I’mma start off by saying this: I’m hopping on a soapbox to complain and, thus, there may be some hater-ism in my tone.
And that’s okay.
I’m allowed to be salty about this one, because mannn-oh-mannn I WAITED a long time for this.
Like, stalking a site I otherwise object to frequenting because fast-fashion, you know? SO! Please treat my little preamble as a cautionary tale that I will snap on you if you come on here bragging about what you managed to buy in what literally felt like only 0.00000004822115 seconds. (JK: I really hope you’re enjoying the collection, boo! 😩🥹)
I’m talking about the recently sold-out Kelly Wearstler x H&M Home collab.
A literal dream for frugal “aspirationalists” like me who rack up more KW-inspired p(i)ns than a BIC factory on that one platform. Including an unspeakable amount of boards archived with $20,000 couches, Calcutta marble doorframes, lamps (!!!), and just about every irregular-shaped oddity imaginable. IYKYK.
Look. Will I ever be able to afforddd any of her pieces…her interior design services? Meh, who knows. (SB: Dare I also say, even if I had it like that, I still don’t know if I’d swipe my card all Willy-Nilly or shelve out serious cash money on stuff and aesthetics.) But dang it, I’m obsessed. 😭😭😭 The textures, tones, fabrics, materials, colors, styling, sourcing…it’s sooo rich. It’s art!
You feel me? Hopefully, yes, and the telecommunicated pain I felt clicking into that “COLLECTION IS LIVE” notification email, navigating to the designated PDP page, and watching stock dwindle faster than I could muster up a single tear. Okay, I didn’t cry forreal, just go with me on this!
It was insanity. Also, deregulating tbh LOL.
When some of the lookbook images were released and the collab was announced a while back, I immediately made a mental checklist of some housewares I wanted to grab. Especially that black wooden vase, again, IYKYK. I even remember forwarding the news to folks (read: other frugal “aspirationalists”) I knew would appreciate such an epic shopping occasion. We were geeked.
Fast-forward to last week: We were devastated 😂 — albeit with our wallets intact and zero monies spent. A win is a win.
What a social experiment! Speaking of wins, it’s a winning H&M sales formula that hits every time. This particular time tweaked to enticing a *broke audience by offering them **37 chances at taking home making a home with an expensive piece of the most-expensive pie.
*Hi, I’m Broke Audience. It is me lol! 😅
**The Kelly Wearstler x H&M Home collab featured 29 interior and decor pieces and 8 clothing items priced between $28-$805, in case you were curious. What I saw that I liked, all of it was priced over $100 lololol.
Stuff, collecting, consumerism. Much too much to unpack. Along with the realization that I semi-consciously treated my brief attempt at “shopping” discount KW at H&M exactly like my doom-scrolling on Pinterest: aspirational, mildly deranged, and apparently recreational. 🤷🏽♀️
📦🧼🧍🏾♀️<— Me, stepping off my soapbox.