Anna Sui & Gossip Girl for Target

On Sunday I went to Target to see if any of the Anna Sui "Gossip Girl" were in stock at my local place. I had looked at everything that was online but the creme lace dress wasn't in stock anymore so I thought I would give it a shot. I had put a bunch of the dresses in my shopping cart but thought it would be best to check them out in person if they wred there.

Well, there were a number of pieces in my local store... not that you would know it. There wasn't much in the way of signage. I flipped through the 3 racks of dresses and shirts and frankly, wasn't all that impressed.

Check it out.



I really don't "get" some of the pieces. And a lot of it seemed very poorly/cheaply made. I know we are at Target here folks, but compared to some of the earlier Go International pieces, the quality is down and the prices are way up.

But I thought I would give it a shot. I tried on the silk wrap dress, the houndstooth jacquard dress, the metallic grey "feather" sequin dress, and the herringbone dress.

The feather sequin dress fit really weird. The bottom belled out but was a bit tight up top. The sequins were very uncomfortable and the v-neck was very low cut.

The herringbone dress was okay but a bit stiff and not that flattering to me.

The silk dress was flattering and the pattern and fabric were okay. But I didn't really think it was worth $60 and as it was very lightweight, being silk, I didn't think I would wear it much during the Fall and Winter, which is what I am lookin for.






I did like the houndstooth jacquard dress the best. It's much more purple than it shows in the picture online. It also seems to be the best made. I considered it but at $70, I'm going to wait a while and see if I can get this on sale later. I just didn't want spend the money right now.



Overall the line did not impress me. I didn't like the shirts at all, especially the tulle tied one or the stupid acronym one. WTF was that about?

The most interesting thing are the billboard totes. I think I may end up getting one of these. They're cool and graphic and colorful.

I continue to be disappointed with these collaborations. These are great designers that should really be bringing a unique element and a high quality to a mass merchandiser but in the end they are horrible.

Is it Target doing it or is it the designers dumbing things down so much thinking that the mass retail audience won't appreciate their real work. I don't know. All I do know is that I won't really be buying any.

Mad for ModCloth

I've lately become a bit obsessed with incorporating more dresses in to my wardrobe. Typically I'm all about a top and skirt but ever since buying a dress with Miss WendyB in NY and then getting the francis Nautical Flag Dress (soon to be shown, I promise), I just want more adorable dresses.

Well, I made the big mistake of going over to ModCloth and thinking I would harmlessly click through and see what was new. Now that I'm not really planning on shopping at Anthropologie or Urban Outfitters, I still need cute quirky clothes and, boy, does ModCloth fit the bill.

I quickly ended up with 4 adorable dresses in my shopping cart. I plan on accessorizing the heck out of these with cropped cardigans, girly heels, vintage hats, hair bits I've made and maybe even giant flowers tied on with wide satin ribbons.

First dress is a sweet retro ivory and black polka dot with a swishy skirt. A simple classic that I know I'll pair up with a black lace cardigan or an infinite number of jewel tones in belts and heels.





I adore this dress because of the print. I have a giant silk peony just waiting to wear with this. And I think a vintage straw purse too.

While I was looking at purple, I spied this snazzy number. It looks so cool and breezy yet covered with ombre sequins. Sequins all day long... perfect!

This red plaid dress is something I can't get enough of. Sort of picnic-y with parts 1950's sundress and I hope that neckline looks as good on as it does here.

I was home on Saturday and got in the mood to be all kinds of crafty, so I went to the local Michaels to see if I could get supplies for a number of projects that had been rattling around in my brain. I spent the whole night making a bunch of hats and hair pieces. I promise to show the full process, but here are two I made with this dress in mind.

The mini-boater was fully inspired by the Marc Jacob's boaters and vintage piece that I saw recently. I wanted faux cherries, but no luck! Maybe soon. I could make a million of these.

I was considering putting this little nest on too, but in the end it seemed like too much so I made a hair comb instead.

The big problem is now I'm addicted to ModCloth dresses. I have another one I'm thinking about right now. Their prices are so good it is hard to resist. Plus they go so well with all my other girly stuff.

Are there any other ModCloth fans out there?

Spring Cleaning

I mentioned that I went to Target on Friday and went a bit out of control. There were tons of things that I liked and so I took several large bag-loads home. I think I scared the register girl a bit.

But mainly I just don't like to try things on in the store. That and I get stuff home and change my mind about them. That's why I never take the tags off right away. Sometimes I need to look at them for a while before I really commit to keeping them.

At the end of the day I'm taking back a dress, 8 shirts, a bunch of jewelry and two skirts. But what I ended up keeping were these lovely summery items.



I'm not a huge dress wearer so I'm trying to find more dresses that I feel comfortable in. I like these alot, especially the blue and off-white print dress. The 3/4-sleeve cardigans are right up my semi-preppy alley and the two light t-shirty tops will be good basics too. And I love the fun jewelry. I've already worn the pink bubble necklace. The elephant charm necklace has a retro/JCrew sense too it. And the green chain one is actually all made of beads, so that's pretty cool.

If you click on the image it will take you to Polyvore where you can link to each of the items.

You can kind of tell where my colors are going for Summer: white, black, grass green, teal/aqua over khaki, white and black. Accent colors of pink, yellow and orange/coral.

I got a few headbands and footless sheer tights which are both super cute. More pics to follow. Once this crazy weather warms up a bit.

I'm not feelin' it, Vera

Because Target has done so well with its capsule Go International collections, it's no surprise other department stores like JCPenny's and Kohls are going to find their own partners for limited edition collections.

I've never been in Kohls actually and even when I heard about the Vera Wang collection she is doing with them, I was not enticed. I've haven't really followed her designs or think much about her other than her wedding dresses (admittedly gorgeous) or, now, mattresses.

But in the last week or so, two of my favorite bloggers wrote about her collection. Daddy Likey was not overly impressed and didn't mince words, but Style Spy found some pieces that she liked. So, because I think you can find something at any store, and because I needed to go to Target which is right next door, I thought I would pop in and check it out for myself.

First off, when I step into the store - I hate it. I hate the layout and it just seems really annoying. Even more than I think a TJ Maxx usually is. Which means that right off the bat I am not in the mood to shop.

I saw this skirt which they have tried to glam up in the ads, but the hem looks crap-Y. And I think it would balloon out at my knees in a very unappealing way.



The dress looks o-kay in the picture, but on me, not so much. And that belt would have gone straight in the trash.



Tried on this skirt and a black pencil skirt with a satin "car-wash" pleated edge. This skirt didn't do much for me at all, mostly because the pockets bulged out. The black skirt was okay but it didn't get me jazzed, so I put it back.



I did like this black chemise from the intimates/nightgown area. I thought it could have made for a cute dress with a long sweater and tights. But after trying on all of those other depressing pieces and the general overall store negativity I had going on, I decided it wasn't that great. I really do want a pretty slip/nightgown/chemise, but I'll wait and get a really nice quality piece.



The only thing I did like there was this skirt (not Vera Wang) for $20. It was actually kind of satin-y but I have about 15 black and white patterned skirts. I don't need another one. So that went back too.



All in all, I didn't see the entire collection but I was not impressed. Hopefully, you'll do better, especially if you are a Vera fan.

Jewels at the Emmy's

I'm not a bit celebrity hound or fashion tracker, but I took a quick flip through some of the Emmy pictures and it was great to see so much bright jewel colors. They made everyone look vibrant and happy.

I think Heidi Klum's dress was one of the best. It's a great color and it totally suits her shape. Plus, I love that she paired this burgundy with dark purple shoes.



America Ferrera can tell Glamour to go stuff it. She looks great is this bold color. No retouching needed.



Helen Mirren is gorgeous, as always, in a regal purple (I know, bad pun). By the way, what's up with Sandra Oh? I think she has lost a ton of weight. I hope she doesn't go too far. She's looked so healthy and strong in the past.



Kristen Bell, I don't know who you are but I love your dress and its color. This reminds me of the vintage yellow dress Renee Z. wore a few years ago. It's drapey but she's obviously thin enough to make pull it off.



Mary-Louise Parker is very smoldery in a tight red (my favorite color for evening wear) satin dress. I hope she is comfortable enough to sit down though! Ilike her bag too.



Minnie Driver is another personal favorite and she looks surprisingly good in yellow. It's not a color I can wear and I'm surprised that she looks so good in it. At least in this photo. Andshe has a great cuff bracelet to toughen it up.



I'm sure there are the fashion commentators who would say that the red carpet has been boring and too safe, but I don't think there is anything wrong with looking pretty and making good choices. I can't pull any inspiration for dresses for me, but I hope some of the color works its way into the market.