Balmain x H&M: What to Buy, Where to Buy This Thursday

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Now that you've seen the star-studded runway show, the entire 100+ piece lookbook, and the collection's stunning details, Balmain x H&M will officially grace LA's sea of Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid wannabes (*raises hand*) on Thursday, November 5th. Similar to the madness at the Swedish fast-fashion retailer's Isabel Marant and Alex Wang collab releases, this launch is sure to cause a shopping frenzy, which means that you'll need to plan ahead. To ensure that you are the savviest shopper of them all, below are some helpful tips, along with a list of select H&M stores carrying the goods.

1. Stores will open at 8am local time. The collection will be available online starting at 5am PST on hm.com/us/balmain. Our sister site Racked.com offers a great pro tip for online shoppers: the best chance at actually getting what you put in your cart, be sure to set up an account on hm.com in advance, and save your shipping and billing details (this step is huge).

2. The wristband system is back. Per the microsite's How to Shop section, "the first 420 people in line will be given a colored bracelet - 14 colors with one for each group of 30 customers. Your color determines when it’s your time to shop in the designer collection area."

3. You have 15 minutes to shop. After your group is finished shopping, there will be a five-minute break so staff can tidy up the floor before the next wave. H&M notes that "if you are not in the first 420, you can still shop in the store, as the bracelet system only applies to the Balmain x H&M collection. After the last group shops we'll open the designer collection area to all customers.

4. There's a purchase limit. Per the microsite, shoppers can buy up to two items per style in-store, and one item online. Choose wisely.

5. Returns are accepted, except on accessories. Per the microsite: "On items from the collection, purchased in our stores, we offer a return or exchange until November 8th, with receipt, in the original form of payment. After November 8th, with or without receipt, refunds will be issued as a store credit at the current selling price, in the form of a merchandise credit card. Note that accessories are not returnable for hygiene reasons. All merchandise must be returned in original selling condition. Valid photo ID required for returns without receipt. On items from the collection, purchased at hm.com, we offer a return or exchange, in the original form of payment, on returns that are postmarked within 3 days of package receipt. Accessories are not returnable for hygiene reasons. All merchandise must be returned in original selling condition."

Now, here's a list of all six local H&Ms carrying the collab, with line locations:

Beverly Center (8500 Beverly Blvd; 310-855-1009)
Line will form in front of Macy's outside of the mall.

West Hollywood (8580 Sunset Blvd; 855-466-7467)
Line will form in front of the store on the Sunset side.

Americana at Brand (891 Americana Way; 818-502-9835)
Line will form in front of the Apple store.

FIGat7th (735 S Figueroa St; 213-623-3756)
Line will form in front of the store and wrap around alongside Zara.

South Coast Plaza (3333 Bristol St, Costa Mesa; 714-557-0362)
Line will form in front of Bloomingdale's outside of the mall.

Good luck! We'll be reporting live from the scene on Thursday morning.