There have been so many designer high street collaborations, it has been difficult to keep up. Whilst some have arrived with a huge burst of publicity and hype and sold out just as quickly only to pop up later in their hundreds on ebay, there are a number of slow plodders in the designer high street collaborations arena which are around constantly and provide more of a slow and steady opportunity to get  a piece of our favorite designers.

Debenhams was the first to do the designer high street collaborations constantly taking away that hype that urges you to grab a piece quick before it all sells out. Of course their collections lack the exclusivity that the Lanvin and Matthew Williamson for H& M collections had but they still have a lot to offer with a range of designers and something to suit anyone. Just recently they have launched / Edition which helps to keep up with the times with a constantly change bank of contemporary designers. Other high street retailers and equivalent online retailers have also caught on now and we are starting to see lots more continuous designer high street collaborations.

Whilst some love these designer high street collaborations as they represent the only chance they will have to be able to afford a piece by a designer that they have always admired, other dismiss them on the basis that they are a watered down and lower quality version. I think as with everything in life it is really difficult to generalise and each of the collections need to be taken on their own merit.

What do you think? which are your favourite designer high street collaborations?

Here are my 5 favourites.

+J - Jil Sander for Uniqlo



This collaboration was  a match made in heaven. Jil Sander's simple minimalistic approach fits perfectly with the Uniqlo's dedication to providing simple pieces and clean lines at great prices. This collection is  a bit more expensive than some of the other designer high street collaborations but they are great quality pieces in contemporary but classic styles that won't go out of fashion and represent a great investment. I always think that if you are going to do the minimalist look you should go for the best pieces that you can afford as cut and quality wil really show. That is why this collection is so perfect. This collection was also winner of the Brit Insurance Fashion Award 2011.

Preen for Debenhams



Part of the Edition range at Debenhams which features contemporary designers, Preen for Debenhams features some great affordable pieces which are very characteristic of the Preen look. This is quite a large collection which contains something for almost any occasion from party dresses to jackets.

H! by Henry Holland at  Debenhams



The Henry Holland collection has been runnning for a while and has become a firm favourite amongst young fashionistas for stocking up on fresh trendy pieces for each seaosn. The collection usually features some colourful and unusual prints as well as great separates. The collection also includes accessories and is overall very affordable.

Vena Cava at Uniqlo



The Vena Cava range at Uniqlo is part of the designer invitation project and features a small but perfectly formed collection of modern and very wearable daytime pieces. This collection is highly affordable and a great way to get a piece of the action designed by these American graduates of Parsons who have made a name for themselves by being twice nominated for the CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund and being runners up in the fashion Finalist Fund. They have also in the past collaborated with Gap and Converse.

Davis Koma at Topshop