I typically spend Wednesday nights at home, however, this week I attended Lucky Brand's New Movement in Denim fall campaign event at Eveleigh in West Hollywood benefitting the Art of Elysium. A little background info - the Art of Elysium is a non-profit organization that encourages working actors, artists, and musicians to voluntarily dedicate their time and talent to children who are battling serious medical conditions. Admittedly, it was a tiny bit surreal walking into the cozy French country style restaurant, spotting a light fixture over the bar made of animal skulls, sampling some tuna tartare, and being steps away from a denim-clad Tim Gunn, whose book I just finished reading. Highlights of the evening (which was hosted by Tim Gunn), included an amazing performance by electric violinist Caitlin Moe, a sighting of The Veronicas (who are pictured above and both appeared to be wearing JC Litas), and some of my favorite songs spun DJ Mia Moretti. (She's my new favorite DJ, and not only is she skillful, but she's gorgeous and reminds me of Portia de Rossi.) On our way out, I posed on the step and repeat just for fun, since many of the photographers had left the area. Unfortunately, I wasn't wearing Lucky Brand, but I'll be heading to one of their stores very soon to check out their fall denim and seek out the perfect pair of flared jeans.
Wearing: lace fringe kimono top from Lulu's, Forever 21 dress, Zara handbag, and T-strap heels from GoJane (similar style here).
Last night I had the pleasure of visiting the Warner Bros. set of the CW's new show Hart of Dixie, which stars Rachel Bilson and Jaime King. On the show, Rachel's character, Zoe Hart, is an aspiring cardio-thoracic surgeon from NYC who moves to BlueBell, Alabama, to perfect her bedside manner as a general physician. Jaime King plays the part of Lemon Breeland, a BlueBell local with demure and dainty style. In stark contrast, Zoe's style is polished, chic, and urban with a touch of glamour. (Think Chanel and Tory Burch mixed with Low Luv and Rag & Bone.)
As we walked onto the set, we encountered a charmingly rustic diner named the Rammer Jammer. Along with other fashion bloggers including Aimee, Nicole, Melanie, and Rebecca, I got an intimate behind-the-scenes peek at the wardrobe used on the show.
During the Q&A with Rachel Bilson and the show's costume designer Meredith Markworth-Pollack, we learned that many of Jaime King's wardrobe pieces are vintage and locally sourced. Rachel revealed that (like me,) she loves fall because it allows her to dress in chunky sweaters and layers. She forever endeared herself to me when she inquired of a blogger if her sweater was Missoni for Target (which it was), to which Rachel replied that she'd wanted the luggage. I admitted that I bought the small luggage, but later returned it when I read the lead warning label. During the Q&A we also learned that Rachel enjoys shopping at net-a-porter, and her character's fish-out-of-water style will play prominently in the show. Rachel also admitted that her personal style is more casual than her character's. After the Q&A I was amazed to learn that Meredith is from the town where I live (it's a small world), and we shared stories about our local secondhand stores and favorite sources of vintage clothing.
While browsing the racks of clothing for Zoe's character, I spied a shimmery Marc Jacobs sweater, a sleek Hervé Léger dress, a chic By Malene Birger jacket, Alexander Wang boots, and some leopard Jimmy Choos that would easily be at home in my closet if not for the price points. Unlike Zoe, Jaime King's character, Lemon, is a quintessential southern belle; she wear dainty prints, pastels, and ultra feminine 1950s-style dresses like the ones found at Nordstrom and modcloth. Although my personal style is more akin to Zoe's, I was repeatedly drawn to the ladylike vintage frocks, frame bags, and pretty blouses (in the four photos immediately above) worn by Jaime's character Lemon.
I owe a big thank you to all the kind and friendly folks at Warner Bros. for putting together this event and giving us bloggers a chance to go behind the scenes, chat with Rachel and Meredith, and learn about the wardrobe of Hart of Dixie. The show airs on Monday night after Gossip Girl (9pm ET/PT), and after watching the pilot, I can't wait to see the next episode. Think plot twists, compelling characters, gorgeous cinematography, interesting fashion, and love triangles.
Unlike many people who may not care about Target's capsule collections, I'm a loyal shopper at Target and have been for decades, and I appreciate most of their clothing collaborations. Naturally, I shopped the Missoni for Target collection both as a fan of Missoni's signature knitwear and Target's wallet-friendly prices. I admire Target's savvy marketing techniques with Missoni for Target, particularly with their well-timed pop-up shops and oversized doll Marina and its Tumblr and Twitter accounts.
September 17, 2019 update - If you are in search of the Women's colore zig zag cardigan in size small or the Women's blue floral chiffon pullover in size small, I have them. Please e-mail me at info at thekeytochic dot com or DM me on social @thekeytochic to purchase.
Based upon the frenzy at the NYC pop-up shop last week and the wide variety of products in the collection, I knew this collaboration would be the biggest to date. When I woke up on Tuesday morning, it came as no surprise that Target's website was down. (I liked the site much better when it was affiliated with Amazon, as I could view the lookbook and price points in their press room section.) My plan was already in place the night before. I'd go to the Target stores in my area bright and early to seek out the items on my wish list. Fortunately, my schedule allowed for that.
Predictably, there were about 20 young women camped outside of the doors as of 7:45am. One was wearing a Missoni sweater. Others were in sweatpants and Uggs. They each had their shopping carts ready to go. One woman in the very front rubbed her belly and jokingly remarked, "please don't push me, I'm pregnant!" Another woman chided, "please be nice, everyone!" I felt as though we were about to start a marathon. I hoped that they would all be polite, with no grabbing, pushing, bartering, or aggressive behavior, but in reality, these collections can bring out the worst in people. More on that later.
The anticipation was palpable, and people chatted about their must-have items. I was the only shopper without a cart because a) I didn't plan on buying that much, b) I have a lifelong dislike for pushing carts, and c) I didn't want to have anything bulky in my way while breezing throughout the store, since I like to walk fast and maneuver easily in the aisles. So I grabbed a carry basket and watched as a poor Target employee unlocked the doors and narrowly avoided getting plowed down by a sea of Ugg boots, sweatpants, and early morning ponytails. As we flooded in, I headed straight for the Women's apparel and accessories. Most of the departments were cleared within 5-10 minutes, leaving the end cap displays left with nothing but promotional signage. There wasn't time to think; it was necessary to take what you wanted off the rack or else someone else would. Good thing I'd studied the lookbook and knew exactly which pieces I wanted.
If I had gone to bedding first, I may have gotten the throw I wanted for my new sectional, however, I wouldn't have snagged the two sweaters and floppy hat on my wish list. (For those who are wondering, the quality is nicer than previous capsule collections, the fabrics are soft, and fit is true to Target's sizing. Clothing prices were a bit higher, though.) Being a clothes horse, the apparel and accessories were higher priorities for me than the home goods and beauty items. I also wanted the bike, but thought it would only be available online, which was hopeless due to the unavailablity of Target's overly popular website that day.
Understandably, there's an abundance of animosity towards Target for being unprepared, and for eBay re-sellers who buy multiples in bulk to sell at inflated prices. I witnessed this with both Liberty of London for Target and Lanvin for H&M, but it was much more prevalent on Tuesday morning. Women were bartering in the aisles, chatting with each other, and grabbing whole racks and shelves of merchandise for their carts. Although I can sometimes relate to eBay sellers, I felt like the only one actually buying things for myself.
To my pleasant surprise, I spotted a Missoni bike on the shelf. I was so shocked to see it in the store that I did not hesitate, and as soon as I walked down the aisle with it and began to test ride it, I was accosted by no less than 15 women, some of whom swooned over it and encouraged me to buy it, and others who attempted to manipulate me out of buying it so that they could make the coveted purchase themselves. One woman confessed that like me, she rides a road bike, and she bought a cruiser only to ride it once. Well that's not me. I grew up riding cruisers, and can appreciate the comfort. In reality, they were quite mistaken about the appropriateness of my potential purchase, since they don't know that I ride a bike an average of 4 days per week (or about 40 miles per week), and would likely get more use out of it than any of them. Two women actually asked me to let them know if I wasn't going to buy it, and ironically, one kept telling me, "...not to pressure you or anything, but let me know if you don't get it." Upon leaving the store, I observed that the only Missoni products left were the headband, lingerie, and a few pieces of girl's clothing.
With Versace for H&M on the horizon, it's easy to suspect that designer capsule collections will continue to have this type of sell-out success. They'll also polarize shoppers into several camps: those that don't care, those that care and want it for themselves, and those that want to profit from them. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my tweet that Missoni for Target is the epitome of classic economics: low prices + low supply + high demand & publicity = lots of high eBay prices and unhappy consumers. In terms of profits, it's a dream come true for Target, but hopefully, they'll learn something from this and be better prepared next time.
This post contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if purchases are made by clicking links.
I attended the Fashion's Night Out festivities at Westfield Topanga earlier tonight, where highlights of the night included: watching a very pregnant Tori Spelling sparkle on the stage with her silver sequin jacket, nibbling on sweets and ogling bohemian dresses at the Free People boutique, photographing the models throughout the mall (see the last photo as an example), admiring the store windows at Zara (click to see the photos on my other blog), enjoying a musical and dance performance, getting a 40% discount card at Steve Madden, watching a fall fashion show, and treating myself to a new pair of shoes (which will be featured on the blog at a later time). After all, besides all the celebrity and blogger appearances, fashion shows, music, and promotions, shopping is what Fashion's Night Out is all about.
With limited enthusiasm, I browsed the Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse collection at Macy's on Thursday night. My Macy's store had a very limited selection, as they did with the Matthew Williamson collection. After skipping over the faux leather high-waisted shorts, faux crocodile vest, and $49 tops emblazoned with the likeness of the Kaiser himself, I got to the good stuff: pretty tea dresses in pink hues and floral prints, signature black dresses, and super feminine blouses. In the interest of time, I only tried on three dresses, two of which are pictured. (The third one was an itchy tweed one which was not flattering at all due to its boxy shape.) Sizing seemed to run large in this collection, as I tried on size 2 and small. (I'm hardly ever a size 2.) My favorite piece was the tea dress in Justblush, although the sleeves kept falling off my shoulders, and the length was a bit long for my taste. I thought the fine net trim along the neckline and sleeves was an interesting touch. The black dress had shiny embellished buttons down the front, and I found the collar impossible to button so high on the neck. Although prices are a bit high for what I'd normally pay for a dress, the fabrics were decent, and the two dresses I tried had nice linings, quality trims, good tailoring with sashes around the waist, and flattering/feminine skirt shapes. Has anyone else shopped the collection, and if so, what did you think?
