Jimmy Choo for H&M: My queuing experience

This morning, before the light had even come through and the birds hadn’t even sung their first song, I was up and about eagerly preparing for my day of Jimmy Choo heaven at H&M. I thought I was ready physically and mentally. I had my purse, donned my flattest most comfortable boots (I’m not ashamed to admit they were Uggs) and got my gloves.

I’m no stranger to queueing for such events, I’ve waited patiently for Karl Lagerfeld’s and Matthew Williamson’s collections for H&M and always try to be first in the Gucci queue at the Harrods sale. Therefore I had also prepared myself for the pushing and shoving that’s bound to happen when you put too many bargain hungry fashionistas in one cramped place and make them wait.

However I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like the scenes I saw this morning. My tube, which is at the end of a north London line and a good 45 minutes from London, was packed with squeeling 15 and 16 year olds who covered the carriages wearing the latest trends and talking loudly about what they were going to buy. Zebra print bags and sandals, being the most heard phrase. Others sat shouting about their queueing game plan.

By the time we neared the final stop I could barely move for the hoards of fashionistas raring to go. And as soon as those tube doors opened it was a rush to the escalators and to the great outdoors where we were one step closer to this years fashion must haves.

The queue was already winding around the corner and the first half was covered in sleeping bags, which eager girls had obviously pitched up the night before. I joined and waited patiently despite being pushed left, right and centre and being caught up amongst arguments started by the standard “you’ve pushed in.”

I even managed to talk to a few girls. One told me: “I would have come earlier, but I didn’t want to leave my baby on his own for too long.”
Another said she’d been saving up hard for months to “really make the trip worth it.”

It was then I really began to wonder why we’re so desperate to get our hands on such items. Was a Jimmy Choo shoe, handbag suede dress or sequined jacket really important enough to risk something happening to your baby for?

And as the girls, who had chosen to spend their night freezing on a cold pavement rather than enjoying a Friday night out with friends, walked past smugly holding their rewards (I spotted a good few boxes and handbag straps poking out of those bags) I realised that this mad frenzy wasn’t for me.

I was hours from the front, and although I would have previously killed for even a buckle of this collection, the crazy, and at times, downright desperate, atmosphere was too much.

So I did something I’d never done before. I chickened out.

Taking myself to the nearest internet cafe I logged onto Ebay and typed in the probably most popular search of the day: Jimmy Choo for H&M. Well, I may have lost the Jimmy Choo queue battle, but I’m certainly not going to lose the war.

I’ll let you know how I got on next week but if you were one of the lucky girls who got hold of some of the collection I’d love to hear from you. Leave your comment below and let me know.