High-street highs: 10 years of H&M designer collaborations

How to shop designer collaborations like a pro

Designer collaborations on the high street have been part of my professional life for a decade now. Their timings and life cycle – from rumour and announcement through to the 9am scrum and the inevitable eBay flipping – are as much a part of fashion’s calendar as the twice-yearly catwalk schedule. Inevitably the phenomenon has spilled over into the personal too. As someone who has observed and reported on them at close quarters, my wardrobe is littered with the spoils of reporting from the doorstep of H&M – from the Stella McCartney collaboration in 2005 through to Isabel Marant last November. (I confess that the original Karl Lagerfeld one with H&M back in 2004 perturbed me too much to make a purchase.)

I reckon I’ve managed to pick up some shopping tricks along the way which actually work. Getting something with designer handwriting on a budget is a massive win for your wardrobe, and that smug feeling from the shopping kill can last a while too. To wit: nine years ago I spent about £100 (I can’t recall the exact price) on a Stella McCartney for H&M tuxedo detail knee-length wool coat. The sort of coat you can wear over a posh outfit when it’s cold. Wardrobe gold dust from a designer who has nailed the non-princessy going-out look. It sadly went to the charity shop two months ago, but still, almost a decade is a good innings for a well-worn high-street buy.

The first rule of collaboration shopping is that research is key. As is sticking to a plan amidst the inevitable frenzy of the till. Click through the galleries that websites such as ours will give you ahead of the start line (our pleasure), then target one item – one that you’re confident will suit you and that is emblematic of the brand. Say the fringed suede boots from Isabel Marant or a cocktail frock from Lanvin. A cliche is good in this scenario. Then stick to it and don’t be swayed by the crowd. Don’t be scared of being boring either. Several fashion journalists I know own a grey marl sweatshirt from Isabel Marant at H&M. It’s not just a grey marl sweatshirt, it’s the grey marl sweatshirt to own.

If it’s a brand you’re not crazy about that does a collaboration, either sit out the frenzy until next time or sate your wardrobe appetite with a non-committal accessory. I’m not Comme des Garçons fanatic – and believe me, I know those who are – but I know the value of a 20 quid bit of fashion kudos, so I grabbed a polka-dot scarf from one bout of frontline reporting that has already paid its way through several winters.

Online shopping works. It just requires you to be sure of your size in that brand the week before. You need to register for the site at leisure before launch day then put all your eggs in one basket for the constant pressing of the refresh button. Don’t deviate. That’s how I bagged a navy blue pinafore dress with gold medusa head buttons from the Versace for H&M madness three years ago. That and the fact that I have a job where being on a shopping website for 45 minutes early in the morning counts as bona fide research. I confess I haven’t actually worn this one (yet) but it hangs like a trophy in its very own leopard-print dress bag in my wardrobe. The packaging itself is a reminder of all that is good about a high-street collaboration.

Tactical shopping plays an important part in the madness. The press office at one high-street retailer once told me that the online returns take about a week to get back online, which is a good way of getting a hot item in a popular size if you’ve missed the boat on day one. I can’t vouch that this works but it feels like a "fact" worth holding on to. Also worth remembering is that smaller branches don’t suffer as much from first-day fuss. Then you need to be philosophical about the process: don’t resort to inflated prices on eBay, it’s just silly.

My most successful collaboration buy, though, was done as a pure punter, with no frontline reporting privileges. On maternity leave in 2009, I stumbled into a central London Uniqlo branch at lunchtime. The stock looked good to me – lots of navy wool and denim. It was the Jil Sander collaboration that I had been vaguely aware of but not nerdishly following. Bizarrely, there were no crowds in the store, although there was a vague aftermath vibe about the changing rooms. I bought the jeans because a) they fitted me and b) the denim was perfection. Five years and several different pairs of jeans later, Jil Sander’s Uniqlo jeans remain my favourite pair. Imogen Fox

I was working. No, honestly, I swear, I was. I was at my desk, writing about the Versace for H&M launch on the day the collection went on sale in November 2011, and part of the story was about how demand was crashing the H&M website. So – purely for the purposes of accurate first-hand reporting – I logged on to the site to check. And it didn’t crash, but instead loaded the full collection. So – purely to be sure of my facts – I experimented with trying to buy an item. Which happened to be the dress I really wanted from the collection, in my size. And the gods were smiling on me – perhaps for being at work when I wanted to be shopping in H&M with everyone else – because the sale went through. I have never owned a real, live Versace dress, but when I wear this one I absolutely feel like I’m wearing Versace. It’s the black, the gold buttons, the slightly naughty straps, the whole full-fat, turn-the-music-up Donatellaishness of it. Nice work if you can get it, right? Jess Cartner-Morley

Sonia Rykiel for H&M platforms

I very nearly died in these shoes, when one of the platforms twisted and I ended up stumbling in the road as a bus turned a corner. That aside, they have served me well. I love a bit of 70s disco styling, and the shiny black finish is very satisfying when looking down at my feet. All in all, an excellent addition to a shoe wardrobe for – if memory serves – £39.99. Now I just need to learn to walk in them. Lauren Cochrane

Lanvin for H&M faux-fur jacket

There’s nothing about this piece from the Lanvin H&M collaboration which screams "me". But the thing about high-street collaborations is that they allow fakers like me to experience the high end for a bit. To pretend they’re French, elegant and rich when in fact they’ve merely queued in the cold for an hour before work and spent £79.99. The Lanvin collaboration launched just before Christmas in 2010, but this cropped jacket still holds its own thanks, in part, to the fun faux furness (which is back, readers!). Morwenna Ferrier

Maison Martin Margiela for H&M top

Among the talking-point pieces of the Maison Martin Margiela for H&M collection – duvet coat, guitar-shaped weekend bag, sweetie-foil clutches – was this long-sleeve, black viscose top. I love how plain it is, with discreet zippers at the neck and side. But it’s also very turn-it-on-its-head Margiela – the lining you might ordinarily find as the interior of a suit is used as the top’s exterior. I wear it with old jeans or plain black trousers and trainers. Simon Chilvers

Isabel Marant for H&M sweatshirt

Yes, this is a grey sweatshirt. Perfectly fine but perfectly unexciting, right? Wrong. In fact it is the ultimate grey sweatshirt, one of the biggest scalps from Isabel Marant’s collaboration with H&M. Shamefully, I bought this on eBay for twice the price after the sale, because I was too late to snag my size in store. Still, it was worth it: it’s soft and cosy and slouchy and makes every outfit a little bit louche and insouciant. In other words, it’s the closest I’ll ever get to looking like a French Vogue editor, which would be a bargain at three times the price. Hannah Marriott

Steven Alan for Uniqlo shirt and dress

My best (and only) buys: a navy gingham shirt and a navy and white striped shirtdress. You may have correctly identified a shirt theme. They were from New York shirting specialist Steven Alan’s 2009 collection for Uniqlo. I still wear them. The cotton has stayed crisp. The buttons occur in the right places. They are tailored just enough to make boxiness flattering. I think it’s that judgment I was excited to find on the high street. Beyond that, I’m a snob who refuses to be moved by big names popping up in now-unsurprising places. Paula Cocozza

See more at:queenie purple bridesmaid dresses

Life consists not in holding good cards, but in playing well those you hold. keep your friends close,but your enemies closer.