Jimmy Choo for H&M

***Saturday November 14th 2009 @ 9.00am (UK)***



If you live or work around central London then you'll probably be aware of the mass promotion this new H&M Designer launch is receiving. It has made world news, and in the UK is plastered on the sides of London buses, PR pieces/coverage in all the major newspapers and fashion magazines (including their websites, such as Vogue) since last month, the H&M website itself completely re-vamped for this occassion.

According to H&M they have made losses in the past with previous designer collaborations (e.g. Matthew Williamson, Stella McCartney) due to the high quality of production costs in Europe. This still represents a significant PR coup for the high street Swedish retailer however - one which has seen profits increase year on year since the original Karl Lagerfeld launch in 2004/5.

According to reports people will start queuing at midnight tonight. I was planning to get to one of the central London H&M branches early, say 7.30ish for the 9am opening. Turns out I'll probably be late and won't make the first 160 people in queue if the hype is to believed.

I visited H&M either later in the day or a few days after the original Karl Lagerfeld collaboration and managed to pick up a few things (one of which was a top that was stolen by a cleaner at a backpackers hostel in Honduras on my gap year in summer 2005!) without a problem.

Now the fact that I'm even going on the launch day is testament to my love for a select few designer shoes labels, which as a recent graduate I cannot yet afford to buy myself. I hate crowds. I can't stand getting on the bus in the mornings to work, preferring to wait for an emptier bus (or tube in the case of the Underground). Women, frankly are animals. They'll push in front of you, barging without consideration (in desperation to get to work apparently). And I'm choosing to put myself through what is sure to be mayhem tomorrow morning.

I'm dreading it.

The worst part is, I recognise I may have to tap into some animal behaviour to seize the things I've set my eyes on, one of which is a pair of grey open toed boots that I want to go with my graduation outfit next Wednesday 18th. But there will be some crazed, greedy people there - brilliant subjects for behavioural psychologists.

I keep telling myself that in the worst case scenario at not being able to grab one or two pairs of shoes I'm after plus a belt and some earrings (accessories will be in a restricted area open to the first 160 people in queue for groups of 20, 10 people at a time for the first two hours), I'll just come back on Sunday and/or Monday when H&M will have restocked the shelves. The final thing I tell myself is that if I don't quite manage to be animal enough, I'll have saved myself some much needed cash!

In any case, I shall be reporting back on any injuries sustained and items scored (if any) soon.