Nancy Gregg was among the adoring fans. "I have it all," she said of his designs. "We wear all his lines," added her niece, Betty Simpson, who drove from Maryland to be one of the first people on line.

Sales were strong around the world, especially the women's line featuring red-carpet dresses, tuxedos and accessories, said Jennifer Uglialoro, an H&M spokeswoman.

In New York, customers grabbed handfuls of dresses, trenchcoats, blouses and jackets. By 10:15 a.m., the racks were stripped. Sales associates tried to replenish displays but were accosted by shoppers grabbing the merchandise. A store security guard said associates were being escorted from the stock room to the sales floor by security personnel, who also guarded the mannequins to prevent shoppers from ripping off their clothes. At one point, store employees resorted to dropping clothing from the mezzanine into the scrum of shoppers.

A gold lamé gown for $349 was the most expensive item in the line. Stockings were $12.49 and came in a variety of animal prints. A silk chiffon zebra-print halter dress, $99.90, was one of several dress styles.

Jewelry featured snake motifs, and a snake was embroidered in gold thread on the back pocket of jeans selling for $69. The collection includes intimate apparel, shoes, boots, knits, belts and tuxedo suits with cream jackets with black lapels. By the afternoon, items began appearing on eBay, including the gold sequin and pearl minidress, which the Web site said was "sold out worldwide," with an asking price of $700.

"I'm shocked at how women can be," said customer Piya Mehra. "I didn't get anything in my size and I've been here since 3 a.m." Austine Graff was disappointed too. "It's mayhem," she said. "Everything's already taken. I got here at 9:45 a.m."

Renee Hong was surprised by the intensity, saying, "I just came to check it out. I didn't expect people to fight."

H&M's Sandberg said there were still garments left, but not in all sizes. "There's such a limited amount of product," she said.

"They called me from [H&M] in Hong Kong and London," Cavalli said. "After one or two hours everything was sold out. This never happened. You have to write how Americans love me. Maybe they feel that I'm crazy like them. Maybe they see that I'm simple. I was born simple and I want to die simple."