WHO'S BUYING VERSACE FOR H&M?

Posted by Bethan Holt, Fashion Junior at Large

The amount of hype surrounding Versace's collaboration with H&M has been nothing short of immense. There was the the elaborate launch party in New York last week, posters all over the place and a commercial featuring Donatella herself which has been showing during prime time slots like The X-Factor. The point of all this was quite blatantly to make sure that there would be queues of people lined up this morning to get their hands on a little bit of high street Donatella. The Queue has become a phenomenon of the H&M collaboration story, but The Queue is not a singular thing- it is made up of individuals who all have their own reasons for being a part of it. This morning I went along to the Oxford Circus store, just down the road from the Regent Street opening where Donatella and Lady Gaga made appearances. Despite the lack of celebrity, The Queue still stretched right around the block. I was really interested to find out who was in The Queue and why... I expected a variety of reasons but was completely fascinated by the broad appeal which this collaboration seems to have. Readers, meet The Queue...

1. Hikaru, 24, Works at CyberDog in Camden

Hikaru's J.W Anderson-esque boots are from Japan

'I've been here since 8 this morning. I think the clothes are gorgeous- this will be my first piece of Versace, I love that they're making it accessible. I also came and bought the Lanvin collaboration last year, but I've never queued like this before. I want to buy the black and white zig-zag t-shirt. I look really bad today but I had to get up early to come here, I even dragged my friend along'

2. Joan, 60, Local Authority Commissioner.

'I've come to buy Christmas presents for my daughter and my son's girlfriend- they're both 23/24 but it's a bit OTT for me so I won't be getting anything for myself! My son's girlfriend is at Manchester University and students get to know about these things. I don't know much about Versace, I know the emblem. I didn't get here too early, about 8.40, but my son is up ahead of me in the queue. He's going to buy something for himself. His style is usually quite retro and all this is a bit glittery for him but I think he's going to get a shirt. We're getting the leggings and some jewellery for the girls. I've taken the day off work especially to come!'

Luis in the bomber he hadn't planned to buy

I found Joan with her son, Luis, a bit later. He'd already been allowed in for the menswear and had got himself the bomber jacket 'because everyone was going for it- it was such a cattle rush'. He was waiting to go in again with his Mum to get their hands on the womenswear.

4. Akosua, 21, Freelance Photographer and Brenda, 19, a Footwear Student at Cordwainers.

Akosua (left) and Brenda

 Akosua: 'I thought the commercial was amazing- that completely drew me here. It made me want to get my hands on MY designer piece- I really want the leggings and the bomber jacket. I find most collaborations rubbish- they look so high street but to me this one seems outside the box. It looks like authentic Versace. I know that dress that Liz Hurley wore and the one Jennifer Lopez wore- they're what you think of when you think of Versace and this collection actually looks like that. I really didn't like the Lanvin collaboration'

Brenda: 'I want the leggings and the bomber too. I won't be buying the boots- I've got such high standards with shoes I don't think they'd be right but I'm just excited to be here. We got up at 5 but had loads of stress so didn't get here til 8'

5. Ardy, 38, Head of Jewellery at Phillips Auction House

Former model Ardy

'This is like going back to my roots in the 80s. I was a model in Paris and Versace was everywhere so this is really nostalgic for me. This collection looks really fun but it's also reasonable. I think it's going to be more collectible than your average Versace as well. I used to go to Miami a lot and I would see Gianni around a lot so this is really like going back to my youth and the Versace brand was a big part of that. I think everyone's done so well sleeping out, I wouldn't have done that.'

6. Cornelia, 23, Merchandising student at London College of Fashion

'I wanted to experience the H&M queue. I've lived all over the world in Australia, Thailand, South Africa and have never been anywhere where there's an H&M when these things happen. I'm not mad about the clothes- they're not really my style, it's more about seeing it all. I'm going to get the scarf because then I have something and it'll be a wardrobe staple but I think the clothes will date really quickly. I know a bit about Versace, about Gianni being shot. I think this collection is showing what the brand is all about. My friend is in Switzerland trying to buy it online and it keeps crashing apparently'

7. Tobi, 21, English student at Goldsmiths

 'I heard about this about a month ago and I could see it was like the Classic Versace. I'm really into 90s hip- hop and this has all those classic emblems. I'm really here for the style. I didn't know that much about Versace but I've been learning more recently- it's such a powerhouse. All the clothes are just like what everyone in the hip hop and urban community wears. It reminds me of Biggy Smalls (The Notorious B.I.G) and recently people like Lady Gaga and Kanye West have been bringing it all back. I never usually get up before noon so this is a big thing for me- nobody thought I could do it!'

8. Rhandes, 25, Runs a Fashion Marketing business

 'I just wanted to come along and check it out and take some pictures. I will be buying a few pieces too- I really want the pink dress with stars on. I'm going to buy my husband some shirts too. He's at home sick in bed and he keeps calling me every five minutes to see if I'm in yet. I think Versace clothes are so original and vibrant and vivid. I don't know loads about the brand's history but I'm interested in art and I can see how they use that. My favourite designers are Marc Jacobs and Tom Ford which I guess are a bit different. I tried to queue for the Cavalli collection but that was just too manic'

9. Jay, 20, Business Management Student

 'I love all the H&M collaborations. I completely loved the Lanvin collection. It's not so much about the designer for but the fact that it's in H&M so it's a good price. I have some Prada clothes but I mostly just think of myself as a normal girl who likes to be on trend. I know that if I buy some dresses from the Versace collection then I'll be trendy. I really trust H&M'

10. Leonardo, 23, Italian and Spanish student and Eva, 30, Fashion Design student

Leonardo: 'I always, always come when a new H&M collaboration launches. I was here for Lanvin, Sonia Rykiel... alll of them! I just love fashion and this makes it so accessible. I'm definitely here to buy the name. We've been here since 11 last night. I'd been on the Vogue website and planned everything I wanted to buy- I made a list. I got everything I wanted apart from the boxers so we're off to another store now to find those. My favourite designers are McQueen, Galliano and Marc Jacobs- I just love fashion'

Leonardo was wearing his Lanvin t-shirt (along with McQueen scarf and Vuitton bag)

 Eva: 'I checked the clothes and the fabrics are nasty, so synthetic. But I don't mind that . We buy this high street crap all the time but it's special if it has a designer name on it- the label! I usually despise loud prints but Versace has a way of making me love them'

WHAT THEY'RE BUYING:

Everything seems to be sold out now on the H & M site, but as some commenters have said, there's plenty available at inflated prices on ebay. Here's what everyone I spoke to wanted to buy (or had bought)...

Furry waistcoat £39.99

Bomber £69.99

Palm print leggings  £24.99

Pink dress £129.99

Earrings £19.99

From the men's collection...

Black/ White optical illusion jumper £49.99

 

 

THE WEEK IN FASHION: OCTOBER 17th-21st

Posted by Fashion Junior at Large

Welcome to another week of  news from the fashion world, brought to you by FEAL. Happy Weekend!

I'm going to start this week's news on a sort of business-y note as I've been a bit perplexed by a lot of the big money news which seems to have emerged over the past few days, despite the doom and gloom of the financial pages. I'm no economic whizz kid but I do find it baffling that while Europe is apparently in deep crisis, spending at the Frieze art fair was brisk and Marc Quinn's statue of Kate Moss in a rather tangled yoga pose was snapped up for a mere £577,250 at a Sotheby's sale; the lucky owner is apparently a private individual from Europe, lucky them!

Marc Quinn's 'Microcosmos' (Image from Vogue.co.uk)

A couple of big fashion houses have posted massive profits this week as well, and not just due to expansion in the East.  This week LVMH and Dior both reported rises of around 15%. Of course, Asia is where the greatest opportunity lies for luxury brands; LVMH saw a 27% increase in the last four months. That said, Europe and the US are not THAT far behind with profits rising by 7% and 18% respectively in those areas. One of the many brands under the LVMH umbrella is Celine, where Phoebe Philo is still being lauded for her game changing collections;  results were said to have been 'remarkable' there, perhaps showing that it is not just a catwalk phenomenon which Philo has masterminded. It's worth highlighting as well that Dior's lack of solid design direction doesn't seem to have done them much harm at all- clearly perfume and leather goods can ride even the most potent of media storms.

Everyone still wants a bit of Celine, according to LVMH results (Image from FashionGoneRogue.com)

The importance of the Asian market is underlined by the expansion which many brands are currently undertaking. The latest is Vivienne Westwood who opened her first Chinese store in Shanghai earlier this week. Dame Viv is in China to take part in lots of activities promoting the opening including being guest of honour at the opening of Shanghai Fashion Week. Never one to be seen and not heard, she's also promoting her concerns about the environment and sustainability by addressing the 'Can China survive the world green economy?' conference.

Dame Vivienne Westwood at the opening of her new Shanghai shop

Enough of the business chat and on to some excellent images by Steven Meisel for W magazine's annual art issue. He has employed the talents of various stars including Linda Evangelista, Karen Elson, Coco Rocha and Joan Rivers to create fake ads for imagined products dreamed up with a little help from the W team. Among them the predicatable next project of Petra Ecclestone and a retro spin on shampoo promotion. I've included some of the images below and somewhere in there is Anna Dello Russo, can you spot her? Hint: You have NEVER seen her quite like this before.

All images from nymag.com

When I read this next story, it made my skin crawl with its subtly anti-woman undertones. Christian Louboutin has been explaining why he thinks women love shoes so much. He says 'That's why women are happy to wear painful shoes. For some a little discomfort is balanced by something else, which has to do with desire. You feel yourself, empower yourself, know yourself. You are aware of your body. This little act of discomfort pays off in lots of other ways... There is an element of seduction in shoes that doesn't exist for men...The language starts with the shoe and radiates over the whole body. A woman can be sexy, charming, witty or shy with her shoes. Shoes for men are about elegance or wealth; they are not playing with the inner character''

Image from ftape.com

I'll let you make your own mind up about whether there's any element of truth in that account of why we wear heels, and we can't argue against the fact that Louboutin has had an epic effect on what we wear on our feet. In the interests of balance, I thought I'd post an extract from Caitlin Moran's amazing 'How to be a Woman'-
 'The unwearability of high heels is self-evidently all around us- coming to a head at the average wedding reception, a uniformly high-heeled occasion. In our minds we see it as an elegant and serene gathering of women in their finest. One of the big chances of the year to pretend you're at the Oscars, in your stilettos. In actuality, of course, it looks like the annual AGM of the Tina Turner Impressionist Union- women staggering around in unaccustomed verticality; foot flesh pouring out over tight, unkind satin, toes going numb for days afterwards''. 

Image from telegraph.co.uk

Miu Miu's decision to hire Hailee Steinfeld as the face of their AW11 campaign caused quite a stir with the debate divided between those who thought she was freakishly young and those who thought the images were charming and sweet (and lots in between). So, the Resort campaign starring 34- year old Guinevere Van Seenus represents something of a leap for Miu Miu. Guinevere was chosen by Erdem earlier in the year to model his Resort 2012 collection, inspired by Hitchcock leading ladies. In a matter of months, the Miu Miu woman has doubled in age and transformed from childish slip of a thing to assured lady, quite the genius move or confusing?

Erdem Resort 2012 (Image from fashionologie.com)

In an interview the FashEd did with Donatella Versace a while back, she told us that the Versace for H&M collection would revive lots of the prints which the label was famous for back in the nineties. True to her word, there is a wealth of fabulously flamboyant baroque references in the full lookbook for the collection which we got to see for the first time this week. It's so darn bellisima, bring on November 17th!

Versace for H&M- Image from telegraph.co.uk

Finally, we may not all be able to fork out the £60,000 paid for a Tracey Emin at Frieze but for a mere tenner you can get your hands on Emin engraved soap at Liberty's Beauty Hall. The project is part of Emin's support for Art Against Knives project which she is involved in 'Because I am against people stabbing each other. Full stop'. Each soap comes wrapped in a poem which Emin has composed especially for the collaboration. If you can't make it to Liberty then you can purchase yours here.