Fashion Label Jimmy Choo Hits Famous Store Chain to Fan Frenzy
A nice pair of Jimmy Choo shoes these days can cost you anywhere from $500 to upwards of $1500, but with the help of global fashion brand H&M some lucky shoppers were given the opportunity to get some of the brand's items for a fraction of the price.
On Saturday, November 14, H&M launched their seventh designer collaboration effort. The line had the Jimmy Choo brand's design esthetic and standards at prices ranging from $20 to $299.
The designer items at the discount prices were only being released at 200 stores world-wide, with only 10 stores in the U.S. carrying the line. Two of the U.S. locations were in Los Angeles, at the Beverly Center and the store's location on Sunset Blvd.
The exclusivity of the line, due to the fact that the brand had never before designed clothes, along with the bargain prices, gathered such a demand that some fashion fiends started lining up in front of the Beverly Center at 3 a.m. in the morning, with the store not opening until 10.
"The hundreds of dollars saved are worth a couple of hours of standing and meeting fellow fashion lovers," stated Hannah Jacobson, 22. "The fact that it is cheap and that only two stores in L.A. have it make it so desirable that I knew I had to get here early." Jacobson, who didn't arrive nearly as early as 3, was there 4 hours before the store opened.
The line moved inside, while the anticipation for the doors opening at 10 grew. It wasn't about seeing the collection for the first time, it was about getting what people already knew they wanted.
"Since the collection has been online for weeks, most people know what they want. I know the dress and heels I want, and I have learned most people pre-planned as well," Jacobson stated.
The line quickly took over the entire third level of the Beverly Center, which is where the H&M is located. Mall security patrolled the floor making sure everyone waiting kept in order.
When the doors finally opened, the first customers, who looked a little tired from waiting all morning, filed in the store and made their selections. They soon walked out of the store with the specially made Jimmy Choo shopping bags filled with their merchandise.
One of the first people to leave the store, Glen Turner, 21, stated, "I saved up for 3 months, stood in line for 7 hours, shopped for all of 30 minutes, spent nearly $1,000, and I loved it."
This sentiment of happiness was clear to see written all over the exiting customers faces, as they left with their shoes, bags, and clothes.
After the first hour of the store being opened, the rest of the line, which was around 200 people, filed in for what became a fashion free for all. People grabbed whatever they could, ignoring size and style, and soon bartered for items they wanted.
The five racks that had previously held the collection were left empty, leaving the people who showed up late with nothing to buy.
As people decided on what they wanted, and traded or gave away what they didn't, another long line began to form: the line for the registers. The line wrapped through the store and took about an hour to get through.
As credit cards were swiped and items were bagged, fashionable hearts everywhere were being compl