Target Black Friday Stampede

Black Friday, when a bunch of idiots camping out in long cold lines, in the wee hours of the morning, and having the nastiest places to pee, just to get a discount....So, you saved $50 on a flat screen, you just slept in a f*ckin tent in 30degree weather asshole!

Gaultier for Target Collection Images

On Sunday, March 7 select Target stores will be home to the latest Go! International design collaboration, this time featuring French fashion legend Jean Paul Gaultier.

The Good News: There are some cute dresses in retro silhouettes with floral outline motifs and bustier or halter necklines.

The Bad News: A good deal of the collection is tattoo-print mesh - something that can be made to work with hig quality fabrics, but after Target's Rodarte collection rife with scratchy 99 cent ballet tutu material I have serious doubt this "mesh" will be comfortable, let alone visually acceptable. There are a few pinup girl attempts with high waistlines and gingham, but they come off more Ellie May Clampett than Americana chic.

Check it all out HERE.

Rodarte Target Collection Pics!

The official press kit for the Rodarte for Target collection (due Dec. 20th) is not yet up on Target.com, but unofficial preview pics have been leaking since early August, when the above snap was taken on the sly by a Paper magazine reporter.

From what I see so far, it's vintage budoir with a side of grandma's attic. Any female who came of age in the early 90's knows that good old fashioned GRUNGE is the intersection of those sartorial avenues! Maybe it's nostalgia (I finally got rid of my huge "kinderwhore" vintage leopard coat from a 1994 the other day... maybe just in time for a new one?) but I'm loving these looks. Top of my list is the yellow version of the bow-shoulder slip dress. The line will run you from $9.99 for the knee high stockings on up to $79.99 for the catty coat.

P.S. - As for the up-to-your-tits tights with the bow... the only way I can imagine rocking those is layered over leggings or opaque tights and worn as pants. Under a dress that bow would appear to be the most fucked up outie belly button ever seen.

Gossip Girl Fashion: Stylist Spills About Season 3

It's no coincidence that this Sunday is the launch of Anna Sui's Gossip Girl inspired Target collection - they're making sure it goes hand-in-hand with the premiere of Season 3 (Monday at 8pm on the CW.)

We know what Anna envisioned Blair, Serena, Jenny and Vanessa wearing this fall - but what will they really wear? Check out what stylist Eric Daman has to say about what the girls (and in turn, the rest of us buying Forever 21 knockoffs) will be wearing this season.

Jenny:


Serena:


Blair:


Thus far there is no video update on Vanessa's style from the CW peeps. Maybe they figured out everybody hates her? (I don't know why I do, but I just do.)

Rodarte for Target Launches December 20

It's true! With the fall Anna Sui Target collection just a month away (September 13) it was just announced that amazing American design team Rodarte next on the cheap-chic roster.

The collection will debut on December 20 (just in time to dress you for that holiday party.) Dresses and separates bedecked in sequins, bows, patterns, and faux fur will complete the 55 piece run, and - as always - prices will range from $9.99 to $79.99.

As if I didn't spend enough at Target as it is...

P.S. If you still have not checked it out, New York Magazine has a slideshow of all of the Anna Sui for Target looks.

Anna Sui Does Target

Images from a past Anna Sui ready-to-wear collection

Veteran fashion designer Anna Sui has signed on to do a Go! International capsule collection for Target at some point in 2009.

Sui's aesthetic has always been frilly and bohemian, often with a multicultural spin. Her dresses are sometimes sold by retailers like Anthropologie. I'll post pics as soon as they leak!
[Source]

UPDATE! The line will be based on the four main Gossip Girl characters (Serena, Blair, Jenny and Vanessa) and will be in stores starting September 13th. You'll find me between the Jenny and Serena aisles.

Deal of the Week

You can spend a million on expensive makeup, but without the right brushes you're still going to look a mess. After years of using cheap drugstore brushes that constantly shed bristles all over my face, I started to consider dropping the big bucks on some prestige brand brushes. Then I came across this set by EcoTools ($10.99 at Target) and have since been deterred. The quality and texture of the brushes are really (I hate to use this word, but it's the only one suitable) luxurious, and gave a much softer application visually. No more streaky blush or blotchy bronzer for me!

PS - If you do go drugstore for brushes, the concealer and shadow brushes by Essence of Beauty are also good - just steer clear of their black-bristle brushes.

McQueen Hits Target Wednesday, March 4th

Haven't perused the collection yet? See all the images and prices here. That jacket is so mine.

Sneak Peek! McQueen for Target

Okay, come to find out, some of the Alexander McQueen Go! International stuff looks like shit. And I'm not super pleased with the Hot Topic-esque choices of neon pink and cobalt blue as the "pops of color" amid the grey and black. But there are some fantastic pieces (t-shirt, vest, jumpsuit, jacket, dress) in the collection that I will stab you for even looking at in a size 6 before I get there. (Just warning you.) Here they are (via Nylon Magazine, where you can see everything):

P.S. - Way to pick a model who looks like a dude. (Androgyny is a fine thing, but this lady is falling on the other side of the line.) Target's website still has no official press release posted as to the date it's coming out, nor do I know the prices of these pieces, but I'll keep you posted.

Target's Early Summer "Go" Designer

Coming to the Target Go! International section on May 17 is the boho work of Texas-born surf bum designer Tracy Feith (who is a dude, btw). The colors look fantastic on the "inspiration board" he created (above.) As for what he'll be hawking, he told WWD:

Feith described the collection as eclectic, with shorts, swimsuits, tops, jackets, pants and dresses ranging from $14.99 to $44.99. “There are easy flowing pieces and more fitted numbers,” he said. “There are items for the beach and the office. The clothes will be equally at home in the city as the country.” Feith cited a cotton maxi floral printed dress as one of his favorites.

Just an aside: this gives me hope that McQueen's upcoming Target collection will hit later, during the colder months.

McQueen for Target

He is probably the LAST designer I would imagine signing on for a Go: International collection, but one I'm overboard with excitement to learn that rock n' roll/ goth/ fairy tale fashion master Alexander McQueen is next on the roster for the bargain retailer!
Says today's Womens Wear Daily:

The collection has a muted color palette of black, white, gray and tan with accents of cobalt blue and bright pink. Studs and mesh give items an edge. There are studded jeans, shorts and denim jackets with asymmetrical closures, short tuxedo jackets and matching shorts, dresses in a blue and white painterly fabric, a one-shoulder dress in a gray-and-black zigzag pattern with a thick black belt, a T-shirt with the image of [Leila] Moss [of Brit band The Duke Spirit]

No official date for the launch has been released, but if we're following the typical Target Go collection schedule, we should expect it to arrive later this month. I'll post pics as soon as they hit the press. In the meantime, poke around his website and check the archive pages. You may join me in freaking out.

Sigerson Morrison's Target Collection Must-Haves

The Sigerson Morrison mini-collection for Target hit stores this week, and already my two winning picks have been wiped out by online-shopping budget fashionistas. Both pairs have real suede uppers and are studded with silver crystals - giving them that Desperately Seeking Susan glam that 80s-born babes totally eat up.

Flats are $29.99 and booties are $39.99. If you want them, get your ass to a Target store STAT. They have colored crystal versions for sale, but they are just a shade too tacky for me.

Surprise! Cheap Botkier Looks Cheap

I was sort of excited when I saw that Botkier was doing a Target line. Their Go! designers have been coasting decidedly downhill in the past few months, and considering a purse doesn't need to fit, I figured this would be a sure thing. Their $800 purses are hot (see above.)

Unfortunately, as you'll see here, their $50 Target bags look cheap and are totally plastic. Seriously, you can't make a real leather bag for $50? I'm pretty sure cows aren't becoming extinct.

Target's Gettin' Sephora on Ya

Target recently forged some impressive partnerships for their cosmetics department, and we'll see the results - complete with testers! - at the end of August.

The Napoleon Perdis and Pixi brands, currently sold at Sephora, and Jemma Kidd, who sells her high-end wares at Bergdorf Goodman, will each be producing exclusive lines for the mega-retailer that will sell for around the same price as items in their Sonia Kaishuk line (about $12-$39.)

Does anyone buy the Sonia makeup? I never have. I'll definitely be interested to try out these new collections, since they will actually have testers available.

P.S. Apparently Target now sells Origins, Clarins, Bare Escentuals and Kiehl's products too, though the brands have no exclusive deal with the chain.

Cheap Clothes for Rich Folks

Word has it the Rogan Gregory for Target collection is going to go on sale at Barney's New York for a few days before it hits Target stores. Seriously, did they have to find a way to let the rich people one-up us even on ghetto-priced designer collections? Or are they honestly inviting sweatpant-clad Target shoppers with scrunchies in their hair to wander around inside Barney's? (I can't imagine Barney's shoppers will be happy to have to share with the untouchables...)

Barney's, btw, also sells Gregory's "real" clothes. I'm amazed they aren't concerned that rich people might look at $15 items and $300 items side by side and suddenly realize they are idiots because both cost about 35 cents to make. Then what would become of the label-based fashion social structure?!
Apparently, Barney's maintains confidence in the stupidity of rich people.

"GO" Green with Rogan Gregory for Target

While the looks are pretty "eh", the concept is cool.
Designer Rogan Gregory (of EDUN and Loomstate-- read more here) is up next for a capsule collection in Target's GO International design program.
His pieces will use 100% organic cotton and will range in price from $14.99 – $44.99. You can see the whole shebang here. Below are two of the cuter outfits (click to enlarge):

I own an organic cotton t-shirt from H&M that I love-- the cotton is soft but has a more textured feel and the weave of it is more apparent.
Find Gregory's collection in stores May 18th.
P.S. - FYI on Jovovich-Hawk's GO collection... it sold so well that as of right now not a piece is left on the website-- even in clearance. Go Milla!

Subversive Goes Mainstream

Starting next Sunday (that's Easter, fellow heathens) you'll be able to find a small, cheap iteration of Justin Giunta's Subversive line at Target.
Subversive is known for its complex, deconstructed style and was nominated last week by the CFDA for a prestigious accessory design award.
Most of Giunta's items for the Target shopper, all priced $59.99 or less, aren't as edgy and detailed as his high-end looks. They also seem overpriced for being faux-gold (see them all here.) Still, the stud earrings above are cute and you can get both sets for $14.99.

Target vs. Wal-Mart : Cheapo Fashion War

Wal-Mart is positioning itself to one-up Target this year in the big-box retailer fashion department. In the next few months the store will carry juniors brands l.e.i. and Ocean Pacific, and they recently signed a long-term deal with "mom clothes" designer Norma Kamali.
Some see them really surpassing the old bullseye now that the latter has lost their biggest design star Isaac Mizrahi to Liz Claiborne.
Still, Target just hooked up with Converse One-Star to offer clothes, shoes and accessories that are quite cute. And the designers they're pulling for their Go: International collections still weigh more in bold-face than all of Wal-Mart's (oh-so-90's) prospects put together.
And really- you can get away with saying "I got this at Target." But the name Wal-Mart will never not be associated with sweatpants and gun sales.

Jovovich-Hawk for Target: Coming March 2

Here are some of the best looks from their sweet western-bohemian themed collection. Is it the best Go! International collaboration yet? You tell me. J-H's stuff is ALL pretty cute and wearable, and it appears the most expensive piece is still under $40. (Peek at all 21 looks w/prices here.)
I can't wait to see how they actually fit.
(Click image for larger version)

For the Love of Target

Mizrahi bids Target farewell (Getty Images)

2008 is the last year you'll be able to get your Isaac Mizrahi fix at Target.
The designer just took a job heading up Liz Claiborne and their flagging womenswear (upscale suburban momwear) brand. An improvement for the Liz label, but a sad day for broke women who dug his classic cuts and whimsical movie-inspired party dresses at under $50.
Who could possibly step in next? In my dreams, it would be Diane Von Furstenberg-- queen of the wrap dress and master of the just-shy-of-loud print.
***

Jonathan Saunders

Speaking of Target, word is that London designer Jonathan Saunders is working on a Go! International collection.
I, for one, am not too excited. Have you seen his runway stuff? Even if they marked that down to $39.99, I probably wouldn't buy most of it. Way too exaggeratedly geometric.
He's also done a capsule collection for Topshop due to release any day now.