Cheryl Shops

I was going to post about this last Thursday, but my Internet was down (thanks, Time Warner!), but luckily now there's even more good masstige news to share.

Last week Target hosted a Zac Posen Go International pop-up shop for slightly over 24 hours at the New Yorker hotel, and I was lucky to attend the press preview. By the time I got there at 8, the racks were already dilapidated; I managed to snag my favorite dress (the one I had blogged about earlier this month) in an XL, which was far too large. However, as is always the case, it's good to make friends with the salesgirls, because it turned out they had a bunch more in the back. So I ended up with my favorite dress, in my size. My only quibble is that it's polyester, but it's pretty nice polyester (is that an oxymoron?), and for $39.99, I suppose I can't complain too much. There's also a cute version of this dress in solid pink, a navy grommeted dress that went quickly, and a safety pin-print dress was extremely popular. The one-piece swimsuits looked pretty good to me too, however I can't wear them (I have a freakishly short torso). The Zac pop-up shop is long gone, but the collection hits stores this Sunday, April 25th.

In the meantime, Target's Cynthia Vincent and Eugenia Kim collaborations are now available on the site--in theory. All that's left of the Cynthia Vincent shoes are the strappy heel and the flat sandals (the wedges are, unfortunately, long gone). It appears that most, if not all, of the Eugenia Kim hats are still available, however.

In super-exciting news, Brooklyn-based designers (whom I saw walking down Clinton Street Sunday afternoon) Costello Tagliapietra are designing a line for Uniqlo! The lumberjack-ish duo are known for their gorgeously draped dresses, and they set out to create a work-friendly collection, which will retail for a very nice $29-$39, so you can buy two or three or everything in the line, which I am contemplating. The dresses hit Uniqlo May 20th. Looks like I'll be, ahem, late to work that day.

Finally, if you can't wait till May (or till this weekend), here's a masstige collection you can shop right now: Richard Chai and Jeremy Scott have teamed up with Alternative Apparel to create knits exclusively for Refinery 29. Prices are a big higher than your usual masstige collaboration, but tops like the one pictured are a luxe modal/silk blend and thus a step above the average. The line will be available only for a month, so shop now or forever hold your peace.

With all the excitement over Gaultier, Liberty, and the upcoming Zac Posen collaboration, I nearly forgot about Target's accessory collections! Cynthia Vincent has created a bunch of very cute sandals and flats for $24.99, with more tricked-out wedges and platforms going for $29.99. Like most Target shoes, these are synthetic (and animal-friendly!), but the chunky wedge sandals pictured here are very similar to those of her signature line, which retails for more than 10 times that amount. Plus, aren't the yellow pair fun? Hitting stores at the same time is a first for Target--a hat collaboration with the East Village's own Eugenia Kim. The hats are super adorable, and for $14.99-$19.99, you can afford to get more than one. I have my eye on this straw number, but there's also a great floral-print sun hat that I have a feeling will become indispensable this summer. Both collections hit Target on April 18th.

And speaking of Zac Posen, his Target collaboration doesn't arrive in stores until April 25th, but next week, Target is hosting a one-day popup at 481 8th Avenue (at 34th Street). It runs from 11 p.m. on 4/15 through 11 p.m. on 4/16; I will be at the press preview on Thursday before it opens to the public, so please follow me on Twitter if you're interested in my real-time assessment of the collection.

Also, did you know The Limited has a collaboration with designer Jodi Arnold? Neither did I. This might be related to the fact that there's no Limited store in Manhattan, or maybe The Limited doesn't quite ride the marketing machine like Target and H&M do. Either way, you can shop the collection on TheLimited.com, and clunky browsing experience aside, there are some cute pieces, like this exotically detailed top and this cropped trench coat. I love this ruffled trench (pictured) too. Synthetic fabrics abound (this is The Limited, after all), but there are a lot of great work-friendly looks, and prices are reasonable. Let's hope for The Limited's next collaboration, they come up with an easier way to shop it.