'Lanvin for H&M': High fashion at low prices

By announcing its collaboration with French couture house Lanvin for its next designer collection in September, H&M put the fashion-conscious shopper on high alert. Shanghai was no exception.

Fortunately, the fashion fever ends today -- that is, if you actually manage to get into the store.

The collection “Lanvin for H&M” goes on sale in about 200 H&M stores around the world today, November 23, including Shanghai H&M’s Huaihai Zhong Lu and Super Grand Mall stores.

The U.S. and Canadian shoppers were some of the luckiest around, with “Lanvin for H&M” pre-launching in both countries on November 20.

The collection’s runway show in NYC attracted a number of celebrities, including Sofia Coppola, Alexander Wang and Anna Sui.

In order to synchronize with the international launch, the two Shanghai H&M stores opened their doors today 8 a.m., ensuring only the most dedicated fashion fans get full reign of the collection's options, while the rest of us stayed in bed. 

Known for their wallet-friendly fashion, H&M has put reasonable price tags on the “Lanvin for H&M” collection, adding to the demand for the line.

In Shanghai H&M stores, cocktail dresses cost between RMB 999-1,290, women’s coats start from RMB 1,490 and men’s suits and trench coats are on sale for RMB 1,290-1,999.

“‘Lanvin for H&M’ is presenting a full collection in Shanghai, including womenswear, menswear, accessories, shoes and bags,” says Seraph Chen, H&M’s Shanghai local press contact. “People are joking that it's a second Expo going on at Shanghai H&M stores.”

Although it’s hard for H&M to predict how many people will show up for this collection, fashion lovers started lining up outside of H&M Huaihai Zhong Lu from around 7:30 p.m. last night. Items from the collection and reservation tickets are also available from several Taobao sellers.

H&M started its designer collection collaborations in 2007.

On November 14 last year, H&M released its crossover collection with Jimmy Choo in Shanghai. Rumor has it that all items were gone two minutes after the store opened.