Tulle Dreams
Back in the very early days of this blog, I remember writing about the Lanvin x H&M collab of 2010. It came out just as my interest in fashion was ramping up, and of course, I loved the idea of an accessible “designer” collection. Sadly, in my town, access to that collection was basically nil. I can’t say that I’ve been pining over it ever since, but recently my interest in older H&M collabs has been revived. And when I came across this dress — the centrepiece of the Lanvin collection — for a fab price on Poshmark … well, I had to get it. Eleven years later, I finally have a little piece of Alber’s genius to call my own. And, in fact, it suits 2021 Adina far better than my 2010 self. It is my very own Tulle Dream come true.
Great Lengths …
I am very much into dresses over pants, and that whole “long column” look at the moment. This particular iteration turned out even better than I could have hoped. I love how fresh and unexpected the white pants look, paired with the dark colours on top. I almost didn’t keep these Sarah Pacini pants because they’re quite snug in the hips, and so they tend to whisker around the crotch; still, they’re comfortable enough to wear under things. They don’t have any bulk around the waist, as there are no buttons, only a side zipper. That’s key, I find, any time you’re looking to layer pants under dresses or skirts that are more streamlined.
… And Short
I love this Marc Cain skirt, but it’s quite short. For me, anyway. So it feels like a fashion risk and a piece that requires extra effort from me to style. I wore it in a more preppy fashion before, but I wanted something funky this time. I stuck with a brown-and-black palette, and added a bunch of contrasting patterns for visual appeal and a bit of edginess. I liked it!
Oh man, 2009 and 2010-ish were the peak time for designer collabs with more modestly-priced retailers. I don’t think I ever really heard of anyone being able to actually get desired items from one of those collabs in-store (or online, to the extent any of them were available online).
I don’t think I remember having any one piece I really desired from any of the designer x H&M or designer x Target collections. (Because I didn’t really know how to dress my body shape back in 2009-2010, I often wasn’t really drawn to any items that were outside my comfort zone, design-wise.) I only remember actually buying two designer collab pieces (both from eBay for a reasonable-ish price a while after the releases because the items weren’t that popular). One was a short-sleeved sweatshirt from Prouenza Schouler x Target, and the other was one of the jackets from Alexander Wang x Gap.
The Lanvin x H&M dress looks really fun in the outfit you put together!
Oh, I love Proenza – I should look up that collection!