M Willy for H&M: The Opening Dash and Flash

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Okay peeps; we have waited, rushed and conquered the debut of the Matthew Williamson for H&M collection at their Fifth Avenue flagship, and emerged unscathed. We can't say the same for some poor shoppers, however, as we totally witnessed the usual wham bam interactions that go on at flash reveals like this one. For instance, we calmly entered as girls from behind us in line shrieked and ran ahead to push through the doors, and we gawked as an old man violently whipped the last pink belt (of the first batch) from the grasp of a girl.

By far, this designer collaboration for H&M drew the smallest crowd yet (if you don't count Madonna's crappy collection) and everyone seemed to be able to load up on merchandise right away. Go later today and we guarantee that there will be at least the basics and some dresses leftover.

As for quality of the pieces: we were only about 30th in line, if that, and yet we missed out on seeing any of the leather jackets, sequin dresses or jumpsuits. We tried to like the belts, but the 4" high belt will cause some seriously unflattering boob issues for anyone over a B cup, and we're pretty sure it's not even leather. Continuing with the accessories, we thought the clutch looked cheap and that the necklace would be doable if it didn't have a huge "MW" plastered on it. If you're dying to buy anything from this collection, check out the 100% silk scarves, which are the cheapest items at $29.90 and significantly larger than the higher-priced Cavalli ones from 2007.

Do we love Matthew Williamson? Very much. How do we feel about the Matthew Williamson for H&M collection? Meh. Unlike Comme des Garcons, Roberto Cavalli, or going way back to Karl Lagerfeld for H&M, this collection has so much flash, peacock and ruffle to restrict it to girly girls. Maybe when the men's collection launches with the second wave of women's on May 14, we'll find some solace in larger selection.
· All Matthew Williamson for H&M Coverage [Racked]