll team up! ;o)
Amazing tips and well done for getting you some lanvin beauties!!
SarahD
WOW, what an adventure. LOL, LOVE your tips, and I can’t believe that Lake Shore guy! LOSER!!! Seriously, why Toronto, why? Looking foward to seeing what items you got!
Can you tell me WHEN you’re going to return the shoes because I want a pair!! :p Are you by any chance.. a size 8?
Lake Shore guy was such an ass!!!!
http://www.monochromachic.com
Aww, would love to help you, but the shoes are size 36. Sorry Kristy – I’ll let you know if I see any returns in size 8 though!
Haha, EVERY single tip is sooo true! It wasn’t as crazy here in DC (but I also didn’t wait in line for 8 hours like you guys). I love hearing your stories though and am so happy that you got everything on your wishlist. Can not wait to see your reveals!!
Btw, did you get a chance to try on the side ruffle skirt? If so, how did you find the sizing?
Thanks Cee! How did you do – did you get anything?
I didn’t try on the side ruffle skirt, sorry. But the tiered skirt I bought was my regular H&M size. Hope that helps!
No, I got to the store only 20 mins before it opened so I didn’t end up with anything. Boooo! Thanks for the sizing tip, I’m off to search on evilBay now
i find it funny that we all have to create our own game plans just to get Lanvin…but all worth it, hey?
I wanted one of the cardigans, sunlasses and maybe a tie
i’m checking the yorkdale one as well in the hopes that something comes back
The sunglasses sold out so fast I never even saw a pair! But I’ll keep an eye out for you for all of those things. Fingers crossed!
Wow, that sounds like an intense day!!
I’ve never lined up for anything, but that sounds like a mob. Cleaning out the store in 10 minutes? Insane!
But your haul is awesome, have fun wearing your yellow dress!
omgg 5 HOURS?! that’s too much for me haaa. I mean I loveee their stuff but gosh waiting for 5 hours… I waited 3 hours for the Coldplay concert tickets and that was when I wanted to have Guy Berryman’s babies before I found out that he’s married and that was enough for me!
I like the purple dress…
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