Comme Des Garçons for H&M

We most definitely did it — Fashion Pulse braved the rainy weather and pushy fashionistas to check out if the hype surrounding the Comme des Garcons for H&M collection was for real. Our experience was much calmer than H&M designer collaborations in the past, and were quite surprised to discover that even after arriving at the 51st and Fifth Ave flagship location around 11am (doors opened at 10am) there were a decent selection of styles still available in a variety of sizes — even the ever-coveted H&M extra small! We made lots of observations, and laid out only the most crucial points from our visit:

• The quality, for the most part, was NOT up to our standards — cheapo-looking even for H&M
• Pass on the limited-edition fragrance — too retro, too old lady, too musty (NOT-musky!)
• People will claw each other’s eyes out and buy anything if it has a label on it and is “hot” in that exact moment — even if its not anywhere near their actual size
• The true gem was the deconstructed multi-tonal women’s wool sweater (we bought it!!!)
• The menswear was WAY better than the womenswear, as far as living up to Comme des Garcons’ design motif AND quality — especially the trousers, jackets, and blazers
• NEVER check out on the first floor – OR attempt to use a dressing room – simply head up the escalator for some breathing room
• If Ebay.com is any indicator on how well the collection did, by late this afternoon there were 86  Comme des Garcons for H&M items posted, with about 83 of them at 0 bids

-Stay tuned for our next designer collaboration mash-up!

UPDATE: We’ve got some new pics from the racks and the dressing room! See how Fashion Pulse Editor Julia DiNardo looks in the Comme des Garcons tops!