Merely weeks after the Jimmy Choo for H&M launch (I wanted to write fiasco, but that’s my personal taste getting in the way), H&M staged a massive show to celebrate the collaboration with French legend Sonia Rykiel at the Grand Palais in Paris last night.

If H&M has been feeling the credit crunch, then you wouldn’t be able to tell looking at the show. Streamed live online worldwide and produced by legendary (Belgian) Etienne Russo, no costs were spared for the Sonia Rykiel Carnival. A mini Eiffel Tower, an enchanted forest, swings… you name it, they had it. The usual crop of celebs and supermodels attended too, but as this was a lingerie launch, were unable to pose in the garments. Shame.

When it came down to the actual show, I was a bit disappointed. Lily Cole coming out in bra and suspenders riding a giant horse was a great start, but following were girls on a swing, girls writhing against a wall, girls on mattresses, girls dancing with poles – you get my drift – all in what was essentially mostly simple cotton underwear.

A few glimpses of the great knitwear collection coming in February were shown too, but there we were left hanging. There were the signature Rykiel stripes, and I sure hope to see more of it when the collection hits stores. All in all I feel like it was a impeccably and beautifully produced event worthy of an haute couture show, which almost made me forget that the product I was looking at was still… H&M.

The most interesting part of this collaboration is that the lingerie will also be sold at the Rykiel stores for the first time, in the hope to attract the H&M customer to their shops. Whether or not that works remains to be seen. First collection in stores December 5th.

See for yourself below: