Force of fashion at H&M
For quite some time now fashion retail giants H&M have been collaborating with high end designers to offer a designer look and experience for a fraction of the cost, the next best thing to the real deal.
Designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Moschino and Kenzo have all had successful collections with the company which is more traditionally the go to place for wardrobe staples at affordable prices.
The success of each of the designers generally relied on them being able to offer their overall high end aesthetic but with cheaper fabrics and with a more diffusion line feel, thus satisfying both the high street shopper and their wealthier couture buying clients.
However on Thursday night during the opulent Cannes Film Festival, couturier Giambattista Valli unveiled his collaboration with H&M with a star studded catwalk featuring Kendall Jenner and a host of other influencers and models, and let me tell you, this was no diluted collection.
When I first saw pictures of Kendall wearing a flurry of bright pink tulle, I had to keep rechecking the caption because I could not believe it was from the H&M line, so authentic did it look.
In keeping with the culture of see now, buy now, a small amount of the collection was available to buy online on Saturday before the main stock drop takes place on 7 November.
If you were under any illusion that a pre-drop featuring statement tulle dresses with trailing trains retailing between 250 and 500 euros were not going to sell, then you would be wrong because the whole collection has already sold out. No doubt to hardcore fashion fans looking to get their hands on their own pieces of affordable couture.
To be fair I’m not sure where I would wear some of these pieces but one or two of the dresses would look amazing on a cool and quirky bride or would be perfect if you’re someone who goes to gala events.
Regardless, there’s no denying that Valli has created a beautiful and showstopping collection for the retailer, and I’m excited to see what else will be launched in November.
In other news I’ve got a hectic couple of weeks coming up but I’m excited to be going to the Mallow College of Design (MCD) fashion show this evening. It’s always really interesting to see what new design talent is emerging from the college and MCD has a great reputation for producing alumni who have gone on to have great careers in the fashion world.
I’m also going to see the Spice Girls in Edinburgh the following week and the excitement levels are high having seen everyone’s stories on Instagram at the weekend. It seemed like the whole of the country were up in Dublin to see them, and while it would have been quite handy to have been able to make the short trip to the capital, it’s a good excuse to check out what Edinburgh has to offer.
What does one wear to see the Spice Girls though!? Part of me wants to go all out with an ode to my favourite Spice Geri, aka Ginger Spice, with a sparkly body suit reminiscent of the one she wore in the video for 'Wannabe' but while it’s all well and good to wear that at the concert, I might get some funny looks walking around the city centre in the middle of the day.
I also don’t think I’ll be wearing the famous Union Jack dress either for obvious reasons so my outfit is undecided as of yet. I’m sure I’ll spend most of next week planning so watch this space.