We prepared for today as best we could.  Mentally, we pre-selected in our minds which items we would grab first (the must-have studded belt, or as someone coined it “the championship WWF belt”).  Physically, we went to bed extra early (no Daily Show for us) and even ate an extra large breakfast.  But no matter what we did, nothing could have prepared us for the crowd outside the H&M at the Eaton Centre in Toronto this morning.  When we arrived at 9am (we were filming an episode of Cosmo TV so luckily we didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn and stand in line), the line was about 80 people deep with shoppers arriving to stand in line as early as 6:30am. Some had even skipped work just to attend.

We were warned by H&M’s PR department that it would be pandemonium, but we figured after years of sample sale shopping we could handle anything.  Um, yeah…we couldn’t have been more wrong.  Once the doors (or should we say floodgates?) opened at 10am, the masses burst through and chaos began.  Within minutes the racks were picked clean, the tables were bare and the mannequins were left naked and alone. Somewhere in that whirlwind we managed to get our hands on the aforementionned belt (thanks to Cosmo’s Jacqui & Emily!) but within seconds the three of us were surrounded by an entourage of women pleading with us to switch belt sizes with them.  We suddenly knew what it felt like to be a victim of prey. We resisted their advances and continued to watch as women (and men) went wild for the collection. There was pushing, there was grabbing, there was even some yelling but when Matthew Williamson designs for the masses, there’s no kidding around.  

Having previewed the collection in March, we knew what to expect, but seeing it merchandised on the floor with the added accessories convinced us that the Matthew Williamson collection is the best diffusion line we have ever seen.  The bold colors and luxurious boho patterns that have become synonymous with Matthew Williamson were all over the collection and the quality definitely matched the slightly higher price point. 

For those of you who slept in or didn’t want to brave the crowds,  the second part of the collection will hit stores May 14th and will also include a line of menswear (the first for Matthew Williamson).  If you’re planning to make it next month, learn from our experince and break out those claws!  All’s fair in love and fashion!