Cheryl Shops

Jason Wu has already been on the Today show pimping his Target line, and while I have a feeling it won't quite incite the mass hysteria that Missoni did, I think it will sell out pretty quickly. The collection of clothes, bags, and scarves retails for $19.99 to $59.99 and hits stores February 5th. Here are some of my favorites.

Blush blouse ($34.99), lace-print skirt ($29.99), lace clutch ($29.99)

Pleated top ($32.99), pleated skirt ($29.99), lace clutch ($29.99)
Flared dress ($59.99)
Straw flap bag ($39.99)
Cat print scarf ($19.99)




For those of you who like a similar Zooey Deschanel-like aesthetic, Refinery29 reports that New Zealand designer Karen Walker is creating a lower-priced line for Anthropologie, called Hi There From Karen Walker. No word on pricing or exact dates, but it hits stores sometime in March. Check out R29's rather extensive slideshow for a good preview of the nautical-flavored looks, like this cute dress.


For the Zac Posen fans out there, he's designing a special line of 12 dresses exclusively for Lord & Taylor under his Z Spoke label. The collection will hit stores in April and will retail for $149-$199, less than half of what a typical Z Spoke dress usually goes for. No photos (nor exact dates) available yet, but I will post them as soon as I have them.

Finally, for those of you who can't wait for Mary Katrantzou's upcoming Topshop collaboration (due in stores next month), you can buy one of her Longchamp bags right now on the Colette website. Prices range from 55 Euros ($72) for a makeup case to 350 Euros ($456) for a structured tote; the signature Le Pliage bags run 95-160 Euros ($124-$208).

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.

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.

Lots of exciting news today in the world of masstige! First and foremost, Zac Posen is doing a Go International line for Target [subscription required]. The collection hits stores April 25th and will be available through the end of May (I'll have more details in a few months). This comes on the tail of the announcement that Posen will launch an exclusive line for Saks, called Z Spoke [subscription required], also in the spring. While I was at first concerned that Posen was courting the edgy contemporary customer (in the WWD article, he notes an "urban hipster quality" and the desire to reach new women), Z Spoke will live on the 4th floor at Saks (home to Tory Burch, Tahari, M Missoni, and the like), and the accompanying photos give me hope that Posen won't forsake his retro-feminine vibe in order to chase the cool girls.

In other Target news, Rodarte officially hits stores December 21st, but Racked reports that select items will be available at the Target To-Go pop-up shop, which will be open December 11-13th, from 10-8, at Washington & Gansevoort Streets, right next to the High Line entrance. The To-Go shop will feature 50 pre-wrapped gifts, making your holiday shopping simple--and saving you a trip to the dreaded Atlantic Terminal Target.

We might have Victoria's Secret, but France has Sonia Rykiel, and so perhaps to compete with the former, the latter staged a lingerie fashion show today to promote her collaboration with H&M, which hits stores Saturday. As of now, you can watch the video here; in a few hours, full collection photos should be posted. While the models don't seem to be having nearly as good of a time as the Victoria's Secret Angels, this lingerie is actually wearable. The 70-piece collection hits 1,500 H&M stores worldwide on 12/5, and retails for $12-$114.50.

Anthropologie continues to impress me with their thoughtfully under-the-radar masstige collaborations; their latest is Lawan, a secondary line from knitwear designer Koi Suwannagate [subscription required]. The four-piece capsule collection retails for $228-$298 and includes two cardigans (one of which is pictured), a gown, and a sleeveless top, and three of the pieces are available now at Anthropologie.com. The collection is small, yes, but it looks very Koi, and yet very Antropologie at the same time (in other words, it's a perfect fit).

Finally, this isn't exactly Masstige per se, but it's certainly mass, and, so, well, I'm including it here: MNG by Mango is partnering with JCPenney. 75 stores will carry the brand as of fall 2010 (expanding to 600 stores by the following year), and JCPenney is planning on making Mango the centerpiece of its contemporary fashion department, which also includes Charlotte Ronson's I Heart Ronson and the Olsens' Olsenboye line (and, soon, Liz Claiborne, of which JCPenney will soon be the exclusive retailer). While Mango is a somewhat unexpected choice, I think it's a welcome one--Mango gets to expand rapidly across the U.S., and JCPenney greatly ups its fashion game. I have always been a big fan of Mango, and I hope it catches on in the rest of the country. Well played, JCP!

Famous people exiting and/or entering the Zac Posen show tonight within four feet of me
Anna Wintour (note: she enters the front of the tents but leaves by the side doors, by the bathrooms)
Carine and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld
Andre Leon Talley
Joy Bryant
Olivia Palermo
Rachel Zoe (who is looking very youthful all of a sudden)
Glenda Bailey
Kelly Bensimon
Tyson Beckford (whom, I think, didn't actually go into the show, but graciously posed for picture after picture with fans)
Patti Lupone (yes, that Patti Lupone--my inner gay man couldn't believe my eyes)

I ended up watching the show on the monitors, but apparently Ms. Jack White (a.k.a. Karen Elson) took quite a spill at the end.