This morning's Comme des Garcons for H&M in a word: spastic. You'd think people were having heart palpitations the way they paced back and forth while waiting outside and even inside, hoping for people to change their minds on garments like their lives depended on it. Turns out the economy depends on it.
This correspondent took it all in from H&M's Herald Square location, betting that it would be the least crazy. Instead we arrived at 6:50am and snapped some pics before joining a 50-strong line. Don't think we didn't spot you line waiters reading Racked on your iphones! Two hours and some pop tarts later, the line wound around the corner and up a block to 35th Street. Intent on owning one of the wallets (half the price of the real CDG line yet made in the same way and place), at 9am when they doors opened we zeroed in on the stacks where they had been earlier. GONE.
Quickly recovering and moving on, we snagged cardigans and shirts as Christmas presents for fellow Comme lovers, but never had a chance at any of these coveted items: the wallet, the scarves, the bag, the dotted shoes and any deconstructed jackets.
After checking out we bolted for the door, fighting our way through confused stragglers from the end of the line as they poured in only to find the plain blouses leftover (not that they left those alone). Fabulous boys who were obviously late for something panicked as they tried on drop-crotch pants in the middle of the aisle. We saw a shirtless dude and sweating women.
Perhaps our favorite moment came when we had a second to survey the scene; a man dressed in the style of Andre J (though not him) was searching for any jackets in the fitting rooms while screaming, "I went to the preview party!" He ended up with nothing. A quick scan of leftover inventory revealed plenty of women's trenchcoats (very thin, those), the plain dress, black tops and the occasional pink dress shirt.
Funny side story: Not ten minutes after we sorted out an overcharge and were outside and fielding text messages from friends, did we receive a call from a strange number. Turns out it was our debit card fraud department calling to ask for verification of charges. We didn't go crazy, but Chase can see right through us; we never spend that much at H&M.
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