I arrived at the Regent Street branch of H&M at around 6.30pm on the day of the launch - late by any fashionista's standards. Needless to say, most of the best pieces had already been snapped up. As soon as I entered, my heartbeat accelerated and, like most of the shoppers around me, I started looking around frantically for the pieces I'd been lusting over since the collaboration was first unveiled.
There began a strange ritual whereby people (myself included) lingered by near-empty rails for minutes at a time, in the hope that a shop assistant might come back with an armful of dresses or tops from the changing room. People wandered the store with a look of desperation, seeking out abandoned items in the non-Marni sections. Eyeing each other's shopping, they waited for someone to lose interest or be discouraged by the queue for the changing room or till.
After about an hour, I had managed to grab two skirts in my size - one a spotty pencil skirt, one a 50s style circle skirt with a tribal print. I admitted defeat and took my items to the till. No jewellery or shoes were about to appear any time soon.
I emerged from the store happy, proudly brandishing my Marni for H&M carrier bag - the trophy of a successful shopper.
All items from Marni at H&M
