Last week in class we watched a movie that showed a clip of the pandemonium for the first H&M designer collaboration with Karl Lagerfeld. Ting looked like a Port of Spaim bank being opened after lunch on Friday at 3pm. Women were rolling themselves under the raising steel door like they were trying to escape a fire.

I was like, “You will never catch me getting on so for no H&M collaboration.”

Mere days later, I find myself eating my words as I practice my “Stop, Drop and Roll” on the tail of H&M’s most recent announcement:

Dying a thousand deaths.

Starting November 14, the designer will be bringing her signature luxe, bohemian, Parisian, don’t- care, model-off-duty chic to hundreds of H&M doors. And the fashion world has gone crazy. Everyone wondered how H&M would follow up last year’s Margiela collabo, and I think they’ve done a pretty good job.

Though in-the-know fashionistas have loved the brand for years, Marant became a recognized name worldwide with her much knocked off 2012 wedge sneakers and this is a great way to capitalize on that increased exposure. Indeed I wonder if IM saw that the H&M Spring/Summer 2013 collection was super reminiscent of her own, and decided, “If you can’t beat them, join them. *fashion shrug*”

This also comes right when I’m doing a presentation on the brand (tomorrow, wish me luck!!) and spent much of the weekend at different Isabel Marant points of sale DROOLING over Spring’s printed, quilted, studded vests and jackets (so much going on but it works so well), diaphanous sheer shifts heavy with jeweled embellishments, sweet printed rompers and bodysuits, minuscule, low-slung leather shorts with, maybe, 2 inch zippers, and the sexiest studded sandals like the ones below. I wanted to take them home but, at 640€, they weren’t so willing to come home with me. (No means no, Kathryn!)

The main reason I’m so drawn to this brand, though is how much it aligns with my Trini fashion sensibility. When I look at her pieces I don’t have the knee-jerk, “Oh I could never wear that at home” reaction I usually do with high-end fashion. It would transition seamlessly from my City life to my Island life and I can’t wait to see the Lookbook for this collabo.

Images courtesy: Fashionista, Isabel Marant, http://tamzlander.blogspot.com