Being fashionable is all about having creativity, good taste and that innate sense of style. The one thing that's rarely mentioned by the fashion elite is the need for speed — but that was exactly what Dubai's fashionistas needed (in addition to some coffee) yesterday morning if they wanted to get their hands on a collection created for high street giant H&M by French fashion label Lanvin, called H&M (hearts) Lanvin.
About a hundred women — and a few men — queued outside the Dubai Mall branch of the Swedish chain store from 6am to be the first to snap up the results of a design collaboration between Alber Elbaz, artistic director of Lanvin, and the low-cost store. On their minds, for many, was a one-shouldered yellow dress in particular, although most of the ladies in the line said they would probably just grab anything and everything they could.
At 8am sharp, the security gate went up, and shrieking, the shoppers pushed their way into the store (there is no other way to describe their entry) and began ripping the Dh799-and-up dresses — in pink, yellow and black satin — off the rails, scrambling for necklaces and searching through shoe boxes for their size.
Elegant it was not. Skirmishes broke out as shoppers fought over sizes, and bartered what they had already grabbed for other pieces. If anyone dared put something down for even a second, shoppers were on it like moths to a flame.
Empty rails
Within two minutes, most rails were empty and women staggered around the store with armfuls of clothing they hoped would fit. Some headed to the fitting rooms, where pieces that didn't fit were discarded, to the delight of others — for some shoppers, this tactic was a well-thought out strategy.
Meanwhile, shop assistants raced to refill the rails with the clothing, a difficult task as most shoppers then began taking the pieces directly from their arms. By 8.15am, most of the limited edition stock was gone from the rails, and staff began replacing it with regular H&M clothing. A spokesman for H&M Middle East confirmed that the collection had "100 per cent sell-through" in Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Abu Dhabi Mall. It was also the case in two stores in Kuwait and three in Lebanon. A little exercise in fashion warfare was over.
How to explain the madness?
Lanvin, a French label started in the early 20th century by Jeanne-Marie Lanvin, was revived in 2001 with Elbaz's appointment, and has not looked back since. The label became the nec plus ultra of French style for women the world over looking for a unique, perfect combination of femininity and edginess.
Elbaz is credited with bringing the ribbon back into fashion, and adornments of metal chains, pearls and bows are typical on his much lusted-after dresses. But those dresses don't come cheap — a one-shouldered dress from the main line, similar to those in the H&M collection, is currently retailing on Net-a-Porter.com for Dh26,183. Dresses in the H&M-Lanvin collection start at Dh799.
The H&M (heart) Lanvin tie-up follows previous collaborations between H&M and top designers, including Karl Lagerfeld, Jimmy Choo and Sonia Rykiel, some of which saw similar scenes (I remember being called an unprintable name when I picked up a shoe someone had their eye on at the Choo launch). With a new collaboration taking place almost every season, it's something both budget-conscious fashionistas and those looking for a unique — if not always perfectly crafted — piece await with bated breath.
Similar scenes took place in New York when the collection was launched there at the weekend, with some customers queuing for 12 hours to get into stores. Elbaz swears he didn't expect such a turnout, telling Women's Wear Daily after seeing the queues at H&M's Madison Avenue and 59th Street store, "I don't dare go in. I can't believe it. I was sure there would be no one. I was a bit panicked. This is a once in a lifetime experience."
Check eBay
Didn't get out of bed in time to join the masses at the H&M (hearts) Lanvin sale? Don't fret — you can pick up the pieces you missed, from the green-ribboned shoes to the sequinned t-shirts, but for a price. The shoes, which sold in store for Dh499, are available on eBay for Dh1,200. The last bid on the popular yellow dress was Dh1,087, while t-shirts can be had for around Dh300.
