Cheryl Shops

MasstigeWatch!
This morning, Target hosted a press preview of the upcoming Rodarte Go International collection; I was not there, but Lucky was, and while they were forbidden to speak specifics, they say it's "beautiful, ethereal, and lacey, and won't be priced above $80." Also, Tavi was there. If, however, you'd like some photographic evidence, Racked has photos that Paper's blogger Julia Frakes posted on Twitter (and which she's since taken down). This is one of them.

Also, last week The Cut swung by Uniqlo's showroom to check out Jil Sander's +J line, which hits stores October 1st. They report prices start at $29.50 for accessories and go to $149.50 for outerwear. They also have a handy slide show of select looks; I think longtime Jil Sander enthusiasts will be, well, enthusiastic. The collection is very minimal but looks incredibly well cut; I have my eye on, among other things, these pants.

Coming later this week, I'll have a preview of the Anna Sheffield for Target jewelry line, which hits stores August 30th.

MasstigeWatch!
I have masstige news so exciting, I had to share it today: Rodarte is designing a Go International line for Target! [subscription required] The 55-piece collection is heavy on holiday dresses and hits stores just in time for last-minute Christmas shoppers, on December 20th. Prices start at $9.99 for knee-highs and go to a mere $79.99 for a leopard-print jacket. Rodarte is by far the edgiest, most fashion-insidery label to design for Target; I have a feeling that most Target shoppers will have no idea what it is, whatsoever (then again, the same can probably be said for most of the Go International designers). Since most of Rodarte's designs hover in the four-figure range, this is probably the only time in my life I'll be able to afford something from the Mulleavy sisters. However, since they tend to prefer airy fabrics like chiffon and mohair, I'm worried that's going to translate into polyester and acrylic at the mass-market level. In other words, a Rodarte dress made out of synthetic fabrics is still a dress made out of synthetic fabrics. A Target spokesperson promises the collection is very detailed--which it might be--but since quality has varied widely with the Target collaborations, I am trying not to get too excited about it. Then again, if the dresses look anything like the one at right, how can you not get excited?

MasstigeWatch!
This one is a quickie! First of all, The Tracy Feith Go International collection is now live (it has been since Sunday) but, sadly, the leather jacket pictured here is already sold out, as are some of the other looks, like the mixed floral-print dress. Who would've thought Feith's quirky floral prints would've been such a big hit? I might order the white dress or the flower power bikini, but otherwise, I'm sitting this one out.

In other news, yesterday's WWD [subscription required] had some more info on the upcoming Gap Design Editions collection, which I reported on earlier this month. They've released the ads, which feature hot models Raquel Zimmerman, Anna Jagodzinska, Arlenis Sosa and Coco Rocha. Also, the abundance of hats has been explained: They're designed by Albertus Swanepoel, who is the CFDA Fashion Fund recipient for accessories. As stated before, Vena Cava and Alexander Wang are the other designers, and everything is khaki; prices run a very reasonable $39.50 to $88. Most importantly, the collection hits stores June 16th. Because I pretty much want everything pictured at left (especially that Vena Cava sheath!), I'm there.

MasstigeWatch!
The big news this week is that Anna Sui will design a Designer Collaborations collection for Target [subscription required]! Even more awesome is the fact that the collection is inspired by Gossip Girl, specifically the four female leads. While Sui's namesake collection is more contemporary-priced than that of most of Target's designer collaborators (her dresses are downright affordable if you can find them on sale), this masstige outing will definitely let her reach a broader audience. No word on prices--and no pictures yet--but the line will hit a select 250 Target stores (and target.com) on September 13th, just in time for back to school (and, one would guess, the new season of Gossip Girl).

Speaking of Target, the Tracy Feith Go International collection hits stores next Sunday, May 17th!

Today, the Shipley & Halmos and Gilded Age collaborations hit Uniqlo, but, as Racked reports, well, no one really cared.

Finally, the summer portion of the Matthew Williamson for H&M collection hits most H&M stores next Thursday, May 14th. Unlike the previous portion, this less luxurious, more mainstream batch will be available in nearly every H&M store worldwide, and it also includes men's looks. You can preview the collection on the H&M website--it's indeed very summery, with caftans, swimsuits, and lots of great dresses, many with a peacock motif. It's very luxe-bohemian, which makes it perfect for summer. While Williamson is generally not quite my cup of tea, I have my eye on several pieces from this line. Hopefully it won't sell out as quickly as the last!

MasstigeWatch!
Matthew Williamson for H&M hits the following stores tomorrow (Thursday) at 9 a.m.:

Atlanta: Atlantic Station, 231 18th St.
Boston: 100 Newbury St.
Chicago: 840 North Michigan Avenue
Los Angeles: Beverly Center
New York: 34th and Broadway
New York: 51st and 5th
New York: 59th and Lexington
San Francisco: 150 Powell St.

I will be sleeping in, as I have the day off, but if you are a Williamson fan, you can preview the collection online and strategize; expect Racked to have play-by-play commentary.

In Target news, the Loomstate for Target collection is now live, as are Ashley Paige swimsuits, Felix Rey handbags, and Miss Trish of Capri sandals. I will be checking all out in person this weekend when I hit my local Target in Chicago. I will, of course, report back.

Speaking of Target, this tasty tidbit was buried in last Thursday's Fashion Scoops in WWD [subscription required]:

EASY TARGET: Anna Sheffield is spreading her seeds. The jewelry designer, whose Bing Bang line launched Bee 23 with Urban Outfitters last year, is once again hitting up the masses, this time with Target. Rumor has it she’ll be designing jewelry under the name Anna Sheffield for Target, presumably for the retailer’s Go International program, which has seen the likes of hip, downtown designers such as Rogan Gregory, Richard Chai and most recently Tracy Feith. The jewelry hits stores this August.

Yay for that! I love Bing Bang, although I've found Bee 23 to be a little on the disappointing side. Let's hope the Target collection is a bit more successful.

Hitting Topshop April 28th is the Barbara Hulanicki collection. For those of you not well-versed in 20th century fashion history, Hulanicki was the creator of Biba, one of the most influential boutiques of Swinging London. The line is very bohemian and chiffon-y; you can view photos here. For the dudes, Refinery 29 reports Richard Chai, Phillip Lim, Christopher Shannon, Juun J, JW Anderson, and Henry Holland will interpret the classic white T-shirt, with a mini-collection hitting stores May 28th.

Finally, Nylon has a preview of the upcoming Shipley & Halmos collection for Uniqlo, which hits stores May 7th. I feel as neutral about it as I did about the Steven Alan collection, but maybe it will be cuter in person.

MasstigeWatch!
It seems Target has plugged up its leak, because without any previous rumors, they announced that Tracy Feith will be the next Go International designer [subscription required]! Feith's colorful printed dresses are popular among young Upper East Side socialites (he closed his Nolita store last year, but his Madison Avenue location remains open), and I am still kicking myself for passing up one of his dresses at an Intermix sample sale like 8 years ago. The 60-piece (!) collection will include summery, surf-inspired swimwear and clothing in original prints and Feith's signature super-bright colors, and prices range from $14.99 to $44.99, with a cropped leather jacket for $139.99. Just in time for warm weather, the collection hits Target stores May 17th.

MasstigeWatch: Thakoon for Target
Yesterday I dragged MW to the Atlantic Center Target; it was the first day for the Go International collaboration with Thakoon, and I was so excited about it, I wanted to go to the store instead doing my usual online ordering. Since our neighborhood (and Manhattan, for that matter) had been dead since we got back to the city on Saturday, I was assuming Target would also be deserted; I was wrong. I was, however, glad I went to the store, because not only is this the best collection since Rogan, but the dress I had wanted is already sold out online, so I'm lucky to have grabbed it while in the store. The dress in question is the shibori shirtdress; I initially wanted the navy/white style featured in the ads, but I ended up with the black/white, whose pattern kind of resembles spiderwebs, giving it a kind of goth look. Also sold out online is the cyber floral dress; I think Target only had small and extra-small left by the time I was there, so I didn't bother trying it on. I didn't even see the chevron-stripe dress, but that's okay, because all of the other chiffon pieces in the collection are polyester and incredibly cheap looking (stick with the cottons). I also bought this zip-back floral top, which is nearly sold out online; the fit is kind of voluminous and makes me look pregnant from the side, but belting it or tucking it into a high-waisted skirt or pants seems to resolve the problem. The print is gorgeous, too, and I like the exposed back zipper. There are a lot of floral and striped tops; normally I am sucker for the latter, but the fit of what I tried on was on the boxy side (more on fit later), and since I already own so many stripes, I convinced myself to pass. I tried on the tunic, which was not bad, but the fabric felt kind of crappy to me (I thought it was polyester; I was shocked that it was cotton--it's kind of stiff and janky). The other piece I really liked was the shibori skirt; I thought it was incredibly flattering and well made, but since I was buying the dress in the same print, I figured one piece was enough. I recommend staying away from the tie-waist skirts, however, as they suffer from too-much-fabric syndrome and amplify whatever hippiness you may have tenfold.

So, like previous Go International collections, sizing is a bit wonky, but, if anything, it's on the side of being too large, rather than too small. In previous collections, a size 11 has often been too small on me (I wear a 6 or an 8 in real life), but when I tried on the shibori skirt above, even the size 9 was too big. I ended up with a large in the dress, but that was due more to inventory than anything else, and I think the slightly looser fit will allow me to wear a turtleneck underneath for the time being. I really, really love the dress, and at least for the cotton pieces, the quality and fit seems to be of much higher quality than recent collections (I'm looking at you, Jonathan Saunders). Since many of these pieces are selling out already, I highly suggest ordering now, or hitting your local Target ASAP.

Sadly, the Atlantic Center store did not appear to have any Hayden-Harnett bags; they are available online for pre-order, but early word on the street is that, like previous handbag collections, they're kind of cheap-looking.

MasstigeWatch!
Just two weeks ago, Alexander McQueen's collection for Target was confirmed; now, today, we have an article in WWD [subscription required], complete with pictures and interviews! Since you likely can't read the article, here's the pertinent info: The McQ Alexander McQueen Designer Collaboration will hit only 250 select Target stores starting March 1st, as well as target.com, and nothing will cost more than $129.99. Here's muse Lelia Moss modeling one look from the collection. Get excited!





In the meantime, we have Michelle Obama fave Thakoon's Go International collection hitting Target in November; Nylon has a sneak preview. I love the batik prints, and it looks like many of the pieces are cotton, which is a plus, since so many of the previous Go Internationals have suffered from Cheap Fabric Syndrome. More details as soon as they're available...

MasstigeWatch!
After the so-so Viktor & Rolf collaboration and last year's trash-tastic Roberto Cavalli line, let me just say how excited I am for Comme des Garcons for H&M. Nitro:licious has the entire lookbook, and while I'm not too jazzed about the polka dots, I am pretty damn psyched about everything else--the jackets especially, but I love the deconstructed tee and pencil skirt, and, call me crazy, I am even intrigued by the drop-crotch pants. Of course, such awesomeness comes at a price; one of the dresses costs $349, but word on the street is that's the high end of the range. Still, I'd be willing to spend that on a CDG jacket--the real thing costs several times that amount. Nevertheless, I think this collection is definitely worth waiting in line for; it hits stores November 13th.

And if, like me, you missed last month's Bullseye Bodega pop-up stores and have been eagerly awaiting Jonathan Saunders' Go International collection to hit Target stores, Sunday, October 5th is your lucky day. I have my eye on this chiffon ombre skirt; many items have an '80s colorblocked look, if that's your sort of thing.

MasstigeWatch!
This is a quick one--Target has confirmed that Thakoon Panichgul will be the next Go International designer, after Jonathan Saunders in October-ish. Thakoon's collection will launch in December and be available in stores and online through January. It will be interesting to see how his kooky-librarian aesthetic translates to Tar-zhay's mass-market customer, but I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Stay away from the polyester, please!

MasstigeWatch!
Every fashionista worth her skinny jeans let out a collective shriek this morning upon reading this glorious item in WWD's Fashion Scoops:

It looks like Alexander McQueen could be the latest designer name — and one of the most prestigious — to link up with Target’s Go International program, which showcases capsule collections by guest designers. According to industry sources, the British designer is in talks to work on a collection for the Minneapolis-based retailer. A spokeswoman for McQueen declined comment Wednesday.

If the designer does ink a deal with Target, he would join an ever-growing lineup of marquee names who have produced collections for the brand, including Luella Bartley, Alice Temperley, Proenza Schouler and Richard Chai. In addition, Anya Hindmarch and Sigerson Morrison both have collections in the pipeline for the retailer.

While McQueen launched a denim-based diffusion line, called McQ Alexander McQueen, in fall 2006, he’s not yet notched up a collaboration with a mass retailer during his career. As well as his ready-to-wear collection, McQueen designs a footwear collection for Puma and a capsule luggage collection for Samsonite’s Black Label.

That's right: Alexander McFuckingQueen and Target. WWD must have a well-planted spy somewhere at Target, because every single Target-collaboration rumor that's popped up in this column has come true. So I think we can all start to mentally prepare ourselves for plaid, corsets, bustles, and sharp tailoring from fashion's former enfant terrible. Now, the only thing that gives me pause is that the Go International collections have widely varied in terms of quality and fit, whereas, say, H&M's collections have been pretty stellar across the board. Nonetheless, I pray that if this is indeed true--and, for the love of François-Henri Pinault I hope it is--that McQueen stays away from the polyester.

And, not necessarily masstige, but on a similarly budget-conscious level, Alexander Wang has announced that he's creating both a line of shoes and a lower-priced line of knitwear (the latter will most likely retail for under $100). WWD has the details [subscription required]; the shoes look a little scary, but the knits look pretty good to me, kind of like a grown-up, less shrink-prone version of American Apparel. Sadly, both the shoes and the knits won't hit stores until spring 2009, but in the meantime, there's always his full-priced line, which you can find at Barneys, Nordstrom, and Shopbop.

MasstigeWatch! Target edition
Note: I am having trouble uploading images. My apologies for the visual boringness of this post.
I went to the Target in good ol' tax-free Salem, New Hampshire this weekend, and as happy as I am to have a Target nearby in Brooklyn, going to a Target in the suburbs is a completely different experience: the shelves are stocked, there aren't thousands of people everywhere, and, in all, it's a positively transporting experience. So I was happy to see, a day early, that their Richard Chai Go International collection was out on the racks--not every single piece, but a good percentage of it nonetheless. I only ended up buying this striped top (which is a lot cuter than it looks in the picture), but I tried on a bunch of other stuff. The voile top had the potential to be awesome, but on me, it looked like a maternity top. The floral-print dress, while not exactly my style, was really cute, and its classic shape will flatter a bunch of body types. I really liked this sleeveless black dress, but ended up not buying it because, really, the last thing I need is another black dress. I also really liked the long cardigan, but thought the color was going to be more of a dark purple, as opposed to a bluish lavender. Still, it's a cotton-cashmere blend, so the feel is very soft, and I like the longer length. I tried on the zip-front skirt too, and while it was cute, it was also about three inches shorter than what I can get away with for work. Although I had been really excited about it, I didn't try on the crinkled colorblock dress--it's 100% polyester and, well, looks it. The highlight for me, however, is that I was able to score a few of the far superior Rogan pieces--the romper and the mint green blazer--on mega-clearance. Yay for unfashionable New Hampshire!

While in Target, I also was able to check out all of the Botkier bags; the magenta and plain black bags were the best-looking; all of the metallics and animal-printed ones were jankety-janky-looking. Brooklyn's own Hayden-Harnett is supposedly the next accessories collaboration; let's hope they come up with better product than the last few.

MasstigeWatch!
I was very excited to hear about the upcoming Richard Chai for Target collection; Chai is an exceptionally talented designer, and while I think it's awesome that he's BFF with Phillip Lim, Chai should be getting just as much attention as Lim. Hopefully his collaboration with Target will help raise his profile. Nylon has the first images (with an even bigger story in the magazine's August issue), and while I was definitely expecting something more minimal, there are some great pieces. My favorite outfit is the one at right--I'm a sucker for a good cardigan, and I only hope it's not made out of something janky like acrylic. The collection drops sometime in August; more details to follow.

MasstigeWatch!
Today, Target confirmed the rumor that Scot Jonathan Saunders will be the next Go International designer (that is, after Richard Chai, who's up next); his line will hit stores in October. And if you haven't already heard, Rogan Gregory's collection is now available. When I first looked through it, I thought it was kind of boring, but on closer look, the pieces are sophisticated and modern--and most of them are organic silk or cotton, making it all eco-conscious as well as style-conscious. There's a lot of black and beige, yes, but the animal prints make it fun. I have my eye on the romper, the crocheted sweater, and the printed silk blouse. After a few misfires, the Go International collections are back on track; now I can't wait for Richard Chai.

The latest Kate Moss Topshop collection is now available too, and I think it's one of her strongest lines yet; I am lusting after this pansy dress, and since it's sold out in my size online, I'm hoping it turns up at Opening Ceremony.

Finally, Alexander Wang's Uniqlo line hits stores next Friday; based on the pictures here, I think I might have to ditch work in order to wait in line.

Fashion news roundup
Nominees for the CFDA awards have been announced; Proenza Schouler, Marc Jacobs, and Francisco Costa for Calvin Klein are vying for the womenswear prize. Winners will be announced June 2nd. If beauty is more your thing, Fashionista has the full list of nominees for the CEW awards, which will be announced May 2nd.

In high fashion news, Paulo Melim Andersson is out at Chloe; he'll be replaced by Hannah MacGibbon, who worked at the label under the sorely missed Phoebe Philo. Word on the street seems to be that Andersson's collections were fairly well received by the press, but not so much by Chloe's loyal clientele. Personally, Andersson's designs were a bit too Marni for me, and while I love me some Marni, well, I'd rather go straight to the source. Let's hope MacGibbon brings the label back to its feminine roots.

Finally, for the MasstigeWatchers out there, Glamour's Slaves to Fashion blog was the first to confirm that Richard Chai is Target's next Go International designer! (I posted about the rumor back in January.) Word is that the Rogan Gregory collection is all swimsuits, so I'm guessing this one will be for late summer or early fall. I am very excited--Richard Chai is one of my favorite up-and-coming designers!

MasstigeWatch!
Pierre Hardy's capsule collection for the Gap has yet to hit the shelves, but already there's another masstige rumor: The Fashion Informer reports that everyone's favorite downtown design collective ThreeAsFour might design a line for the Gap. No details available yet, but stay posted...

Yesterday's Women's Wear Daily [subscription required] was packed with informative articles (on a sad side note, I learned that Active Endeavors has closed all of its Chicago stores to focus on its Internet business). And buried at the very end of this one about very-much-underappreciated designer Richard Chai finally getting major financial backing, was this little chestnut:

Chai's design touch may be found elsewhere next year should he become the next guest designer for Target's Go International initiative. Chai declined to comment.

Let me be the first to say that if this rumor is indeed true (which most of the Target rumors tend to be), I will be so incredibly psyched. Chai makes gorgeously constructed clothes that float about the wearer in an effortlessly chic manner, and while the thought of Target trying to reproduce his draping techniques makes me a bit nervous, if two good pieces come out of the collection, well, that will be enough for me. (If you can't wait, however, Chicago's excellent Jake has several Chai pieces for sale, including this stellar dress, which has been marked way down from its original price of $1795.) I will, of course, report any further details, should they arise.

MasstigeWatch!
This week's big, big masstige news is that Isaac Mizrahi is leaving Target to become the designer for Liz Claiborne. This is good news for the fortysomething Claiborne customer--the formidable company has been lacking direction in recent years and was dropped from Macy's, which was a huge blow--but marks the end of an era for Target, since Mizrahi was the first designer to really kick off Target's mass-market/designer collaborations. Also, Mizrahi's line generates $300 million a year for Target; apparently Claiborne, having recently sold off C&C California and a lot of its other labels, has deeper pockets. But fret not, Target fans--the Isaac Mizrahi line will be in stores through the end of this year.

In other Target news, the latest rumored Go International designer is Scot Jonathan Saunders, who apparently recently had an outstanding line for Topshop. Target has yet to confirm, but these rumors are usually pretty accurate, so one would assume his collection would hit sometime in late summer, after Jovovich-Hawk and Rogan Gregory.

And speaking of Jovovich-Hawk, the latest word is that their Go International collection will hit Target stores on March 2 (my birthday!). Sally Jane Vintage posted a scan from this month's Harper's Bazaar with a little preview; as soon as more images are available, I'll post them here.

And, finally, in celebrity masstige news, Natalie Portman has designed a limited-edition collection of vegan shoes for Te Casan; they're now available for pre-order. I can commiserate with her plight--when it comes to ethical footwear, there's the frumpy MooShoes and the pricey Stella McCartney and not much in between. My opinon? You can get more stylish vegan shoes from the Abaete for Payless line--for much less.

MasstigeWatch!
I've been a bit out of it lately, so I nearly missed today's arrival of Philip Lim's capsule collection at Uniqlo! Thankfully I read Fashionista's informative post about it and stopped by on my way to my acupuncture appointment. Unfortunately, there were only three styles of dresses and a few skirts left by 6 p.m., but after trying on the T-shirt dress (too short!) and the racerback jersey dress (cute, but a bit too much fabric for me), I settled on the plaid shift, which is so not my usual style, but I love it. The line indeed runs big, but everything is cut amazingly well, and the jersey pieces are, believe it or not, fully lined. I might make another trip to see if anyone has returned the belted linen dress--sadly, today's shipment was the only one the store will be getting.

And while Sophia Kokosalaki (who was just fired from Vionnet) is rumored to be the next Go International designer, Target has posted images from Alice Temperley's line, which hits stores in September (after Libertine, which is next, in July). I've said it before, but I'll say it again: It looks like this is the best Go International collection yet. Here are my four favorite looks.