finally i am refreshed and rejuvenated to write about my experience queueing up outside h&m lot 10 for the launch of its special collaboration with maison martin margiela. boy, whan an experience i had and what fun too.
the journey started at 3.15a.m. when i left home to head to kl. luckily the roads were dry and of course, there was hardly any traffic. ;D
reached kl and headed to fahrenheit (previously known as kl plaza) to park my car.
then it was to lot 10, where the morning's activity was supposed to begin.
before i came, i had scoured the net for twitter posts and instagram sharings about the condition of the queue in malaysia. no matter how hard i scrutinised, i only managed to find two. phew. that meant the crowd was not that huge and ppl were not that crazy as compared to those in singapore where the queue had started at 3pm the day before. in malaysia, the queue only started at 10pm and by the time i joined the queue at 4.30a.m. the number was only at around 60.
the picture on the left was taken as soon as i joined the queue. and the one on the right with red hues, was taken at about 7a.m. the build-up of ppl in the line was quite slow.
passing the time was quite bearable as there were so many 'unique' personalities to watch. the light at where i sat was not on, or else i could have read the book that i brought.
the only thing i hated was the close proximity of the dustbin from where i sat and hence the breathing in of second-hand smoke. those who smoked here smoked like chimney and of course you don't see fat people in the queue as well.
the lights behind where i sat was finally turned on at 7a.m. and the crowd started to get ready for the distribution of coloured tags to determine the time everyone got to go in the store. yes, we still had to take turns even though we had been there the whole morning or night for some ppl.
nescafe in can and cupcakes were distributed at 7.15a.m. in singapore, i think the gave brownies and mineral water. i did not consume these there as i already had a banana and a packet of biscuits an hour after i arrived.
so, i was in the green group, to go in at 8.50 a.m. meaning i was in the fourth batch. the tag even matched the colour of my skirt ;D so basically, i was the 63rd in the queue, and i would get 10 minutes to be in the section where they had put the entire special collection and to grab whatever i wanted. then i could take my own sweet time to try the pieces i had grab, and if the size did not fit, i could request for another one. so it was not that bad.
the assistants were all chirpy and cheering us on and of course, very helpful, offering to take our shopping bags and suggesting pieces to us.
well, i knew what i wanted, hence it was fast. i finished grabbing everything in less than 6 mins.
this photo was taken few seconds before 8, before the first group was allowed in. i even saw some local celebs there....one joined the queue, while another with his entourage was given special priority and went in without any special tag. there was even a deejay booth livening up the morning atmosphere. there were many curious stares by passers-by too. luckily it did not rain. phew.
so, wanna know what i got??? it definitely punched a hole in my wallet. hey, i even cut out 3 things in my short-listed list.
first thing i got....free plastic bag ;) there are some numbers printed on it and the name of the labels, but they are hardly visible here. you can cut off the bottom seal and wear the plastic bag as a top, as suggested by the assistants in the store according to the poster. it is going into my collection and not on my body for sure....hmm....is it biodegradable??
we also got the clothes hanger....specially made for the collection and you can see it on sale on ebay now. the clothes label was a piece white cloth stitched with all the numbers. hmmhh....what is the significance of those numbers? i still haven't found out.
now to the pieces i had to pay with my hard-earned money ;) kakaka....
first piece- navy blue darted sweater made of wool. it was a really cosy piece and the workmanship was incredible. we were even given a garment bag as well. i won't go cold in winter anymore.
second piece- candy clutch in pink. i wanted to get the one in silver, but it had finished by the time i went in. dang! they really had them in limited and smalled quantities here in malaysia. the label was printed on a piece of leather and sewn inside the clutch.
third piece- leggings. very stretchy and thicker than normal legging. this is a steal at rm79.90.
forth piece- the one that broke the bank- knee high boots with removed heels. the height of the boots fits me perfectly and there is actually slightly raised heel but you won't see it since it is hidden inside the black leather. oh how soft and supple it is. don't you love the sole? but of course, once i start wearing the boots, the numbers on the sole will be gone. sob sob sob.
so so so....what do you think of my loot?? i can put everything i had in one look and hit the streets in winter. kakaka. the 3 items which looked better on the models and not one me are- narrow jacket, oversized jeans and skirt cum trousers. phew....that saved me a lot.
all in all, it was fun to be among the first in malaysia to own this special collection. i would definitely join the queue again when the next special collaboration launches in malaysia and this time i know what to expect.
oh, i also did more shopping at uniqlo since their leggings were on sale. hahaha.... got 2 pairs for my aunt and mom as well.
you get a cloth tote bag when you spend more than rm200....so by hook or by crook, i was forced to spend that much just to get my hand on one. it is a really nice bag ah.
so in the end, i got myself a wool flare skirt to reach that amount. new skirt to start work next year ;D
that was all the shopping i did on that day. the rest of the time was filled with a movie and eat eat eat.
the movie chosen was 'pitch perfect'. i was too tired and exhausted to choose a movie where i had to think and listen attentively. pitch perfect was the perfect choice. it was a no brainer show filled with lots of songs and plenty of fun characters. go and watch it and have fun. the movie hall was filled with laughters from the beginning till the end. you won't regret it.
now to food.
this is the big breakfast set at la bodega. hmmmm....not as big as i expected. it would be filling though when consumed by a single person. but we shared this so it was just right...and a glass of drink for each person.
lunch- cucumber roll in the cinema. was not hungry yet and was short of time to sit down for lunch anyway.
so we had dessert for tea instead.
hui lao san's famous mango dessert. well, they were all right but the prices were exorbitant. these two bowls came up to around rm25 incusive of tax. how could mango be so expensive? i would rather just eat mango bought from the market next time.
dinner was korean at bulgogi brother restaurant in pavilion.
the side dishes. they served pumpkin soup. my first time drinking pumpkin soup and it was ok. i said ok because normally, i don't even touch pumpkin.
beef for barbecue....but it was just so so. don't like the beef patty. the strips were better but i still preferred one whole big strip. and they only gave two miserly pieces of onion. haiz.
my grill at do-rae restaurant in ipoh was much better.
the arrangement of the patties on the grilling pan.
ordered bibimbap and also kimchi jjigae. kimchi jjigae was better than the one in do-rae but the portion was quite small. it went very well with white rice. perfect for a cold evening.
i only left kl after spending 16 hours there.a record. i wonder if those ppl who queued outside h&m went home straight to get their sleep or continued like what i did.
the parking ticket recorded the time for me. reached at 4.19a.m. and left only at 19.06.
so was i tired by the time i reached home? you bet i was. luckily sleep came as soon as i put my head on the pillow and the sleep time lost was replaced. phew.
