Southern Protocol

And another designer joins the Target fun! Urban chic designer Zac Posen’s line for Target drops on April 25th, and the hype in NYC is already insane. Parties and pop up shop launches galore – the rest of us just have to wait another week and a half!

I love that all these designers have realized they can create lines like this without compromising their design aesthetic; lots of people love Zac, Gaultier and Rodarte but can’t necessarily afford the real thing! While I appreciate their effort and savvy business sense, the lines are cheaper, and sometimes it shows. I say this because, like most of the designers before him, I like a great portion of the Posen for Target lookbook…but sometimes when the lines actually debut the quality is a little lackluster. I generally love at least a few of the pieces in person, but most are disappointing.

But who knows! Perhaps Posen will turn that sad song around. His styling is usually a bit too hard for me, but I can tell there are some great potential separates in there. LOVE the colors! Check out the entire lookbook here, courtesy of NBC New York.

(Something else: I read earlier today that 19-year-old Emma Roberts, who does act but is known mainly as being Julia Roberts’ niece, was slamming all the designers that do collections for Target, saying they’re super “cheesy.” Also that she wants to create her own collection one day – but never something for Target; instead something like The Row or Elizabeth and James by the Olsen Twins. Newsflash, sweetheart: the Olsen Twins also just launched Oslenboye, a low priced line for JC Penny. Get some business sense and a bit more courtesy before you start burning bridges!)

Today’s chilly breezes aside, the weather seems as though it’s finally trying to warm up. Although the temps are rising, it’s still not quite warm enough to venture into the great outdoors without jackets and brisk weather accessories. A cost-effective way to look cute and put together in that tricky temperature? Scarves!

Now I’m not talking pashminas, although those are great for when you really need to bundle up. I’m talking lightweight, beautifully colored or patterned, shorter scarves. They immediately add something fun while simultaneously giving you a bit of warmth around your neck. It can truly transform an entire go-to outfit into something fresh and updated. Try a pair of skinny jeans, ballet flats, a fitted tee, cardigan and a scarf for a laidback errand-running look.

Nordstrom and Target have some fun ones right now in both neutral and bright colors – I love the floral and paisley patterns that are so popular for this season. And because these types of scarves are so thin, you can continue to wear them through spring!

(How to trendily drape your scarf: hold one end in each hand in front of you. Wrap each end loosely around the back of your neck, bringing each end back to the front on the opposite side. Casually tie the two ends together! Never have a scarf or pashmina wrapped so tightly around your neck that it looks like a choker necklace, or worse, that it’s actually choking you. Loose and free is the most attractive way!)

When big-time designers create lines for Target, it’s usually the clothing that gets all the attention and praise. But when it comes to print-crazy line Liberty of London, I’d rather forget I ever saw any of the hippie-inspired garments, and instead buy every single home accessory they’ve designed.

Please don’t laugh at our current obsession with home decor and housewares, because it’s only getting stronger! These Liberty of London pieces are fun, bright and exactly what you need to brighten up your home. The same way we get restless with our wardrobes and buy accessories to spiff things up, when you get restless with your home it’s much more cost effective to buy, say, this adorable tea pot to display as opposed to a new couch.

The line includes everything from coffee mugs to stationary to ceramic canisters to planters…endless possibilities! And there’s even a bike! The line hits stores March 14th – let the countdown begin!

Finally! Glamorous celebrities – who do have the money for off-the-runway Galliano – are showing they, too, like finding a good steal on fashionable clothing. Breathtakingly beautiful Natalie Portman (seriously I saw her in person in LA last spring – the most gorgeous woman ever) was recently photographed at the ninth annual The New York Times Arts & Leisure Weekend wearing the mustard-yellow slip and tulle dress from the Rodarte for Target line. She paired it with a casual chic cardigan-blazer and belt (style note: great way to tone down the bold color of the dress. See? Color isn’t so scary!).

I love that she stepped out in this dress, making a public statement that it truly does not matter how much your outfit costs – just how it looks on! So for all you snob label shoppers out there, take note. No one cares how much you charged on your AmEx for your outfit, and no one will remember when you tell them; but they WILL remember if you looked a hot mess. Embrace your inner-bargainista! Hello, Target and TJ Maxx!

And hey Natalie – we love Target, too! Shopping date this weekend?

I tell you what – Target is seriously bringing in the big guns! Their continued success with all their designers doing lower priced lines keeps luring new, even more impressive lines into the store. The newest catch? Zac Posen, who will design a collection for the retailer to be available April 25 – May 30 of next year.

This just cements my love for Target even more! Can’t wait until some previews are released at the beginning of next year…Zac Posen’s generally tailored and 40s style aesthetic is right up my alley!

Now Black Friday is just THREE days away! I personally have never been all about getting up at crazy it’s-dark-outside hours just to score a little deal, but for those of you who can only get that holiday spirit at 4:00 am hurdling over people to get to the sales, you should probably make Target one of your first stops.

The first 500 guests at every single Target location Friday morning will receive a complimentary limited-edition reusable shopping bag designed by Target designer Marcel Wanders. Marcel is apparently quite the international design celebrity that Target was glad to snatch up as a partner in design. From what I can gather via Wikipedia – the ever-reliable journalistic source (ha, ha) – Mr. Wanders apparently started out in the architectural and interior design fields, only to gradually move into consumer home products, and finally apparel. His designs are quite modern, and I do in fact like them.

Which is why I like this bag, in all of its abstract floral glory – but perhaps not enough to get up and sprint to Target at 5:00 am Friday morning…let us know how it goes!

PS: Reusable bags like these are actually the best thing ever! Not only do you technically score some “green” points, but make trips to the grocery store followed by trips up stairs to an apartment fantastically convenient. Grab one at any grocery store (or honestly most retail stores these days) if you’ll be snuggled up in bed like us on Friday.

Target is really stepping up its designer game! I feel like for awhile their GO International feature/program fell to the wayside; but they are quickly following the super-advertised Anna Sui Gossip Girl line with a line by one of my romantic favorites, Rodarte.

Rodarte – created by two Pasadena sisters in 2005 – was an immediate upscale success. The sisters’ eye for intricate couture-esque detail and feminine silhouettes have earned them numerous awards in the past four years. It’s another great choice by Target – the label is youthful, new and catching the eye of big timers in the fashion world.

The pairing was announced at the beginning of August, but it was just at the end of last week that a little snippet of some of the looks were released. And I have to say, I’m not quite sure what to think!! It’s way more ’80s than their previous runway lines (by “80s” I mean high waist lace tights, poufed out tulle skirts and faded denim jackets…); I’m wondering if that was their way of bringing it “down” a bit? My decade of choice is definitely not the shoulder-pad era, so I’m anxious to see the rest of the collection. Rumor has it that it’s more of the trendy feminine than edgy rocker.

There are a few pieces they released that I think could work when worn with other, nicer pieces. There’s a fun wispy-thin mustard yellow cardigan that could be a great twist on a conservative staple; a black halter dress with cutesy bows at the neck; and some basic 3/4 sleeve striped tees. 

There will be 55 pieces with prices ranging from $9.99 to $79.99. It’s expected to be in stores by December 20th – let the countdown begin!

It’s the show that sparked an explosion of boyfriend blazers, crazy headbands, ruffles, and above everything else, a revolution in trendy fashion. When Gossip Girl stylist Eric Daman began shopping Bergdorfs and Forever 21 for the hit show, he had no idea the influence his choices would have – yet here we are, about to embark on season three of CW’s guilty pleasure, tuning in just as much for the fashion inspiration as we are for the saucy content.

So it should come as no surprise then, that numerous designers have capitalized on the trend; the most recent being Anna Sui, who is set to launch her Gossip Girl-inspired line at Target this Monday, September the 14th – the date of the season premiere. Perf timing! I’m sure you all have seen the cheesy ads in the fall magazines.

While the clothes are not yet in stores, “lookbooks” have been online for weeks – the styles are categorized between the show’s main female characters: Blair, Serena, Jenny and Vanessa. I have to say I am way less than thrilled with almost all of it! Hardly any of the outfits represent the characters accurately; only the Blair looks are spot on…maybe she’s just the most consistent in her style. Where are the decolletage dresses for Serena? She’s strayed far from that messy bohemian look that Sui chose as her inspiration. And words cannot describe how absolutely hideous Jenny and Vanessa’s looks are – I’m sorry, I know Jenny was an complete fashion nightmare last season, but when did she ever dress like a pirate? Does Vanessa’s urban outsider persona confine her color pallet and vintage throwback pieces to ’70s orange and brown?

Love, however, almost all of Blair’s looks. With many-a-wary eyebrow raises from friends, I think I’ll just have to at least try on this one! And I guarantee that the sexy-yet-demure black tunic and geometric blue dress are gone within two hours.

XOXO!