A friend living in Tel Aviv just sent me video of the opening of H&M's first Israeli outpost. A description of the scene this morning reads as follows: "at 11 A.M. the doors opened and the crowd stormed into the 2,000-square meter store on the mall's third floor, pushing and trampling anyone and anything in its way, grabbing whatever it could before nothing would remain." Apparently 1,000 or so eager shoppers took to the freshly debuted shop's racks today with a no holds barred approach. And Tel Aviv's not the only global capital that saw a stampede run through its local H&M this week.

A handful of discount retailers are launching beauty lines this year. First up are competitors Topshop and H&M. The first is launching cosmetics that will include a continuous core line (which ranges from $8-$20) as well as seasonal installations, the first installment of which launch in May. Not surprisingly the packaging, which boasts an appropriately punk-friendly aesthetic, is on point. Meanwhile, H & M is going green with its soon-to-launch beauty products. "The line includes shower gels, body lotions, scrubs and lip balms that all include natural and organic products certified by Ecocert," says All the Rage.

It's been a pretty interesting week in terms of Korean fashion. First, last week reports surfaced that a new North Korean denim brand called NoKo would soon be stocked in a Swedish department store. Apparently the line of limited-edition jeans was the brainchild of "Jakob Ohlsson, Jacob Aastroem and Tor Rauden Kaellstigen -- all under the age of 25 -- [who] said their project stemmed from a desire to make contact with the isolated communist state," says the Independent. But, after numerous outlets picked up on the story, adding fuel to the controversy, PUB -- the Swedish department store committed to carrying the brand -- pulled out. "The explanation I got was that (the store's management) had taken the decision ... that PUB is not the right place, or platform, for this kind of political discussion," said one of the denim brand's founders. It might not be the last you hear of NoKo, as the label's founders are currently searching for alternative stores to stock their black denim (blue is seen as too connected to American culture) in two styles that retail for just over $200 each.

H&M continues to roll out covetable collaborations with top-notch designers. Their latest partner in crime: Sonia Rykiel. According to Women's Wear Daily, the Parisian designer (renowned for whimsical, dynamic designs) will create a collection of lingerie for the budget-friendly retailer that'll debut in time for the holiday season. Specifically, "The collection is to be launched Dec. 5 in 1,500 H&M stores worldwide, and also at Rykiel boutiques -- the first time a guest designer for H&M will do so. The French firm counts 44 boutiques worldwide, along with 52 shop-in-shops."

Jimmy Choo's hotly anticipated collaboration with H&M (which includes men's and women's wear as well as accessories, hitting stores November 14) has been slowly whetting budget-conscious shoppers' appetites with sporadic image leaks for weeks. While Hypebeast got a look at the men's line last week, it wasn't until yesterday that female Choo fans got a glimpse of their goods.

Crystal Renn shows off skin-deep beauty in ads for Dolce & Gabbana, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue, and in her insightful new book, Hungry, she lets her inner beauty shine. But we wanted the full Crystal Renn experience, so we had to get to the bottom of her on-skin beauty. Luckily, she spilled her beauty bag and let us peek in.

Apparently the fashion industry is being plagued by a diffusion line epidemic: in just under a week the likes of Temperley, Rag & Bone, Grey Ant, and Thom Browne have announced that they'll launch lower-priced lines. Temperley, whose dresses can typically retail for over $1,000, is launching a lower-priced line whose price tags will start at a relative mere $57. Of Rag & Bone's new cheaper offshoot that launches this spring, The Cut says, "the rag & bone/JEAN line will include three styles of jeans in eight colorways while rag & bone/SHIRT will include seven styles, each in three colorways. The new lines wholesale for $70 to $80 while the main line wholesales for $60 to $860."

The high voltage actress gets electric.

These days, front and center in the dialogue on the recession and its effect on fashion is where high fashions fits into the picture. Will the economic downturn wipe out the luxury market for good, or merely sour its sales temporarily? According the findings of an Abrams Institute survey released yesterday on the subject, luxury fashion is here to stay. "A whopping 96% of respondents said that they thought the luxury goods market would endure the recession. 36.8% thought a 'stronger, smaller core' would make it, and 34.9% were confident that the aspirational noveau riche would keep business brisk. Only 4% thought that the recession had killed conspicuous consumption." As for the quality that will most ensure luxury brands' staying power: timelesness (which seems like somewhat circular logic).