The day has come. We now have pictures of every item in the 49-piece Alexander Wang for H&M collection – and they’re everything we were hoping for. Wang has gone down the sports-luxe route, melding the label-centric design of Calvin Klein and the monochromatic cool of Ann Demeulemeester into one distinctive package. And we’ve selected the pieces you need to nab when the collection goes live, yep that’s right, today.
Not familiar with Wang’s aesthetic? Here’s a primer before you dive in. The New Yorker is famous for his youth and his 90s-inspired, clean, girl-in-the-city designs. There are no fluffs or frills: it’s all about street cool, minimal colour and that achingly It-Girl edge. The ladies who wear his stuff around town include Dree Hemingway and Erin Wasson, and Diane von Furstenberg calls him “a master of the casual, the radical, and the more relaxed.” He’s a cult name who was recently nabbed to head design at Balenciaga.
Here’s the thing: if you’re not about obvious branding, much of the Alexander Wang for H&M collection is not for you. Many pieces are emblazoned, tastefully, with block-lettered WANG, and even though it’s largely black or grey on black, few of us can pull off that level of outrageous advertisement with panache. If you’re going to do it, though, pick the grey cropped sweater with WANG in raised letters ($64.25). It’s classic and pared-back preppy. Really want to nail home the message? Take home the crop top made of black elastic labelled bands ($45.90). It’s cute yet subtle.
And out of the footwear choices, which include a basic slide and a rubberised boot, we predict the cult favourite will be Wang’s heels ($275.45). With a neoprene sleeve inside an outer shoe of perforated, laced leather and suede, all in black, it’s a killer fashion-forward piece.
Pared-back cool is the name of the game for this collection, with space-age details. Our favourite top by far is the perforated long-sleeved shirt ($146.90) with a high neck, sheer panels on the sleeves, and that amazing ‘webbed’ feel at the bodice. It comes in black, but the white version is pure and simple. If you’re more of an exhibitionist (or want something for the gym), the crop top sports bra in neon and houndstooth ($51.40) is one of the cheapest items and will look equally good with leggings or a high-waisted skirt.
As for jackets, we love a classic with a twist: Wang has taken a leather jacket with a biker silhouette ($367.25) and given it sports-street edge by ‘puffing’ the layers of leather. Long after the hype of this collection has disappeared, we think this will stay relevant.
In the trouser collection, you have a choice: pick up the leather loose exercise trousers that Kanye West claims to have invented ($330.51), delve into the epic leggings selection, or pick up daytime chic black pants with leather appliqué on the thighs ($110.20). Are we ready for embellished trousers again? If Wang says yes, we are.
And then, of course, there’s the bikini, which is as plain and elegant as they come: a bandeau set in black block snakeskin ($64.25). It’s pure 90s minimalist glam, but with a very 2014 twist.
Which pieces will you be grabbing when Alexander Wang for H&M goes live? Scroll through the look book below to make you decision a little easier…
Images: All Alexander Wang for H&M.
