Touché, Targét

Typically I am beating down the doors at my local Target the Sunday morning that the newest Go International collection launches. However, with the newest collection by Jovovich-Hawk, I slowly strolled in around mid-afternoon just out of pure curiosity.

I was just as disappointed in person as I had been when I first glimpsed their images online. Hippie, slouchy and very beachy-surfer-thismustbewhattheywearinCalifornia-ish.

Perhaps that it's just not my style, or maybe the fact that not a single piece on the rack was in season or "in" this year, or maybe it was just that everything looked like a thrift store find that Mischa Barton would have donned and looked awkward and frumpy in; regardless of the reason the collection was overwhelmingly disappointing.

When I returned home I scoured the Internet, trying to find some tid-bit of information about the next incoming designer collection, so that at the very least I had something to look forward to.

And while I found countless websites raving about Gryson's bag line that was on
its way, or the jewelery by Subversive that was itching to explode off of their website and into the stores; I could not find a name for the next Go International label
that wasn't any more than a speculation.

And I quickly found (by my uber Sherlock-like detective skills) that that's because Target plans to launch their own Go International line, aptly titled the "GO International Private Label Collection 1". Not exactly catchy, but to the point.

And, I'm afraid and slightly excited to say, I think that Target may have blown all those big name designers out of the water. For their own personal "inspired by" line is fabulously impressive. No styles from five years ago, no out-dated prints, no giant culottes that give you an insta mom-jeans pooch!

This painterly patterned dress is very reminiscent of the Dolce & Gabbana dresses that sashayed down the runway this year. The black and white dress is fantastic; you could easily wear it as just a skirt with a bright sweater over it to break up the painterly look a bit, or even put a tie-neck satin shirt underneath for a modern secretarial look.

This black paper-bag high-waisted skirt is so flattering and surprisingly easy to pull off. Simply tuck in an attractive blouse or shirt and viola! They've paired it with a red ruffle neck tunic, which would easily translate to a dressy going out outfit with straight leg dark denim and heels.

Part space-age, part Disco, this shift dress can easily go from day to night with a few key accessory changes. In the picture, they've layered a bright yellow tank underneath the dress, which can help play up the playful nature of this outfit for daytime wear. Pair it with flat black studded gladiator sandals for the day, and with heeled or wedge gladiator sandals for night. (While I know other shoes will work as well, I want to wear gladiator sandals like it's my job, and this dress would work well with the style.)

Also, it has pockets. And who doesn't love pockets?

Another pocketed shift dress, but this time in a color-blocked pattern with two of the seasons biggest color trends; neon and metallic. As fabulous as it is on it's own as a dress, it could be easily worn as just a skirt or just a blouse. By draping a black tunic over the top, you can let the neon take center stage as the boldest part of the outfit, or cover the neon with a grey skirt for a classy monochromatic outfit. Besides the obvious patent leather black pump, be bold and wear a metallic or neon shoe to play up that part of the dress.

Also, pockets!

Another shift dress (I seriously, cannot wait for this collection to boost my work/going out wardrobe!), this one in a beautiful shade of blue. It also has the painterly pattern that is similar to the black & white dress, yet it's more muted because of it being only varying shades of blue.

Perfect with a statement necklace and opaque black tights and booties for those colder days. Toss the tights but keep the necklace and add a wedge heel in a patent leather brights when the weather warms up.

Also, I love that almost everything in this line has pockets!

From the runway to the red carpet, one-shoulder dresses have been everywhere this season. It's in a great shade of cobalt blue, and with the jersey knit it's guaranteed to drape beautifully. It appears to be incredibly figure flattering because of said drape, and since it doesn't hit too high on the leg, it can be a classy take on the typical going out dress.

No pockets it seems, but hey, can't win them all!

Vests were all over the runway this season; from Proenza Schouler's Militant-Safari double vest approach to YSL's boyish blazer-like vests and Vena Cava's sexy halter-neck vest, they were inescapable. This vest is multi-optional- button it up and belt it and then toss another vest on top to recreate the Proenza Schouler look, or throw a prep school blazer over it for that undone businessy look. Or, (depending on how low it's cut when buttoned+ the size of the chest of the wearer), wear it with nothing underneath for an unexpected sexy night look.

And while there are many more pieces that I could easily talk about, I want to end this post with this beautiful dress. Grecian inspired, it gives the one shoulder illusion while still having a slightly more modest cover-up underneath. Its soft draping and color pallet of peach and grey almost invokes a image of a ballet dancer. If you wear this dress, you will no doubt be pirouetting and twirling all night long.

A ballet slipper may seem like the obvious choice, but err more to the side of a heeled gladiator sandal in a neutral tone.

Aren't you glad-e-ator?

When the first Balenciaga knee-high gladiator sandal strutted down the runway I knew it was love.

When I saw the ankle version on Jennifer Connelly I knew I was ready to make a commitment.

When I saw the price... I felt that I was dumped by a thousand exes... or, better make that six thousand, nine hundred and forty-five exes.

While I sadly cannot afford to purchase the fabulous Balenciaga gladiator sandals and still afford to pay rent, I have found other amazing gladiator sandals that just might fill the void.

These amazing, camel leather gladiator sandals are from Nine West. While the brown version is timely for its safari inspired style, it is also available in black for that Balenciaga-esq feeling.

Calvin Klein's take on the gladiator sandal helps bring it to a new level of sophistication. Stylish and classic, it could easily be worn with an evening gown to bring a bit of edge; or pair it with shorts to completely showcase the shoe.

Typically, an ankle strap can shorten a woman's leg, but this high-wedge nude version by Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent is extremely leg-lengthening. Its thick silver buckles bring a bit of shine to the overall clean, stream-lined look. This also can pair well with the Safari look of this season. These would look best with a short skirt, dress or short; absolutely best to show some leg with this pair!

For those women who want to remain stylish, yet need to don a flat for their day-to-day activities, fear not, there are styles for you as well! Amazingly, these flat bronze gladiators are from Target, and will only set you back $24.99!

Another flat gladiator sandal, this strappy black number by Farylrobin is a bit pricier at $190, but is still considerably less expensive than the Balenciaga version. It has a tough Roman-esq feel, but could easily transition from day to night with the right outfit change. A worthy investment.

Suffering From Temperly Insanity

Like the dawning of a new day after a storm, Alice Temperly is providing me with a glimmer of hope that inexpensive lines by big name designers for large marketable chain stores do not need to be made of pure polyester. Behold, the Alice Temperly Go International line for Target!

I plan on being at my local Target when they open! While I normally try not to be awake at 8 am on a Sunday, I can make exceptions when dealing with shopping.

Here are my predictions/desires:


This dress is adorable, although I did think it was a belted coat at first... It's a good length, and perfect for the upcoming season... I will def. get this.

Hmm... the dress apparently comes in gray too... which make this all the more difficult in the end- gray is also a good fall/winter color.... and since black is the more common of a choice... I guess it will come down to how it looks on me. I don't particularly care for that belt. I think it looks too wide and appears to be squashing the already thin model, so I can't imagine how it would look on me. I do like the long sweater though- it looks very warm and cosy, but I'm left wondering how chunky of a knit it is... remember ladies, if a knit is chunky, just imagine what it makes you look like.
I adore the hat...it looks just slouchy and soft enough to be trendy, but not so french that people will assume I'm a mime. Although with the black and white striped shirt...it's v.v. mime-ish. I covet the jacket... I will make it mine. And the pants... well, in this picture they look like plain black pants, so it may not be worth the effort.
Okay, so I'm buying this jacket. I don't know if my bulging closet can handle all this, but yes, I will somehow make room for another jacket in my life. The ruffle detailing looks sweet, and the ecru color gives it an innocent touch, but the way the bottom of the jacket is curved up... gives it a slight naughty appeal.
Well, the fit of the pants are terrible. I'm having trouble telling if they're cropped or shoved into boots, but regardless, no. The color of the jacket is nice, but I think I'm over military jackets for a while... and I'd really love to see the blouse by itself- with the tie at the neck it looks like one of the DKNY secretary blouses.

I already know I will not be buying this. It will make me look preggers. And that is not a good look.
I think I like this coat... maybe...kinda... I can't tell. These icons need to be bigger! My eyes are getting bad, goddamnit.
The blue blouse looks sweet, and I like the unexpected color, instead of it just being white or black. The black mini... well, anyone can make a basic black mini.... but not just anyone can wear them. Curvy women such as myself, a mini should not grace our thighs.
I am not a fan of pants this length- specially for fall/winter. A cropped pant has no use to me in colder months; I will have to wear tights under it, and one should not have to don tights + pants just to stay warm. The vest is eh. The shirt looks adorable and Victorian, and resembles the gray dress in this line.
Adorable sweater! I love the stark black & white leaf designs on the body, and the striped sleeves. Very sweet, very french.

I'm unsure on how I feel about this dress... the pattern seems very detailed and graphic in this picture... but a halter dress in this time of year.... well, I suppose you could wear this to some semi-formal dance; for it seems to casual to wear to a fancier party, and the print isn't really a fall/winter print... But the color scheme is a variation on a classic... instead of just black & white, you have tiny pops of bright pink which wakes up the entire piece.
The dress is cute. Simple black dress- nothing too special. Kind of reminds me what one would wear during a dance recital. When they weren't the prima ballerina.
While the shirt looks sweet and Victorian, the overalls? Overalls just scream "hick" to me. Even though these overalls are shaped differently than ones you might wear while schucking corn, they're still overalls.
The dress looks sweet, and by the way she's standing you can see through her cap sleeve, so it obviously has a sort of sheer overlay; although it's hard to see in this picture.
The pants look very sailor-esq. This seems to be quite popular with Go International designers. The vest has a funky motif, which will help it stand out from other sweater vests. I may try to pick this up, as I'm getting into sweater vests for this season.

The sweater dress is v.v. French, but then again, it could also be because of the slouchy beret she's wearing as well. I like the crisp white diamonds that dot the scoop neckline. And a belted waist is very in right now, as long as you tie this at your true waist.
While I like the deep cobalt blue of the pants, I shall not be won over by any cropped pants. It's just not happening. The tie blouse is already one on my list of must-gets, and the black vest is a maybe.... I'll have to decide in person.
Overalls are just wrong. It doesn't matter if they're a skirt, jeans, cords, pants, wide leg, skinny leg, whatever! Just say no.
Well, it looks very basic... Black pants, black jacket, black tie blouse. Basic black. woo.
The tunic looks cute- almost as a knit jumper over the white button-down blouse. The fingerless gloves are in this season... although my fingers tend to get quite easily frozen, so I don't think I'll be jumping on that bandwagon.

Simply Vile

This Sunday was the opening day of the new Vera Wang line for Kohl's. As much as I am not a fan of Kohl's, I was compelled to rush over to see what "Simply Vera" goodies I could find. My mind was so drawn to the designer name, and assuming it was similar to the "Go International" line for Target, I felt that I would find a few fab pieces.


But as we all remember that little chestnut; to assume makes and ass out of u and me.



(On another note- All the sizes run HUGE. I went down one size to an 8 & a M, and everything swam on me. I needed a 6 & a S, which almost never happens.)



I first went over to where the accessories section. While Kohl's bags typically appear cheaply made, they normally have an inexpensive price tag to accompany it. The Vera bags had the cheap material, but not the price.
This clutch looks richer in the picture than in person. Up close, it's a shiny cheap mess. It's "faux patent leather". sad. And, it's $59.
Or, for ten bucks more, you can get an even cheaper looking "faux patent leather" frame bag. Its puffy handle, and cheap plastic closure make this purse look even cheaper than the clutch.

This dress... Would you really want to pay $128 for a long shapeless sack of polyester and spandex? It looks so cheap up close it made my skin crawl.
This dress is $138... Looks sweet and simple and unassuming online, but in the store it looks like a cheap nylon dress that someone hastily stitched little crystals on so that some woman would wander over going "oooo.... shiny..."
I tried this skirt on- it was horrifying. I felt that I had swaddled some brocade curtains around my legs, total Gone with the Wind style.... It was enormous, and fell at mid-calf, which is an eternally unflattering length for every woman. Not only was it too expensive at $98, I would have had to alter it myself or send it to a tailor to shorten it.
For $48 you get to swath yourself in more polyester! It comes complete with a polyester/spandex belt. Which honestly looks like you grabbed an elastic PJ pant lining and wrapped it around your waist. Not a good look.
So, at this point you can see the trend... Vera likes this faux-ruched bodice that is held together with a spandex tie. It's still polyester, just longer... and no better, at $88.

It's like the purple polyester shirt and the black and blue polyester dress had a baby! (Is it bad that I originally type "Polyester shit" instead of shirt... Freudian slip I guess.)
I tried this on... and I did contemplate buying it for a brief moment... it was one of the view items that was made of cotton. (No Polyester!!)... it looked okay when it was tucked into a skirt... loose and the skinniest woman would look preggers. But for $54 bucks... I asked myself, "If this wasn't Vera for Kohl's, and was just some random Kohl's brand, would I pay $54 for it." Oh, that's right. No.
This was the best item she created... at $48, a decent cardi price, it was the only thing that actually seemed worth it. But then I remembered, I can get virtually the same thing at Zara for twenty bucks.
I loved the color of this top- it's completely Violet from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (which is a good color, just not an overall good look- no one wants to resemble an overstuffed blueberry). Which sadly, you basically end up looking like, in this $58 polyester ruffled baggy nightmare.
More Polyester... its a shame, you know? Just because something is less expensive doesn't mean it has to be made out of polyester.... And just because it's sold at Kohl's doesn't mean it needs to look like only middle-aged housewives who wish they worked in a corporate environment would buy it.

Thou Shall Always Covet

Dear God,

Can you please send me this bag? I'd really appreciate it.

Or some money to buy it would work as well.

Thanks!

Love & Kisses,

Liz

Elevator To No Where...

On my late lunch break today I decided to head over to Saks to see the new shoe floor. Apparently giving shoes their own floor also warrants it's own zip code.... In an "only-in-New-York" kind of way, it also comes equipped with it's own Express Elevator, Private VIP Room, and a Chocolate Cafe...

So, I sauntered out of 30 Rock, danced across the street to the tune of horns blaring, fought my way through the entire perfume department, and found myself face-to-face with the elevator bank. Now, Saks has around 8 elevators, give or take, (I didn't count exactly), but I saw that there was an elevator that was destined to go to the Shoe Floor. How did I know this? There was an enormous purple sign above the elevator that said "EXPRESS ELEVATOR TO SHOE FLOOR," with an adorable scrolled shoe underneath the writing.

I watched as the elevator's doors opened and I quickly nipped inside before the doors shut. The elevator was quite crowded with close to eleven other people. I stood there for a moment before I realized that we weren't moving. I glanced over to the buttons and saw that no one had pressed the 8th floor (which was the shoe floor). So, I leaned over and pressed it and the elevator gave a lurch and started climbing.

"Oh," said snooty woman one behind me, "it's moving, it's not broken."

I watched as people on both sides of me started pushing other buttons for other floors... which of course, did not light up.

"This elevator only goes to the shoe floor." I stated

"What?! Why? How were we suppose to know that??" snooty woman two demanded.

"Well," I said gently as I pointed to the purple signs on all of the elevator's walls, "There are signs that say that this elevator only goes to the shoe floor."

There was a chorus of grumbling behind me, while a man frantically jabbed at the 5th floor button to no avail.

"It should have been better marked!" exclaimed snooty woman one.

I glanced over my shoulder, and with an eyebrow raised said, "There was a giant purple sign above this elevator that said 'EXPRESS ELEVATOR TO SHOE FLOOR' on it."

"Well, it should have been better marked!!" shrilled snooty woman one again.

The elevator doors opened, and fearing for my sanity, I exited the elevator hastily.

....not like I'm really upset about this, in fact, I find it quite funny that I am the smartest person in an elevator of twelve.

*On a different note, the floor is ostentatiously ornate; shoes lining tables of varied shapes to keep the eye moving, very fluid and sleek. As I was perusing what I cannot afford, a sales clerk came up to me and offered me a chocolate. I went with the pink champagne milk chocolate, as I know from past experiences that I hate the taste of violets... it wasn't worth the calories. I should had eaten the chocolate shoe.*

** On another different note; if anyone would like to buy me shoes from Saks I am taking donations. We thank you for your support.**

Pants Schmants?

Yay me! I made these pants in my sewing class at FIT and I wanted to share them with everyone!