H&M Throws a Bash for Matthew Williamson with Some Real Superstars

Pictured: Model Helena Christensen in Matthew Williamson for H&M, er, dress :)

Despite Recession woes, H&M put on party last night in Manhattan to celebrate their Matthew Williamson collection Part Deux upcoming launch on May 14th. Normally, I don't like to just show pictures of celebrities wearing fashions on the blog, because I really don't think you should choose your clothes based on what someone who is famous is wearing, especially when it was probably give to them for free! :) However, there is something here that I like, that I want to talk about. The H&M party pictures actually show the clothes being worn by two party goers who are clearly not professional models, but who are just enjoying themselves and looking fabuless.

As much as I like the cute mini-dress worn by Helena above, I'm much more intrigued by the picture of H&M's genius Creative Advisor, Margareta van den Bosch in her fabby yellow top (see below). To me, she just looks amazing. She's not posing and there is nothing artificial her. She's relaxing in a comfortable and pretty top. And she is not a size numero zero. Rock it for the Recessionistas Margareta!

Pictured: H&M's Margareta van den Bosch

The next phase of the collection will feature casual menswear, and I love this photo of Adrien Brody strolling into the H&M party in his MW shorts.

Pictured: Adrien Brody, keeping it real

I hope this is a trend that we see more of. I don't know about the rest of the fashion watching nation, but I am seriously tired of seeing a pair of starved looking twins popping up all over NYC in the latest designer garb. I much prefer seeing some non-poseurs turning up and looking very real + cool in chic n'cheap garb.

I hope this next collection of Matthew Williamson for H&M wear lasts for more than several hours at H&M stores. Everyone should have the chance to enjoy some affordable fashions. I scored on the last collection only because my dear friend Scottie braved the throngs of hoarding shoppers at the Beverly Center H&M store like William Wallace taking on the English during the battle for Scottish independence. He succeeded where lesser men and women might have failed, sweet talking a hoarding shopper into parting with the "butterfly top" so his dear friend (moi) could enjoy it. Below are the spoils of the Beverly Center skirmishes.

Pictured: The coveted Matthew Williamson for H&M Butterfly Top

I truly believe Scottie succeeded, with his charming accent, where I would have undoubtedly failed. I don't know if I would've succeeded in talking this prized garment from the hands of a frenzied shopper.

So here's hoping that the May 14th introduction of the Matthew Williamson collection is a lot less frenzied and shows the promise of light-hearted summer garments that can be worn well by real people. I want the top Margareta is wearing below:

Pictured: Matthew Williamson for H&M floral tunic.

Plus the "tunic" (sorry I don't think that is a dress) that Helena is modeling above.

Pictured: Matthew Williamson for H&M floral tunic.

H&M please make enough to last at least through June! :)

H&M Throws a Bash for Matthew Williamson with Some Real Superstars

The Magic of Macy's: Announcing The Friends and Family Sale

The fabuless folks at Macy's have announced a special sale just in time for Mother's Day. Check it out! Recessionistas are welcome to shop in store or online. We love discounts in the Recession. Thank you Macy's.

Get an extra 25% off . Use promo code: MACYSFF.

USE JUST ONE CODE MACYSFF IN YOUR SHOPPING BAG FOR BOTH THE FRIENDS & FAMILY DISCOUNT AND FREE SHIPPING WITH $99 PURCHASE.

*Friends & Family discount applies to sale, clearance and regular prices, with exceptions listed. EXCLUDES: Online Coach and Toy purchases, cosmetics, fragrances, Tempur-Pedic mattresses, gift registry kiosks, eSpot, services, select licensed departments and special orders. Not valid with other passes or discount offers. Not valid on Everyday Values, Gift Cards, Gift Certificates, prior purchases or gift wrap. This offer is not transferable. Friends & Family discount code valid April 29-May 4, 2009.

The Magic of Macy's: Announcing The Friends and Family Sale

A Modest Proposal: Mom Might Want Wine for Mother's Day

Pictured: One of my favorite wineries, Chateau Julien in Carmel, CA (a taste of France in California)

As my readers know, I am a great lover of a good bottle of wine. And, I'm always looking for great wines at cheap and cheerful prices. My mother is also a wine connoisseur. Way before the movie Sideways, we shared many great times roaming around the vineyards in Santa Barbara County looking for the perfect Pinot Noir. It's very possible that Mom will receive some good wine from me for Mother's day. Looking around the web for bargains, I came across a great offer from the My Wines Direct website. They are offering Recessionistas a savings of $5 off the cost of their Mother's Day gift + FREE shipping with code MOM5. Click here to go to their site and see their gift selection.

Some of their Mother's day gift packages include:

Chardonnays for Spring : Spring Chardonnays, wrapped in bright paper with matching tasting notes for $39.95

3 Whites & 3 Reds & 1 Cookbook. Send six wines from small, family-owned vineyards and a cook book of gourmet recipes - for many evenings filled with great wine and food. Price: $74.95

And for the ultimate cheap and cheerful gift, pick an amazing bottle of wine to go with a dinner you make for Mom. Here's one of my favorites as a suggestion. Check out the Osprey Glen Sauvignon Blanc 2007 (price $12.99) from Sonoma California. It has 5 star reviews from those who ordered. It's a nice light wine, medium-bodied and soft, with a clean finish. The site has a recommended recipe of Grilled Zucchini Salad with Feta, Chickpeas and Lemon Vinaigrette that sounds amazing! Food Network might want to add this one to their Recession recipes series. That salad and the wine would go well with chicken, fish or even spicy food. It might be time for a little cheap & cheerful BBQ action.

If you're interested in investing a little more, another wine I recommend is Chateau Julien's award-winning 2006 Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for $40.00. The bottle comes beautifully wrapped and boxed in their wood gift box.

Pictured: A Chateau Julien gift box

Another good thing about wine, one size fits all :) In our family, there's no question about returns either.

A Modest Proposal: Mom Might Want Wine for Mother's Day

Arden B's Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Giveaway & Prom Dresses

In the midst of a downturn, where the stay-cation has become the norm vacation, we all need the chance to win a free vacation. Thankfully, the folks at Arden B have come through with something special for the Recessionista Nation. They are offering a chance for a lucky winner to get a free trip to Hollywood, when they enter the Ghost of Girlfriend's past giveaway. Click here to enter for a chance to win a Hollywood getaway! Make-over and fashion photo shoot plus a 4 night stay the beautiful Sheraton Universal Hotel! The giveaway is of course inspired by the upcoming movie starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner.



While you are visiting the Arden B website , you might want to check out the current gift certificate specials for Mother's Day. Gift cards are available from $25.00 - $250.00, a perfect gift for the undecided shopper. Click here to check them out.

They also have some great prom & special occasion dresses to choose from at great prices.

Pictured: Arden Prom and Special Occasion Dresses

Arden B's Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Giveaway & Prom Dresses

Gilt Groupe Kicks off a Week of Mother's Day Sales

Pictured: Leslie Green jewelry on sale today at Gilt Groupe.

Gilt Groupe is starting the week off right with a smart selection of Mother's Day Gifts for members. Remember Mother's Day is just around the corner (May 10th). The sale kicks off today with a fine selection of 18-carat gold and sterling silver lattice-like pieces from the collection of Leslie Greene. Later in the week, Gilt will be offering handbags from designers Leonello Borghi, Gianfranco Ferre and LeSportsac Artist. What's nice about this assortment of gifts? The ease of shopping from your PC, the discounts and of course that fact that one size fits all.

Here's the shopping schedule. Click here to shop Gilt as my guest.

Leslie Greene Monday 4/27

Fabulous Gifts for Mom Tuesday, 4/28

LeSportsac Artist in Residence Wednesday 4/29

Leonello Borghi Thursday 4/30

Isharya Friday 5/1

Gianfranco Ferre Friday 5/1

Gilt Groupe Kicks off a Week of Mother's Day Sales

Bringing Home the Birkin and Kérastase Birkin Giveaway

Pictured: L'Oreal Kerastase's contest for a Birkin bag, mistakenly described as a Kelly bag

Recently, in perhaps one of their rare fashion faux pas, L'Oreal Kérastase contest running on Vogue.com mistakenly labeled a Hermes Birkin bag as a Hermes Kelly bag. The misnomer was of course discovered by my fellow blogger, and intrepid fashion finder and lover of luxury, 00o0. As 00o00, correctly surmised, it's amazing that in an advertisement for a giveaway on a coveted Hermes bag, that the bag was mislabeled. Above and below are the screen shots.

How could Kérastase ( and Vogue by association) have avoided such a misstep? Well, they should have called the expert on the coveted Birkin bag (named for actress Jane Birkin), author Michael Tonello. Michael is the author of a wonderful, and very humorous book, about his own quest for finding Birkins to sell on eBay. The book is called "Bringing Home the Birkin." Recently, I sat down for some virtual tea and a chat with Michael to talk about the book. He was kind enough to answer my questions. He offered some great insights into how the recession will affect luxury brands. Best of all, Michael graciously offered a signed copy of the book to The Recessionista's readers for a giveaway. Following is our conversation and a chance to win the book!

Pictured: The cover of the book, "Bringing Home The Birkin"

Q. Do you think luxury brands like Hermes will survive this Recession?
A. Survive, yes. However, I do think it is going to be very tough for some of them. So many of these brands have positioned themselves to target the "aspirational" shopper, and this is exactly the customer that is being hardest hit with this economy. I think the hardest hit will be the trendier brands, like Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, to name but a few.

Q. Will the Birkin go on?
Yes, but it is/will become much more available to the average person off the street. Gone are the days of having to spend a lot of money at Hermes to be able to get a Birkin. You can walk in to Hermes now and find Birkins on the shelves, available for purchase.

Q. Do you ever foresee Hermes doing pricing specials or revising prices due to the economy?
A. No, not Hermes. Too much of Hermes is handmade and labor intensive so the cost of production is high. My prediction is that the Hermes scarf and tie business will be hit badly, but their specialty items (like custom-made bags) will flourish. Very wealthy people are, more and more, going to want items that are unique and of the highest quality, to stand the test of time. Again, those aspirational items, like the Hermes scarf and tie, will suffer.

Q. Michel how can you check a Birkin to see if it's a fake?
A. As for fake Birkins....the #1 easiest thing to say is that an authentic Birkin is hand-stitched and made using a method called "saddle stitching". This produces a slightly irregular stitch (since it's not machine done). If you were to compare the stitching on an authentic Birkin with any other purse, you would see that the stitches are totally different looking. A fake Birkin is machine stitched and therefore the stitches are perfect and in a perfectly straight line....if you placed a ruler down against the stitches they would be perfectly parallel to the ruler....not so with an authentic Birkin.

To learn more about the history of the Birkin, and Michael's quest to find a real Birkin to sell on eBay, enter to win our giveaway for a signed copy of the book, "Bringing Home the Birkin." Pictured below is the signed name plate from our copy.



To enter the giveaway, simply subscribe to our newsletter by May 1, 2009. All The Recessionista subscribers will be eligible for the book giveaway so long as they subscribed to the newsletter before May 1, 2009.
I will pull from existing subscribers as well as new. We'll be picking a lucky winner from the entries we receive. And don't worry, your email will not be used for anything other than the contest entry. We don't do spam :) The book giveaway is open to all of our readers around the globe.

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PS--- I also entered the Vogue advertised Kérastase giveaway for the Hermes bag. Bottom line for this Recessionista, I don't care whether they call it a Kelly or a Birkin, if it's a giveaway for a Hermes bag, count me in! Here's the entry form. Check the giveaway rules to see if you are eligible to win.

PSS-- L'Oreal Kérastase and Vogue, put Michael Tonello on your speed dial for all things Birkin :) He can help!

Bringing Home the Birkin and Kérastase Birkin Giveaway

Spring 2009 Giles Gold Arrives at New Look

Pictured: Giles floral dress from his new Spring collection for New Look

Matthew Williamson was not the only designer going Recessionista this week with a discounted collection. The fabulous Giles Deacon rolled out another collection for New Look in the UK this week. I've always like the Gold collections. The designs are true to Giles at affordable prices. I also applaud New Look for making the collection in a wide variety of sizes (up to US 14, UK 18). From what I've heard there were not alot of size 12 or 14 in stock over at H&M yesterday :) The new Giles Gold collection is available now on the New Look website. New Look sells in the UK, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. So if you are in one of those countries, you might want to get some Giles for Spring. The rest of us will have to shop for it on eBay! I'm looking for this beautiful blue "mac" coat to turn up on eBay.

Spring 2009 Giles Gold Arrives at New Look

The Recessionista visits Decadestwo Vintage and Designer Consignment Store

Pictured: Racks of designer shoes at consignment store Decadestwo, in West Hollywood

Last Saturday I was out for a little stroll on Melrose Avenue, enjoying the shops and the California sunshine. I was surprised to see all the new shops and designers moving in. Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenburg have now opened shops. But one store remains a Melrose tradition and offers a bit of Hollywood glamour, upscale consignor Decadestwo. I was lucky enough to meet and have a chat with the owner of Decadestwo, Christos Garkos. Following is our interview, offering a unique glimpse into the world of consignment treasures. And best of all, Saturday, April 25th, everything in the store is 20% off. Remember, although this store is based in Los Angeles, CA, there are great consignment stores all over the globe. Consult YELP! for one in your area. Following is our interview and pictures from Decadestwo.


Q. Why did you start DecadesTwo?:
A. I was friendly with Cameron Silver who founded our sister store—Decades—the vintage couture boutique—in 1997. While I was in the music business, I provided seed money for Decadestwo two years after, because I felt that there was a place in fashion for pre-loved high end designer clothing---the pre-owned Mercedes of fashion if you will. I came on full time two years later. And now we are celebrating our 10th anniversary. Phew.

Q. How do maintain the consistently high quality of goods?
A. We are very selective. We only accept twenty percent of what we are offered. We see over 60,000 things a year and accept about 10,000.

Pictured: Two great Thakoon dresses in perfect condition waiting for Michelle Obama to drop in

Q. The store has kind of a magical feel. There are three beautiful Vintage gowns on Mannequins. Can you tell us anything about them? Are there any stories there?

A. The dresses are Oscar de la Renta (black/white) from last year--retailed for $13,000 our price $2,500---to the right Ralph Lauren gown w/feathers --very rare.

Lastly a Marchesa dress -a version worn by Sienna Miller a few seasons back.

Pictured: Racks of Chanel suits, Coco come to me! :)

Q. How do you manage to acquire so much vintage and new Chanel?? You have a great collection.

A.Chanel is our best seller. We are tres aggressive in searching high and low for the best pieces!

Pictured: A brand new jacket from Decadestwo

Q. I noticed some things in the store were not consignment, but were actually new with tags. Is that a new thing?

A. Actually everything in the store is on consignment. The tags are garments that were never worn.

Q. For a day of Recessionista shopping were would you go? Were can men shopping Recessionista look for bargains, outside of Decadestwo?

A. I love the outlets in Palm Springs . A little shopping. A little vacation.

Q. Will everything in the store be 20% off this Saturday? Should we come early before LA wakes up? :)

A. 20% off the entire store this Saturday the 25^th.. it starts at 10:00am so yup get here early!

Q. And finally, I have to ask any favorite restaurants in the area ( Melrose ) for cheap & cheerful dinning?

A. I like M Café very much. It’s good for you food and you can have lunch for under $8.00.

So if you're looking for some great designer finds, here are the sale details. Hopefully Rachel Zoe has not already taken all the good stuff :) Rachel, leave some for the Recessionistas! Times are tough and we need our pre-owned Chanel.

******************************************************************

Decadestwo Vintage and Designer Consignment Store - One Day Only - 20% Off Everything!

Sat: April 25, 2009

Hours:10 am to 6:00 pm

8214 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, California

The Recessionista visits Decadestwo Vintage and Designer Consignment Store

Store Info on Matthew Williamson for H&M collection

Pictured: The Matthew Williamson Peacock Dress for H&M, price: $79.99 US

As all good Recessionistas know, H&M will be launching the Matthew Williamson for H&M collection tomorrow, Thursday, April 23rd. Around 200 H&M stores worldwide will carry Williamson’s wardrobe of eclectic prints and vivid colour pieces. And these are b*r*i*g*h*t. It's really an eye catching palette here, pinks, turquoise, purple and fuchsia. Some of the faithful may already be camped out at the flagship Fifth Ave. store. Here in Los Angeles, all is quiet and as of yet, no camp out and no queue. I don't expect the line to form until early tomorrow am (say 6:30 am to 7:00 am, look for it across the street from the Sofitel Hotel.)

· The main inspiration for the collection is a retrospective of special pieces from his past collections.

· The store on 640 Fifth Avenue will open at 9 am on the day of the launch, Thursday, April 23rd, an hour before all other H&M stores. There will be a line outside the store prior to opening (as there always is!) Behave and be safe.

· The store at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles will open at 10 am on the day of
the launch, April 23rd, as will most other H&M stores carrying the collection. Update: as of 10:30 am PST, 4/23, Beverly Center H&M is sold out of the collection. Nothing is left on the racks.

· The items in the window at the Fifth Ave, New York store will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis on Monday April 27th.

· Find the store that carries your favorite item by clicking on the outfit and choosing "find a store", by clicking here.

To listen to the designer talk about his collection and see more of the clothes, watch this special video provided to us by H&M for the launch. I love how the H&M Fashion Director talks about the "happy colours."



If you are not getting up for the dawn patrol tomorrow, look for the entire collection on eBay within an hour of the stores' opening! :) Some items from Europe are already up for auction on eBay. That's how quick this stuff will be snagged and resold. I saw people selling Comme Des Garcons from their blackberries last year while they waited in the 30 minute line to buy their selections at H&M.

In case you can't get into H&M tomorrow, or if you find the collection sold out, here are some other sales of interest that might console you:
********************************************

NEW YORK: IN-HOUSE AT SAVVY & CO. NY

who: FURLA

what: Handbags, Shoes, Accessories and Small Leather Goods - Prices up to 70% off retail Prices

when: Thursday, April 23rd - Friday, April 24th 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
where: in-house: 145 West 18th St (6th and 7th avenues)
why: Elegant, contemporary, stylish

– beautiful: Capture the essence of Italian craftsmanship at its finest with Furla’s outstanding collection of handbags, shoes, wallets, belts, jewelry and key rings.

LOS ANGELES:

Camarillo Premium Outlets® to hold Expansion Celebration

April 23 – 26 for opening of The Promenade

WHAT: Camarillo Premium Outlets® is getting even larger. Camarillo Premium Outlets will celebrate the opening of its latest expansion on April 23 through April 26, 2009. The Promenade will bring 40 new designer and name brand outlet stores and eateries, expanding the center to 160 stores in total. The Promenade, which is 220,000 square feet is anchored by Neiman Marcus Last Call, a new merchant at the center and Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th which has relocated to a larger store with a new store design.

WHEN: Expansion Celebration
Thursday, April 23 – Sunday, April 26, 2009
Ribbon Cutting at 9:00am on Thursday, April 23

Celebrate throughout the center with four days of in-store promotions, live entertainment and more.

Shopping Hours: Thursday, April 23 – Saturday April 25: 10am-9pm

Sunday, April 26: 10am-8pm

WHERE: Camarillo Premium Outlets

740 E. Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010, (805) 445-8520



And coming soon, the Decadestwo sale. We'll be featuring more about this tomorrow, in a special interview with the owner featuring pictures of the store's treasures.

Decadestwo Vintage and Designer Consignment Store - One Day Only - 20% Off Everything!

Sat: April 25, 2009

Hours:10 am to 6:00 pm

8214 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, California

Shop well & shop wisely!

Store Info on Matthew Williamson for H&M collection

Earth Day Sales & Ideeli's Kindle Giveaway

Pictured: The environmentally kind Kindle with a picture of a great author: Edgar Allen Poe.

Happy Earth Day Recessionistas! I've got some good news for those of you going green. Today, shopping club Ideeli and Amazon are combining forces to give away a cool eco-friendly reading device, the KINDLE. Three lucky winners will receive one Amazon Kindle and a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com, enabling them to enjoy their favorite books and even newspapers in a stylish and sustainable way. The Kindle's electronic display provides a sharp screen that looks and reads like real paper, but is also eco-friendly. Join Ideeli as my guest to enter now. I've already made my entry to win :)

Over at Gilt Groupe, some earth friendly fashions and accessories are on sale today.
Check out Stella McCartney, Edun, Loomstate and others. Click here to shop Recessionista at Gilt.


For more information, about going Green beyond Earth Day, check eBay's Green Guide. This is a terrific free resource with great tips to teach us how to act smarter and more responsibly.

To check out the eBay Buy Green Guide, click here.

Earth Day Sales & Ideeli's Kindle Giveaway

Leave the Staycation Behind: Spirit 1-Day Sale: U.S & Caribbean Fares thru Summer*

Tired of the stay-cation new deal ? Spirit airlines has just announced an unbelievable 1 day sale with fares as low as $18.00 USD to the US & Caribbean Fares thru Summer*.
Here are some details and travel dates from Travel site, Travel Zoo. Now, I don't know anything about the service or reputation of Spirit airlines, all I know is this deal is cheap and it won't last.

To take advantage of these fares book by midnight tomorrow, Wednesday, April 22.

Sample $18 fares (each way):

• Atlantic City to Orlando ... Sept. 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 27
• Fort Lauderdale to Montego Bay ... May 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13
• Boston to Atlantic City ... May 4, 6, 12, 13, 26, 30
• Chicago to Myrtle Beach ... May 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 15
• Fort Lauderdale to Cancun ... Sept. 7, 9, 17, 18, 22, 23
• Washington, D.C. (Reagan) to Fort Lauderdale ... June 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8
• Fort Lauderdale to Panama City ... May 6, 9, 11, 13, 18, 25

While the lowest fares are only available on select routes and dates, nearly every Spirit route is on sale. For example, fly from New York to Fort Lauderdale for $28. From Detroit, head to Las Vegas or Los Angeles for only $58.

For a complete list of fares, click here and scroll down. Book travel using the "Book Flights" tab or click here to visit the Spirit Airlines homepage.

I hope their website doesn't crash like the 19.28 hotel deal earlier this year :) I know, I shouldn't even put that thought out there into the universe. My experience is these deals are real, but maybe difficult to book once everyone finds out. So remember, you heard it hear first. The Recessionista tip line is working overtime. Seriously, you could buy plane tickets on Spirit cheaper than an item from the new H&M designer collection. It does give one pause.

Note: Final pricing will include additional fees for travel insurance and club membership. Both fees are optional and can be removed during the booking process.

Leave the Staycation Behind: Spirit 1-Day Sale: U.S & Caribbean Fares thru Summer*

Kewl Savings this week at Kohl's: Lowest Prices of the Season April 22-27

Pictured: The Kohl's Lowest Price of the Season Sale Kicks Off April 22-27

So I arrived home this evening to some good news. As sweltering heat takes over Southern California, and it's clearly time to get to summer clothes, Kohl's announces a sale this week. Above is a picture of the circular I just received in the mail. The timing is good for the change of season, but also because Mother's Day is on the way. It's May 10th to be exact readers. Here's a little reminder for you to save the date and remember to pick up something nice for mom.

Recessionista Reminder: Mother's Day is May 10th.

Pictured below are a few of my favorites that I'll be looking for this week (on sale) for future gift giving. The focus on my efforts will of course be the Simply Vera and Elle collections. Dana Buchman is not yet within my sites, but I'll have to check it out once I get into the store. Right now, it's worth it to take a shopping break to experience the air conditioning at Kohl's!

Pictured: Simply Vera Vera Wang purple crystal flower petal necklace, earrings and rings

Pictured: Simply Vera Lavender Ruffled Blouse, on sale for $34.00

Pictured: Elle coral jacket, pants and matching bag

Pictured: Elle coral ruffled shirt and black pants

Pictured: Elle's Vintage look, shrug with floral top

Best of all for every $50.00 you spend, you'll receive $10.00 in Kohl's cash to enjoy later. This is the way I like to shop, some for Mom and some for me :)

Here are a few of the sale highlights from their website:

• Bonus Buys at Kohls.com
  
• 50-60% Off Selected Handbags & Wallets
  
• 70% Off Selected Diamond Jewelry (some are buy 1 , get 1 free)
  
• ELLE Hobo Bag, reduced to $19.20 from $48.00 (pictured below)
  

Kewl Savings this week at Kohl's: Lowest Prices of the Season April 22-27

Matthew Williamson for H&M: Arrives April 23rd

Pictured: Maxi Dress and Mini-Dress from the New H&M Matthew Williamson collection

This Thursday, April 23, Matthew Williamson's line for H&M launches in only eight cities around US. The line will also launch at selected H&Ms in Europe and Asia. The April 23rd date is just the first installment of the collection. There will be a second summer collection arriving May 14th featuring swimwear and cover-ups. Williamson is a British designer who has always shown loud, vibrant colors like fuchsia and tangerine in his collections. And his H&M collaboration is true to that vision.

I'm still debating if I am going to join the early morning queue this week to get first dibs on the collection. My local H&M at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, CA is one of the stores that will be carrying the collection this week. Prices for this line are definitely higher that they were for some of the past collections ($349.00 for a leather jacket.) Also, the colors are rather, er loud which may not lend themselves to year round, budget-friendly dressing. You'll definitely be a bit of a peacock, as opposed to a shrinking violet, wearing the colorful cardigan emblazoned with the peacock feather. However, I have to admit, I do like this piece. I also like the Peacock dress below, although I would be more inclined to wear it as a tunic rather than as a dress.

Pictured: Bright Pink Cardigan with Peacock feather on the shoulder (will also available in blue)

Pictured: Nicky Hilton and Katy Perry in the Peacock Dress from the collection. Photos from FabSugar.

Pictured: The Peacock handbag/clutch

Pictured: Screenshot of the entire collection from the H&M homepage.

Recessionistas, what do you think? Are any of you going on H&M stake out this Thursday to shop this? The line for the Comme Des Garcons collection began forming at 6:30 am last fall outside of the mall. That's mighty early.

To see more pictures of the collection, check the Nitrolicious blog. She has the best pics of the collection to help you make an informed decision before you set your alarm clock for the dawn patrol.

Matthew Williamson for H&M: Arrives April 23rd