XOXO, Gossip Girl

Gossip Girl here. Your one and only source into the scandalous lives…

Advance news: I will be broke the minute I get anywhere near a Target. Yesterday, Anna Sui’s new line of Gossip Girl inspired clothes hit Target stores across the country. Both Emily G and Lauren have posted about this line, but they both failed to mention that the Blair Waldorf inspired dresses alone are enough to make you want to freeze your credit card in a block of ice until October 17th. The blouses and bottoms are cute, but it’s the dresses that will make my wallet devastated and barren: They’re range from casual to cocktail, and I want all of them!

Starting today, you can get trendy Ana Sui fashions at select Target stores or online at Target.com, but you’ll have to hurry. The cheap-chic collection, (inspired by, and timed to coincide, with the third season debut of Gossip Girls), is available only through Oct.17. Ranging in price from $19.99 to $149.99, the line — with its Bohemian, urban edge –includes sweaters, blouses, dresses, cropped pants and mini-skirts.

(via courant.com)

We all know Blair is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but hot DAMN she can dress for any occasion… and Anna nailed it. Here are a few grabs of some Blair inspired favs (screen shots from NYmag and Nylon).

Fall Fashion

Marie Claire shows you how to give to charity while making standard purchases such as earrings, shoe laces and eye makeup.

The bulk of this week’s fashion events will take place in NYC’s Bryant Park, but New looks for fall will also be on display tonight at Marathon Grill on Walnut Street.

Anna Sui for Target

We’ve blogged about Anna Sui’s new line at Target before, but here are some more picture’s of Sui’s designs for the megastore.

This season, Ann Taylor is attempting to break away from office wear. We think it’s safe to say Ann is doing a good job. Here are what the women’s clothing retailer calls their favorite 20 looks for the season.

NBC10 has a bunch of fashion links up as well. There’s this article which has some wacky scarves, leggings and info on sales at American Apparel. NBC10 contributor Lilliana Vazquez also put together a piece on cheap and comfortable clothing.

Lastly, the bad banana blog is written from what the creator describes as “the furthest you can be from New York and Los Angeles at the same time,” this blog is full of clever anecdotes and pieces of information

Rodarte for Target! Yes!

Photo via NYmag

I generally find the Target designer collections interesting in theory but not something I would actually go out and buy, but I am genuinely psyched to hear that the next designers up are sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte. From WWD:

The 55-piece Rodarte line for Go International will launch at most Target stores nationwide and on target.com on Dec. 20, and will be available through Feb. 6. While it may be hard to imagine translating Rodarte’s hand-wrought designs for the mass market, Target claims to have stayed true to the spirit of the luxury-priced label.

Apparently the stuff is going to be mostly holiday dresses (although launching December 20 seems a little last-minute for the holidays), and the most expensive thing is an $80 coat. I can only hope that this collection might include something along the lines of their future/medieval/chainmail/robot Fall 2009 collection, because lord knows I’ve been looking for something to wear with my thigh-high leather leggings/tights/boots.

WWD: Rodarte a “go” with Target

NYMag: Rodarte Fall 2009 slideshow

Anna Sui to do Gossip Girl-inspired line for Target

Anna Sui has joined Alexander McQueen in the Big-Name Designers Signed by Target Club. Target has been partnering with runway designers galore lately in hopes of recreating the big ol’ thing that was Isaac Mizrahi (whose collaborations with Target were reported to bring in $300 million in sales per year) and catching up with their archenemy, Wal-Mart.

Target’s Designer Collaboration program has the selected designers pick one discrete inspiration for their line. McQueen’s was Leila Moss of the punk band Duke Spirit. Sui’s going with Blair, Serena and Little J. From WWD (behind a pay wall):

“When I was in Asia last year, all the young girls kept asking me about the different locations in New York City where the characters from ‘Gossip Girl’ live,” she said. “I liked the idea of creating a collection reflective of each characters’ style, sensibility and unique approach to fashion. By combining the elements of art, city, spirit, punk and glamour, we created a collection that exudes New York City fashion.” Sui used materials such as metallic jacquards, herringbone, silk and chiffon and detailing with tulle, lace and sequins.

Sounds interesting, at least!

WWD was the first one with the news that 250 stores would be getting the collection in mid-September. Target doesn’t even have a press release up yet, much less a list of which stores would be getting the line, so we decided to call and check whether Philly was on the list. And going with our somewhat lackluster experiences at Target in the past, the Target press people didn’t pick up the phone at ten in the morning on a Wednesday, called us back once to ask “Wait, what was the question?” promised to call back in an hour and haven’t gotten back to us since. Well, I’m tired of waiting on this, so I’ll update with the info if they call back.

via The Cut

Zombies Come To Philly

The trend of hacking into road signs has made it’s way to Philly. A ‘zombies ahead’ sign was seen along route 212 in Richland Township. While the sign is hilarious, it can also endanger the lives of motorists. Careful out there! It’s pretty easy to break the code to reprogram a road sign, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. You might want to get your kicks elsewhere.

It looks like Barclay Prime just might be the place to keep you entertained, as they’ve introduced a new lower priced menu.

Someone else that’s slashing their prices is Michael Kors, amongst other designers.  Items on the website Yoox.com are up to 90% off. Designers featured on Yoox include  Marni, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Costume National, Stella McCartney, Diesel, and Valentino.

And while Target might not be Erica’s favorite store, they currently have the Alexander McQueen pieces hanging from their racks. Definitely worth a peek—McQueen’s designs leave target April 14th. If you’d like to avoid the South Philly target that caused Erica so much trouble, try Plymouth Meeting, Exton, Jenkintown or Allentown.

Be sure to hit up department stores makeup counters for beauty products, they’re giving away samples now more than ever. La Mer, Estee Lauder and Clinique’s expensive cousin, is giving out free facials. Remember, it’s a buyer’s market…cosmetics included.

Target Update: I Got My Money Back

Since I’ve gotten tons of personal emails about this issue, I thought I’d post an update on my horrendous Target situation. The money was placed back in my account less than 72 hours after the incident, which was a huge relief. (I was shocked that my bank didn’t charge me fees, but I didn’t question my good fortune.)

In the meantime, I sent an email (with links to the post I made here as well as the Consumerist post) to the Target corporate offices. No word from them yet.

Am I The Only One Not Psyched About Betsey Johnson’s Rumored Target Line?

Yesterday the Internets were abuzz with rumors of wacky designer Betsey Johnson’s potential partnership with Target (or H&M). I, apparently, am the only person who thinks this kind of sucks.

Speaking as a girl who won’t pay more than $60 for jeans and a frequent Target shopper, I understand the appeal of designer clothes at discount prices. Especially now that the economy sucks so hard and the whole country is seemingly poorer than they were this time last year.

What I don’t understand is taking the work of a notoriously eccentric designer who has been celebrated for her upscale work and mass-producing it so that every woman in America can be rocking the same leopard print, polka dot, taffeta dress next New Year’s Eve.

By signing with a box store, or even just a well-known chain like H&M, Betsey Johnson’s dresses (and other designs) will  become the  norm. Just as with Isaac Mizrahi, her name won’t  be synonymous with style and ingenuity, but instead with ho-hum, everyday apparel. Additionally, I’m willing to bet that production quality is going to go way, way down and Johnson will be forced to change her sizing system (previously focused primarily on smaller women) to cater to overweight American women.

The allure of dropping $400+ on a Betsey Johnson dress is the knowledge that not everyone has it. As cliche as it sounds, clothing makes a statement about its wearer. Yes, a Betsey Johnson dress is a beautiful addition to your wardrobe and one that will (hopefully) last long enough to justify spending that amount of money on one item. But it’s also representative of the fact that you want to look original. Otherwise, you could’ve just gone to, say, Target.

Kari and Miranda for Target

Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison have jumped on the Target bandwagon. You can now get mediocre versions of their spendy shoe line, Sigerson Morrison, for a fraction of the cost.  Metallic flats, suede heels, and bedazzled booties range from $30 to $40.  For now, get yours at Target.com.  These bejeweled kicks won’t make it to store shelves for a few weeks.