First Look: Maison Martin Margiela for H&M Lookbook

It's here - the first look at the Maison Martin Margiela collection for H&M. I've looked forward to this a lot more than any of the highstreet store's previous collaborations, largely because Margiela is one of the last brands that I'd have thought would team up with H&M. I was intrigued to see whether the innovative designs of Margiela could ever be translated to a highstreet budget form without diluting and losing the magic of the brand entirely. Have they succeeded? Probably more so than any other brand who have collaborated with H&M previously. It was a smart move on the part of Margiela to present a highstreet collection that allows an overview of the brand's development to both current fans and those for whom this will be their first introduction. Pieces from recent collections haven't been reinvented on a highstreet budget, which will feel outdated as soon as the hype has died down. Instead, there are an array of items that reference previous collections, which will be labelled with the corresponding season that their original inspiration was created for.

So what's made it onto my shopping list? The voluminous cream jumper dress is right at the top, along with the padlock bow necklace. The perspex wedge heel boots are also a favourite, but I think they are an original from a few seasons ago. The jury's out on the hand handbag, but an oversized box coat might just make it too.

What do you think of the collaboration? Will you be buying? It hits stores on the 15th November.

Image: Vogue

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Cover up

I have a kind of fascination with volume and I'm talking volume of extreme proportions. I like the way that after eating a full trifle (with some aid of my boyfriend), or when I feel like a giant among the average 5ft woman where I live, that stupendous amounts of fabric, or equally (though I've not had the personal experience) shoulder pads up to your ears can make you suddenly feel pretty damn tiny. I guess it's similar to the 'large bag syndrome', apparently suffered by physically minute celebrities such as Mary Kate Olsen and Mischa Barton (in the size zero days), where a bag more than capable of holding every possible amenity you could need on a daily basis including your dog and potentially a boyfriend, makes the holder in comparison, look on par with a borrower. Such sartorial proportions are potentially best achieved by Maison Martin Margiela. I know many people argue that Margiela's earlier days were his best, and that some reviews of  his 2010 collections were disappointing to be polite, but the more recent collections appeal to me most. Fall 07 and 08 provided some of the silhouettes I'd love to shroud myself in - there's something empowering in such a structured shape, yet you also feeling contrastingly vulnerable inside all the extremes of material. 

For S/S 2010 such volume was moved down to the feet, which is a look that I hope catches on in the mainstream; though when you think we only saw last year, the shoulder pads that Margiela was creating in '07 I might be waiting a long time! The first few pieces I instantly wanted; it was mainly the boots that had the volume I love, but I liked the casual look of the oversize tee and the interesting detail on the shirt.