Just think: It was almost five years ago when I got excited about Target's very first Go International collaboration with Luella Bartley. My, how far we've come. There have been 18 designers since its inception, and to celebrate Go International's 5-year anniversary, Target is launching Designer Collective [subscription required], a collection of 34 dresses created by 17 of the Go designers (only one, Patrick Robinson, declined to participate, presumably due to his commitment with the Gap). The best part of this, however, is that the dresses are all previously sold styles. In other words, Designer Collective is like a Go International greatest hits collection. Which, if you think about it, is pretty darn brilliant. After all, aren't there pieces you wish you had scored when you had the chance? Designer Collective is due in stores March 13; we should see a preview sometime in February. And to refresh your memory, here's a list of past Go International designers:
Derek Lam is also throwing his hat into the masstige ring, albeit in a slightly unconventional way. Like Narcisco Rodriguez and Norma Kamali before him, Lam is partnering with eBay; however, the twist on his collection is that it will be crowd-sourced. Lam will unveil his designs next February during Fashion Week; fans can vote on their favorite looks at eBay.com, and the final collection will be available for purchase in spring/summer 2011. I am curious to see how this plays out--I am a huge fan of Lam's, and as someone who finds even his sales on Gilt Groupe out of reach, I'm excited he's testing the masstige waters. However, crowd-sourced projects can often go awry (as Refinery29 points out), so I am a bit nervous. I guess this means I'll just have to vote like crazy for my favorite looks. Will you help?
Score another one for Target: Mulberry for Target bags will hits stores October 10th [subscription required]. No word on whether there will be any Alexa-esque bags from the revered British house, but as soon as I get pictures, I will, of course, post 'em. Like all of Target's collaborations, these are sure to be of the synthetic variety, however, I can't imagine Mulberry designing anything remotely tacky, so I have high hopes for this one.
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 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.
Target has gone collaboration-crazy this spring, with great collections from Jean Paul Gaultier and Liberty of London already on the shelves, plus we have Eugenia Kim, Cynthia Vincent, and now Zac Posen to look forward. I'll have more info on Eugenia Kim and Cynthia Vincent next week, but in the meantime, The Cut has photos and prices of the Zac Posen line, and I must say, it looks pretty good. (Then again, I say that a lot about Target.) The higher-than-usual prices also lead me to believe that it's not all 100% polyester (my biggest criticism, as you know, of the Target lines). There are some sexy-looking one-piece swimsuits, great party dresses, and some sharp tuxedos and jackets too. This is my favorite dress; at $39.99, my fingers are crossed that it's cotton. The collection hits stores April 25 and will be around for approximately a month (or while supplies last).
Lucky reports that cool-girl contemporary line Kova & T is creating a line called KNT for Urban Outfitters. I tend to forget about Urban Outfitters' collaborations, but they have a lot of cool ones, from Geren Ford and Lyell to Steven Alan and Corpus. KNT is a little more feminine than Kova & T, but it still retains that downtowny vibe that's sure to enthrall the twentysomethings who shop at Urban Outfitters. And like most items there, the line retails for under $100. Look for it in stores in May.
Soon after advertising images of Jean Paul Gaultier's collection for Target appeared last week, the lookbook was leaked to Refinery 29. They've since taken it down as per Target's wishes, but Racked still has it up! The collection is kind of all over the place but has many Gaultier signatures (sharp tailoring, stripes, tattoo prints). The styling is a little everything-but-the-kitchen-sink, but there definitely appear to be some standout pieces, like this trenchcoat at right. Gear up for March 7th, ladies.
Fashionista has slightly better-quality pictures of the Zac Posen for Target lookbook, which has a lot of very Zac flirty dresses and sexy one-piece swimsuits. Prices for this line appear to be a bit higher than usual, which only makes me hope this means they've used nicer fabrics than the last few collaborations, which suffered from major synthetic usage (ahem, Rodarte). This very summery dress (and several other worthy contenders) hit stores April 25.
And speaking of Target, the first camera-phone leaks of Jean Paul Gaultier's upcoming designer collaboration have hit the interwebs, via Fashin's live journal page. From what I can tell, it's stripes, jersey, trench coats...in other words, very Gaultier, and very promising (I hope). Gaulter hits Tar-zhay le 7 de Mars (or March 7th for those who ne parlent pas francais).
Hi, I'm Cheryl, and, yes, I love to shop. Things I also love: traveling, wine, sunshine, and Pilates. Click on the photo for more.
