Pssst... Markdowns on Maison Martin Margiela x H&M

Mine! I literally clapped my hands with excitement when I found these.

I stopped by the H&M downtown on State St after work while waiting for a friend to wrap up.  I went through almost all of the store before noticing they still had some of the Maison Martin Margiela collection in stock.  And I didn't realize the pieces were marked down until I studied the tags because the original prices had be discretely covered with new prices.  Also, I hadn't checked out the collection earlier because I remember thinking most of it felt out of my price range!

There were two racks worth of womenswear collection left, including the Narrow Shoulder Jacket, Horizontal Dress, Blazer, Oversized Peacoat and just a few of the Hitched Up Dress.  Prices were roughly half off ($99+ after markdowns), and while limited in quantity, those styles were available in all sizes with the exception of the Hitched Up Dress.  To reference the lookbook, click here.  For Erin's write up on the construction and fit of some of the pieces, click here.

Ever since images of the collection were released, I'd been eying the footwear specifically the black patent wedges and black leather booties.  The wedges unfortunately didn't fit the way I would have hoped; my heels kept slipping out and the sides felt too stiff.  The booties on the other hand fit quite nicely, perhaps because I can wear them with socks.  While they fit comfortably, I must admit that I will have to walk a little differently in them to avoid clomping around because the lucite wedge has no give.

There were plenty of silver ($40) and black flats in stock ($60).  There were lots of wedges ($99) in black, red and tan and about a dozen pairs of booties ($129) left, mostly in sizes 8-10.  There were several pairs of black knee high boots (a great steal at $129) and a few pairs of the maroon ones left as well, but I didn't get a chance to look at sizing before I left.

H&M X Maison Martin Margiela: Menswear

Along with Erin - I ended up hitting the presale event at Columbus Circle last night.  The men's section was no where near as frantic as the women's (thank God it was on a different floor) but it was still bustling.   From what I could see, shoppers were definitely more selective with their choices - my guess is due to the heftier pricepoints.  Hopefully this will act as a deterrant for the infinite number of douchebags who try and turn a quick buck through reselling the items on eBay.

Apparently there are still plenty of shit for brains people out there who are already reselling on eBay.  Take "iliveforlanvin" for example who is selling the high-top sneakers for $599 + $15 shipping ($129 in store).  For your sake "iliveforlanvin", I hope I never meet you as I am guaranteed to go batshit crazy on your ass.  At least you have the decency of keeping your shipping charges to a minimum when trying to bank over 300% profit on a post production, post retailed good. How very noble of you.  

That's enough ranting for now on dumbass eBay resellers - back to the clothes!

 

My favorite of the lot was this wool grey blazer with fused lapels.  It's clean cut, and when you look at it, the detailing is subtle and very Margiela. It's probably one of the most wearable items and at $149 won't break the bank.

 

 

In terms of tops, the sweaters seemed to be more popular with shoppers that night.  The staff at the H&M store did a great job of restocking items so it looked like lots of people got what they wanted which was nice.  Shoes - and the sneakers in particular - seemed to fly off the shelves the quickest.  So if that's what your gunning for, I suggest trying to go for those first!

Pants seemed to fare the least well with shoppers - they are definitely not your typical run of the mill slacks so if you're eyeing a pair hopefully you'll be able to snag one in your size. 

I thought the most fun looking piece was the disco blazer - a perfect option for a New Year's party!

 

 

If you plan on stopping by/are in line hope you get what you're looking for!

Maison Martin Margiela x H&M at Columbus Circle

Tonight I was given the opportunity to shop the H&M x Maison Martin Margiela pre-shop event at the brand new sparkly location of H&M on the 2nd floor of the The Shops at Columbus Circle. It was nice to get to wait in line indoors – something to consider if you’re going to be waiting in line tomorrow morning to keep your fingers from getting too numb.  Being the fashion keener that I am, I was in the first 15 people in line, despite the fact that I have a bruised heel bone (due to a failed attempt cleaning up my closet and have been hobbling around for the past few days).
Upon entry to the sale it was chaos as usual as people ran to get their coveted items. In case you’re wondering what they are: the candy wrapper clutch and the disco ball mirrored leggings are the hot ticket and I spotted them in nearly everyone’s arms as they wandered through the sale. If these are on your wish list make sure you hit them up first – I spotted a few random hoarders carrying the clutches 4 at a time. Women’s shoes was also a fast mover with staffers continuously bringing out an armload of boxes at a time.

I struck quickly and soon snagged up everything from my wish list and ran to the change room for final confirmation. I learned my lesson at the H&M x Versace collaboration when I didn’t grab multiple sizes and soon found myself out of luck on the floral print bustier so I grabbed multiple sizes this time and prevailed.

See pictures of packaging and my product reviews after the jump.

This time around I have to really hand it to the MMM attention to detail – Everything from the boxes to the shiny embossed bags to the hangtags, to the fabric zip up garment bag have tone on tone white lettering. Subtle shine on the paper goods that have been embossed for a luxe look. The garments all have these large tags that describe the item and what season it was originally designed for which look really sharp. The only problem with these tags is that they are GINORMOUS and it was rather difficult to try on garments with these flapping about, although with some patience, you can make it work.

As for my buys I tried to stick with only what I love and in the end picked up the “Hitched-Up Dress”, The Mirror Ball leggings and the “Hair Lock Necklace”.

The Hitched up dress is a really nice the fabric is a Viscose wool crepe and not at all itchy. It is a medium weight fabric with good drape and body. The dress itself is surprisingly heavy. The dress is fully lined and although the lining edge is raw edge all of the interior seams have been bound in a satin lining for a luxe finish. The V-back is a bit low so it will require a low back bra/those chicken cutlets that can only be worn for short periods of time. I was torn on this dress and the Sideways Dress but ultimately the color, ease of putting on and silhouette won. I had to get this dress in 1 size smaller than my usual H&M size because otherwise the back hung too far away from my body.

The sideways dress is made of the same fabric, but it is unlined and although there are no body zippers there is a tank dress underneath the sideways shirt dress that make up the upper portion of the dress.  There is only a shoulder zip so that you can fit your head into the neck opening. This piece was a bit fidgety to get on and on my first attempt I managed to get a bit tangled up in the dress. This dress runs true to size, the smaller size resulted in buttons getting bunched up inside the dress. The sleeves are very dramatic looking but I ultimately decided that my budget could only have room for 1 dress.

The mirror leggings are zippered at the ankles – a point that I did not immediately realize as I struggled in the change room to put these things on. After I found the zippers it was much easier. To note the “mirrors” are actually heat sealed reflective plastic bonded to the spandex. This makes them much more comfortable than sequins (yes I have a pair of sequins leggings that constantly poke/scratch me). There is a nice wide interior elastic that feels comfortable. You should also keep in mind that these leggings are not as stretchy or comfortable as regular leggings due to the bonded plastic. Hopefully the plastic bits stay in place as I love these leggings – anything remotely disco ball like get’s my vote.

Finally, that hair necklace. It’s a little ridiculous and over the top but also very simple and Margiela too. The hair is held together nicely in a metal cap on a waxed cord with metal tips and metal namesake tag.  The hair of course is not real but synthetic so you have to beware of wearing with static inducing fabrics or you get fly aways on your necklace – which is more than a little hilarious.
My deepest disappointment came from the oversized jeans which with their wide legs and bleached out denim wash were exactly up my alley. They are a little tricky to put on but you can adjust the slouch factor by adjusting the overlap with hooks that are in the front. The front looked every bit the beauty that I thought they would. My problem came when I turned around. Literally my butt looked HUGE, which I don’t mind but not only was my butt large, it was flat and poufy which is not ok. I contemplated ways to  fix this in the change room but ultimately I sadly put them back on the shelf for someone else to adore.

Not sure what you’re after but I hope you find the Margiela of your dreams tomorrow morning!

A Few More Sales This Week!

Who: The Wrights Collection Sample Sale
What: Up to 70% off Fall 2012 - CASH ONLY!
When: Nov 8-9, 2012. 9am-7pm.
Where: 110 W 40th St - Suite 1002 (b/n Broadway and 6th Ave). 212-391-2150

Who: AEFFE Sample Sale
What: 65%+ off menswear and womeneswer from labels like Alberta Ferretti, Jean Paul Gaultier, Moschinom, Pollini and Cacharel
When: Nov 7-10, 2012. Wed-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 11am-5pm
Where: 30 West 56th Street - 1st floor (b/n 5th & 6th Ave). 212-632-9300

Who: Jamari Int'l Ltd. Sample Sale
What: Up to 80% off kidswear
When: Nov 5-16, 2012. M-F 9am-5pm
Where: 525 Seventh Avenue - Suite 906 (at 38th St). 212-693-1733

Who: Butter, Bettye Muller & Something Bleu Stock/Sample Shoe Sale
What: Discounts on boots, pumps, chic skimmers, flats, gorgeous peep-toes, and platforms. The sale will feature tons of current styles retailing from $250-$700, now available for $60-$280. CASH ONLY
Where: Nov 9-13, 2012. Fri, Mon-Tues 9am-7pm, closed Sat & Sun
Where: 307 7th Ave - Suite 2307 (b/n 27th & 28th St). 212-366-1822

Who:Portolano Sample Sale
What: Discounts on Men's & Women's, hats, gloves, sweaters, scarves, hoisery and socks
When:  Nov 5-16, 2012.  Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, closed Sat-Sun
Where 15 W 37th St - 2nd Floor (b/n 5th & 6th Ave). 212-719-4403

Who: Dsquared2, Maison Martin Margiela, Viktor&Rolf, MM6, & More Sample Sale
What:  Discounts on men's and women's apparel and accessories.  Based on previous sales, sizing is almost all sample size (M for men).  Credit/Debit ONLY.
When: Nov 8-10, 2012.  Thurs 2pm-7pm, Fri 10am-7pm, Sat 12pm-5pm
Where: 220 W 19th St - 10th floor (b/n 7th & 8th Ave). 646-613-8457

Who: Pamella Roland Sample Sale
What: Up to 90% off on evening separates, cocktail dresses and gowns. No strollers allowed.
When: Nov 6-8, 2012. Tues-Thurs 10am-6pm
Where: 501 Seventh Avenue (nr37 Street) Suite 300. 212-921-1211

Maison Martin Margiela x H&M Lookbook

I keep telling myself that I will not get totally sucked into collaborations anymore after I spent slightly more than I wanted to on the previous H&M collaborations with both Marni and Versace. After all collaborations are nothing new anymore. Everyone and their mom has been doing it regularly for the past few years but the H&M one of the true originators of the collaboration have pulled out the big guns. Yes, Maison Martin Margiela as we shared previously is coming up fast and set to drop in select stores and online on November 15, 2012.

The MMM x H&M collaboration presents a re-edition of iconic garments and accessories from the archive of Maison Martin Margiela for both men and women that span across the brands lifespan of 23 years. The collection showcases MMM's creative approach to shape & volume, oversized elements, showcasing the process of tailoring, ambiguity and transformation.

From silhouette to color palette the collection stays true to the DNA of MMM which is a bit unfortunate for my wallet. Peep the entire lookbook/price list to start making your wishlists. I have a feeling I'm in trouble - I've got my eye on the mirrored leggings, the horizontal dress, the oversized jeans and the hitched up dress. Do yo have any favorites?