From the Fitting Room: Marni for H&M Madness

I arrived at the Marni launch this morning a couple minutes before 8 am and was given a blue wristband, which means I was in group 3 and would be able to start shopping at 8:45. There were about 70 people in line ahead of me and I heard that some people had even camped out overnight! No matter how much I love fashion, I can't imagine there is anything I would want badly enough to stand in line overnight for. H&M has the whole shopping for collaborations thing down to a science. They gave each group 15 minutes to shop and each person was allowed to buy 2 of each piece. They have also amended their return policy to 10 days for Marni items in hopes of preventing resale on ebay.

On to the clothing. I pretty much got to try on everything I wanted, with the exception of the long polka dot coat I was coveting. All in all, I would say the quality of the pieces was pretty high, my only complaint is that many items ran very large, especially the dresses and tops. For the price point, I also would have liked the coats, jackets and skirts to have been lined.

Blue Polka Dot Pencil Skirt, Size 2 (fits like a 00) $59.95: I love the color, print and style of this skirt. It fit true to size for H&M as well. Verdict: Purchased, but will probably take the hem up (for reference, I am 5'3" and it hit right in the middle of my knees). I tried this on with the women's tee in an XS and it was too boxy for my taste.

Ruffle Zip Cardigan, Size 2 (fits like an XXS) $69.95: I really liked the fit and style of this cardigan. It was supersoft too and seemed to be pretty sturdy, but at the end I decided it was too long and not worth the price. Verdict: Passed.

Polka Dot Top, Size 2 (fits very large) $69.95: I don't even know what to say about this top. Not only did it fit huge, I just can't imagine how it could be flattering even if it did fit. The boxy fit and weird drop waist made it a definite no-go for me. Verdict: Passed.

Polka Dot Dress, Size 2 (another generous cut) $79.95: I loved this dress on the hanger and in all the promos I had seen, but in person it was a big old mess. Not only was I swimming in it, but it was also slightly see through (hard to see in the picture). For this price, I expect a higher quality garment. Verdict: Passed.

Polka Dot Graphic Pencil Skirt, Size 4 (fits like a regular 0) $59.95: The smallest size they had left was a 4. I really loved the print and silky feel of this skirt, but I didn't think it was worth altering. Verdict: Passed.

Blue Polka Dot Jacket, Size 2 (fits like a 00p) $99.95: Besides the long black polka dot coat, this was the one piece I was really dying for. It didn't disappoint. The cut, style, color and print are gorgeous in real life. And I was totally psyched that the length was perfect for my short torso! And surprisingly I really love the skirt and jacket together. As I mentioned earlier, I will probably take the skirt hem up though. Verdict: Purchased.

They also gave out these super cute bags and nice cotton garment bags with purchase. Success!

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the Black Polka Dot Pants I tried on in a size 2 (seen here in slide 2). These looked so horrible that I couldn't even bring myself to take a picture. They were baggy in all the wrong places (crotch, waist and thighs) and looked nothing like they did in the promos. The fabric also felt a bit stiff. Major disappointment.