Versace for H&M: We grapple with the news and show you images of the collection!

The brand with the propensity for making expensive look cheap has gone, well, cheap. Today H&M announced that Versace will be its next designer collaboration, and we can’t help but wonder, isn’t the point of Versace that it made its name defending tacky chic? (That itty-bitty mini exposing everything has been sewn with the highest level of craftsmanship and made with the finest Italian fabrics.) This collab could go so many different ways, and we’re praying for directional. Spring’s edgy technicolour zigzags, for example, would look unreal on the selling floor, as would a revival of some offbeat ‘90s Gianni-isms, but a sexed-up red-carpet multi-layered goddess gown? Lost in translation. Judging by the images released with this morning’s announcement, the collection is looking fabulous so far. We’re crossing our fingers that the rest follows suit.

The collection, available on November 17, promises to include several iconic womenswear and menswear pieces in colourful prints, gold and leather, as well as jewellery and home furnishings. Donatella Versace will also create a pre-Spring collection, which will be exclusively available online from January 19, 2012. We suggest setting multiple calendar alerts, like, right NOW!

View images of the collection »