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Ten minutes. That's how long it took almost every item from the Matthew Williamson for H&M collection to get snatched from the shelves. Matthew Williamson, though not a household name, is a British fashion megastar whose dresses typically sell for $2,000 - $3,000. His line launched in H&M stores from London to Tokyo today, and I was there.

I waited on line patiently for one hour, arriving at the corner of 59th and Lexington Avenue in New York City at 9 am, one hour before the doors of this location would open. Having braved the Comme des Garcons, Roberto Cavalli and Stella McCartney for H&M sales, I expected to be towards the middle or back of line by arriving at that somewhat late time.

But I ended up being fifth or sixth, near the door. Even close to the moments those doors opened, the line barely extended around the corner from the entrance. Now this was a first in H&M's history of luxury collaborations. At Roberto Cavalli I saw women snarl over piles of spangled gold dresses. At Stella McCartney I saw a woman elbow a fellow shopper in the ribs. At Comme des Garcons, I saw people snatch entire racks of clothes, hangers and all, in one greedy move. This was almost the complete opposite. Compared to past sales, there was almost no one there, and very little in merchandise was presented.



Yet, the people who did show up clearly had a passion for fashion, and let it loose once the glass doors were unlocked exactly at 10 am. I chose this out-of-the way location because I was traumatized for life by my experience shopping at the flagship H&M for Roberto Cavalli. That was my only time living in New York that I feared being physically harmed by another human being. I don't think it's worth getting stabbed over a leather jacket, no matter how fabulous it is.


These ladies grabbed at everything, but were kind and (relatively) cordial:



At the Lexington Avenue location, there were many fewer items as the store did not carry the entire line, but what I was able to purchase, is quite beautiful. The leather jacket is about $250.00, but it is buttery soft and has exquisite details, including golden, solid-looking zippers with little feathers etched into them.



I also scored the coveted wide studded belt. I heard the buzz going through the crowd about that item while I was on line, so I made it my duty to snatch up two once inside to make sure I got the right size. (I put the wrong size back.)



I let everyone else fight over the dresses, sweaters and T-shirts. Many of the more marvelous items, like the silk jumpsuit and the teal suit were not available at this location, but that's okay with me.

Matthew Williamson's line was much pricier that the typical H&M designer diffusion. For instance, a dress in the line cost $349.00, which is an unheard of price for H&M. Perhaps these high prices is what kept people away, the wait short and the range of items in this store low. Still, at 50 bucks, a studded belt similar to mine would cost nearly $1,000 at a normal Matthew Williamson price.



There is reportedly nothing left now, but bloggers report there will likely be returns available soon. I am sure you can find many items on eBay, for a higher price, right now. But there is a recession going on...

Can I convince myself that I am "saving" money by buying designer goods at a steep H&M discount? I can't go that far. But I did get some gorgeous goods at a fair price. Did anyone else hit up the Matthew Williamson for H&M sale? Are you getting ready for the launch of his summer collection, which includes men's clothes, on May 14th? If so, see you there!