Finally! The big — make that huge — day has arrived and it's a seriously hyped moment that fashionistas and label lovers have been anticipating as much as a bride looks forward to her wedding day. H&M x Balmain is available online. The high x low mashup of the celeb-adored and Kardashian-approved French design house and the fashion retailer is shaping up to be a gamechanger. I already had trouble logging onto the site, getting a polite message noting that H&M.com pretty much overrun with shoppers and cannot handle the load, thereby limiting access to the site.
This collabo is breaking the Internet, people!
Are you ready to put up your dukes and start shopping? While H&M x Balmain is available both in stores and online, be forewarned. You will break a nail and mess up your mani, either from scouring the racks in store or from furiously typing and clicking while securing pieces online. But it's beyond worth it.
If you didn't have time to get a wristband or to camp out in line so you could be first to shop the pieces at H&M stores, you better have a super fast WiFi connection and hope you can beat other web-savvy shoppers to the punch.
H&M x Balmain is the mother of all "masstige" collabos and it may just dwarf last fall's Alexander Wang x H&M range. Yes, really.
Here's the key stuff you you need to know when shopping the collection online, which is going to go fast.
1. High Quality
As Women's Wear Daily noted, the H&M for Balmain pieces are so eagerly anticipated since they are very similar to the brand's high-end offerings. It's super fashion-forward and chic. Know that going into online shopping process. While you won't have a tactile experience where you can touch the fabric or try on the pieces, you can shop confidently knowing the quality is aces.
2. Size Matters
As Fashionista reported, you will want to buy a size up when shopping the H&M x Balmain collabo; going a size up was recommended by an H&M CSR, too. However, a Fashionista reporter test-drove the black velvet dress worn by Bella Hadid. She noted that while she was impressed with the quality, she had to go two sizes up. Many of the offerings are available in a variety of sizes up to 12. So take that into account when pointing and clicking.
3. Knowing Is Half The Battle
Since you are going to be in the middle of a mad, Internet dash to shop, know before you go, so to speak. Plan which items you really, really want in advance; don't waste time meandering while web browsing. Hurry up and put it in your shopping bag and then check out. Adding an item to your digital cart does not "hold" it so don't be a lollygagger, since someone else can jack it and items can and will run out.
4. Think Ahead
If you get shut out online, you might want to consider this option. Personally, I am going to hit the H&M outpost near my parents' house just outside of Philly this weekend. Yes, it's a busy, populated area. So I might be out of luck and everything may be picked over or too small by the time I get there. But since it's not, you know, New York or L.A., I might nab some finds. That's something to consider, as well, based on your location.
I hope you nab your favorite pieces from H&M x Balmain from the digital shopping space, peeps! Godspeed.
