H&M is about to go Avant-Garde.

Once a year poor fashionistas everywhere rejoice and head to H&M for the annual designer collection. The likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney have produced cheapie-lines for the store in the past. H&M just announced that this year's collection will be designed by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, the woman behind Comme des Garcons.

Don't expect too much; this is still H&M we're talking about. The fabrics won't be expensive and the seams might rip, but the designs are guaranteed to be a conversation piece, at the very least. I fared well at last year's Cavalli sale. Perhaps too well, considering by the time I got home VISA had me on the phone, explaining they thought someone may have stolen my card. You can read about that and other Roberto Cavalli antics here.

Before the pushing and shoving gets started and everything but XL underwear sells out on the opening day in November, expect leaks and previews soon. And look out for the advertising campaign. Lagerfeld's campaign was genious and the mock-wedding Victor & Rolf staged wasn't bad either. But I would have expected a bit more from a house with an immaculate website and an upside down flagship store.

Here's to Garcons. Let the biting, tripping and discount shopping begin.