Versace for H&M: Shoppers In at Beverly Center!

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

This morning, LA shoppers get their first crack at the Versace for H&M collection. Below, Racked LA shopping correspondent Noah Adler is live at the Beverly Center to bring you the latest.

Grid View

Expand

• The wristband!
• Inside the mall
• A view from the end of the line
• The scene at 7:15am
• The scene at 7am

7:06am: Checking in! The first 20 have already been let into the mall.

7:08am: The 21st person is snuggled under a leopard-print blanket and has been waiting since around 8pm last night.

7:10am: The line is about 100 to 150 people right now.

7:13am: "I just hope we get inside soon because I'm freezing!" says a weakling who just got here.

7:15am: The line seems to be moving fairly quickly. They appear to be letting people into the mall 20 at a time every ten minutes. I'm not sure if they're shopping yet or if they're just bringing them in to the mall to give them wristbands.

7:20am: The front of the line is overwhelmingly female, but it's a fairly even split for more recent arrivals. Save for number 21 with her leopard blanket and oversize sunglasses, it's a pretty nondescript crowd.

7:25am: Baby count: at least two. Stroller count: one.

7:28am: I'm hearing lots of anxious conversations about online resellers getting to the good stuff first.

7:30am: Someone is line is going for the Don Draper look in a gray wool suit. That fitted jacket might slow him down once he gets inside.

7:35am: The girls in front of me are jonesing for the $79.95 red dress, saying it will be the perfect holiday outfit. Don't know what kind of holiday party they'll be attending...

7:40am: The line outside is only 40 people long now.

7:45am: We're inside the mall! Some sneaky line cutters tried to get by a few of us on the way up, but were unsuccessful.

7:55am: Looks like people took the tip about bringing friends. The Starbucks line is growing fast.

7:58am: The sales crew is decked out in the Versace pieces, blasting music and cheering to the line. Looks like I was the only one amused.

8:00am: The H&M team just chanted "5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" and the first group is let in!

8:05am: Everyone is being given a shopping bag. I'm peeping inside the window—people are already checking out.

8:07am: Battle of the babies! A stroller mom is saying she lost her place in line on the way up. The baby count is definitely three, maybe more.

8:10am: This is insanity. The line is moving faster than security.

8:11am: We're in! But it's chaos. No idea where the line ends. Staff has been given bullhorns.

8:12am: Just saw a fight break out between Don Draper and two girls over a pair of shoes.

UPDATE: The liveblog continues here.

Previously
· Versace for H&M: The LA Battle Plan [Racked LA]