Next Stop: #HMBalmaiNation

I have been a Balmain fan for awhile.  Balmain women's collection had always been more of a party clothes vibe whereas Balmain men's collection had always been more of a clothes that you can wear daily.  Balmain for H&M is exactly that: women's clothes is very sexy and more night time than day while men's is more of a day time affair.

This men's collection is essentially best of Balmain from the past decade.  It had few pieces that were from the Decarnin era but most of them are designed by Olivier Rousteing.  For those who don't know the recent history of Balmain... essentially Christophe Decarnin revived Balmain in 2006 from a sleepy brand to the IT brand in 2006.  Decarnin's biker look was the rage all over Paris.  His biker jeans were insanely expensive (and the new ones still are very expensive); most started at $1,000 and some were as high as $2,500 for cotton jeans.  Depend who you talk to /read, Decarnin couldn't handle the pressure and resigned in 2011.  Olivier was his assistant and took over as Design Director when Decarnin left.  Initially I thought he was just way too young/ inexperienced to be in charge for such a venerable house but some of his pieces have definitely captured my heart.

Here are my favorite pieces from the H&M x Balmain collaboration.  The embroidery jacket looks amazing.  While I'm not sure if it is wearable especially during daytime, I would be open to snatching it if the price is right as regular Balmain embroidery jackets are well into 5 figures.   

The biker jacket is absolutely the IT piece for me.  It's a classic Balmain staple and when you unzip the front flaps, the jacket becomes a more traditional biker jacket shape.  The leather jogger is also another must for me.  I can't get enough leather joggers! 

Hoodies are all the rage in SF Bay Area and this shape takes it up another notch.  I like the leather padding at the shoulder to give it an unexpected twist.  Can't wait to see it in person.

Lastly, this olive military jacket was designed by Decarnin.  I believe it was his last season.  I love the clean line of the silhouette.  This coat is a must in my book!

What is your favorite Balmain for H&M piece?  Or more importantly, how many hours will you wait in line to ensure you get the pieces you want on November 5th?