Christmas wish list entry number 7 - Sonia Rykiel pour H&M

This may be controversial, but as a general rule I am really not a fan of the high-street/designer collaboration. No matter who the designer is and who the high street retailer is, it rarely works. The Jimmy Choo for H&M line was the perfect example - outside of the rarefied world of designer price points and expensive materials the shoes just looked slutty. Really, really slutty.
Even the +J range by Jil Sander for Uniqlo was a bit disappointing - it just didn't fit the way it should and the fabrics were below par.
The whole point about designer clothing is that it is seriously luxe. It fits perfectly, is made from incredible fabrics and is sold in shops where the sales people either stare down their noses at you or indulge your every whim. It's really not about having the same thing as someone else, or rummaging for your size on a rail of polyester, or battling a scrum of be-puffa jacketed weirdos for the best pieces.
This is why Kate Moss for Topshop works - it's not designer so the expectations aren't too high and the clothes have the mass appeal and relatively good quality that has made Topshop the queen of the high street.
But occasionally I still get excited when a new collaboration is announced, despite myself. The Sonia Rykiel for H&M range was one of these.
I haven't seen it in the flesh yet (being bed bound with the winter lurgy and worrying about what to pack for India on Thursday has taken priority), but it does look effortlessly pretty, is affordable and seems to be made from decent fabrics. It helps that they've taken a slightly different route - doing something different for Rykiel as well as something different for H&M. You're not constantly comparing the range to the designer's other work. It's new but still has Rykiel's flirty Parisian stamp on it. Plus the range is classic in a super girly boudoir, powder puffs and floral perfume kind of way as long as you avoid the questionable horizontally striped pieces. Perfect for a little stocking filler, especially given that Agent Provocateur seems to have lost its way a bit recently...

H&M also launched the range with what must have been a massively expensive show in Paris, which was worth every penny in my opinion as it made the collection seem like the real deal...

If I get a chance before I go on Thursday I will brave Oxford Street and find out if it's as good as it looks.