H&M x Times Square Opening with Lady Gaga

H&M is coming to Times Square with a bang this coming Thursday, November 14th at midnight with none other than Lady Gaga herself. The fashion icon/ pop superstar will be on hand at a special ribbon cutting and lighting of the H&M logo on the top of 4 Times Square.

Since Lady Gaga will be the one to kick off the opening, H&M will be selling her new album, ARTPOP,  at H&M Times Square and over 175 stores nationwide for an exclusive price of $9.95 while supplies last.

The Times Square location has about 42,000 square feet of space and will offer collections for women, men and children with a separate “shop-in-shop” area for accessories.  Guests at the store can get interactive with a digital runway that projects images of guests walking a virtual catwalk onto screens outside the store. Inside the store, you'll find LED screens, a charging station equipped with iPads, interactive mannequins and much more.

“This is truly a milestone moment for H&M, to have a footprint at the crossroads of the world and own a piece of the NYC skyline with our brand illuminated on top of this impressive building,” says Daniel Kulle, U.S. President for H&M. “With over 7,000 square feet of LED screens, and a 53 foot glitter wall in this ground breaking location, we knew we had to partner with a star who shines as bright as the store.”

To celebrate opening day, H&M Times Square will be open for a full 24 hours with a digital countdown announcing hourly offers for the whole family! The first 1000 shoppers in line will receive an Access to Fashion Pass, valued from $10 to $1000, and lots of fun giveaways! Twenty lucky winners will receive a golden ticket granting them a “meet and greet” with Lady Gaga and early access into the store to shop.

Also, important to note, the opening day coincides with the launch of the much anticipated Isabel Marant collection.  As a special treat, this will be the first store worldwide to debut the Isabel Marant for H&M collection to the public. Are you going to be getting in line?

H&M Times Square, 4 Times Square,  212.221.1709.  9am-1am, daily.

New Target Collaboration x Peter Pilotti

Hot on the heels of Target's uber successful launch with Phillip Lim the retailer is making fashion set buzz with excitement by announcing the latest partnership in works for Spring 2014. The retailer is pleased to tap Peter Pilotti, the London-based designers to create the upcoming capsule collection.

The Peter Pilotto collection is actually designed by two designers, Peter Pilotto and Christopher De Vos, who met while studying at Antwerp’s prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium. Based out of London the duo is best known for their innovative, complex and colorful prints, the designers explore and question conventional notions of prints, textiles, sculptural shapes and draping.
The collaboration will hit Target stores and Target.com on February 9, 2014. Expect women’s apparel, accessories and swimwear, with most items less than $60.

Now if the collaborations didn't already reach a fever pitch, Target is taking this collaboration global by partnering with NET-A-PORTER.COM, the world’s premier online luxury retailer, to reach an international audience.

“By working with Target, we’re able to broaden our reach and bring our design aesthetic to an entirely new audience,” said Peter Pilotto. “This is a pivotal moment for our brand. Our collection for Target embodies the elegance and spirit of our own line, but makes it accessible to everyone,” added Christopher De Vos.

The collaboration for Target naturally will feature the designers unique hyper-real digital prints in striking blues and greens and warm reds and oranges. The assortment features almost 70 pieces that will retail for $14.99-$79.99 for apparel and swimwear and $16.99-$39.99 for accessories. Look out for chic dresses, flattering skirts and sexy mix-&-match swimwear.

The PILOTTO designers already have several honors under their belt including 2009 Best Emerging Talent Award, the Women’s Swarovski Award for New Potential High-Level Garments at the British Fashion Awards, 2011 Fashion Forward Award by the British Fashion Council. It is no surprise that celebrities like Kristen Stewart, Miranda Kerr, Kate Bosworth, Kerry Washington, Sienna Miller and Emma Watson are already big fans. Check out video for a peek of what to expect from the prints. Are you excited yet?

What's Left: Target x Phillip Lim in Brooklyn

So you would think that after being lucky enough to attend the Phillip Lim x Target launch party I would've found enough goodies to satisfy my fashion thirst. Afterall I found myself with the mini Pashli and the Boom sweater dress. Unfortunately that wasn't enough because even at the preview event the merchandise moved fast and I found myself stalking Twitter and Target.com like a maniac last night. The first pieces launched just shortly before midnight and slowly as the hours unfolded people were finding one piece at a time available for purchase all while the @TargetStyle Twitter feed claimed that the wait was still on. No wonder by the time it officially went live at 4:17am so many of the pieces were sold out.

Thanks to my stalking I was able to snag the trench coat shortly after midnight but while I was waiting for a few more pieces, lost the lingerie/sleepwear that was in my cart at about 1:47am. This is a good 2 hours plus before the official launch. Feeling a bit of despair at my losses, I decided to forgo the leopard sweater and bleary eyed I headed to bed. By 8:07 am this morning, there was not much left but I sagged the online only leopard travel bag and the camo print men's backpack.

I decided like a true devotee/fashion slave to hit up not one but two of my local Targets after the frenzy of the early am to see what was left in store.

While Atlantic Avenue was pretty wiped clean it was interesting to see what remained. Guess the navy dress with sequins wasn't that popular or maybe it was the $79.99 price point that kept people at bay but it was available in a multitude of sizes. The crepe dress with embellished neck line also was pretty plentiful in both Blue and Black. Other than that a couple pairs of sweat pants and a few tee shirts with and without embellishment, a few of the sweater dress in grey, the black and white color block shirt dress, cascade ruffle blouses and beaded tuxudo blouses were all that remain. Sizes tend to mostly be available in XL and Large, although there were some Small, Medium and XS to be found

After refueling with a quick bite, the Target in Brooklyn Junction was my next stop.

I was surprised to see that this Target didn't fare much better and was almost as equally wiped out by 2pm. There was more menswear on hand at this location. However they did have some different selection of merchandise than the Atlantic Terminal Target although some repetition of some of the more seemingly unpopular items. The embellished neck was also available here in blue and black but not as plentiful. The embellished tee in grey heather and the ruffle front sleeveless blouse was also available here. There were a lot more XS and Small sizes left at this location.

Unlike the Atlantic terminal, I spotted several menswear pieces here including a lone pair of tuxedo pants, several color block pique tees, marled knit cardigans and 3 or 4 trenches in sizes Small to Large

What this location had that the other Target didn't was the embellished neck peplum blouses and one lonely floral print peplum blouse. The sizes were mixed but what was leftover at this location tended to run smaller. A woman wistfully offered me up a color block black/white dress which she thought was too adorable for words saying it should fit me.

I spotted a couple girls with baskets full of the last hint of leopard I could see at the store and several other items as they made their final decisions as to what to keep or return. It looked like they were keeping most of the scores.

One thing I noticed while I was at check out, without any Phillip Lim sleepwear, was a sign asking that guests limit themselves to 2 of the same item. This looks very similar to H&M's designer collaboration policies. Probably an attempt to stave off any e-bay resellers and hoarders from taking over but judging by what was leftover, I am guessing those attempts were in vain. Staffers report that neither Target is likely to re-stock but you may want to pop by after a few days or so when the returns start to flood in.

Stylescape: Phillip Lim x Target Launch Party

Last week, Jeff and I had were lucky to be amongst the attendees at the Target x Phillip Lim launch party. The attendees were many and although we arrived 30 minutes ahead of doors opening, by the time we made it inside, shelves were being wiped clean. If the ferocious appetites of the fashion set for this collection is any indication, Target hit it out of the ball park with this collaboration.

I quickly made my way through the crowd grabbing what I could find forgoing drinks and temporarily overlooking the interactive screen that featured style setters from many cities including our own DJ Lani Love for Chicago. After I found the mini trapeze bag that resembled the Pashli in yellow, the leopard print flounce skirt, the floral print shirt dress and the boom scarf and sweater dress I took a moment to take in the scene. Fashionistas had struck and while I did better than most, I missed out on the leopard print sweater and the innerwear/ sleep wear that looked ever so adorable draped in the arms of others in line.

Apparently celebs like Solange Knowles and Jessica Alba were in attendance as well as Phillip Lim himself. I never saw much of any of them since the shopping event soon broke out in frenzy and I overheard some of the fashion set complain that Alba wasn't on the list but not likely to be turned away.

What I was most impressed with was the relative quality of so many of the pieces for a collaboration. Most of the pieces look impressively good and not like a Target collaboration but more like Lim's signature line itself.

The mini version of the Pashli bag has a dull pebbled leather appearance that doesn't look too plastic-y. It is a little stiff but nothing that affects it's performance. The front closure on the pocket looks like it locks closed but is actually a magnet. Some of the hardware had minor scratches which I am guessing were made long before the pieces hit shelves. The hardware was a nice brushed brass finish that doesn't look cheap. In some of the larger styles of bags I noticed the pockets got a bit skewed during application and didn't look great.

The Boom Scarf I picked up is printed poly chiffon. It is pretty smooth and even doesn't have a shiny quality to it. Probably as nice as poly can get but at the end of the day still poly.

The leopard print skirt has a nice vibrant tone and shiny satin elastic waistband. The fabric is a poly twill has good body and a nice matte appearance. There is just the right amount of flounce without being skimpy.

The printed shirtdress was one of the winners I picked up. The colors were beautiful and the fabric a nice stretch cotton/nylon. The fabric has a bit of a lustrous quality to it that I am hoping will last with washing.. The fit was very flattering on my boyish figure as well since the skirt doesn't cling too much.

There was a tuxedo shift that I didn't pick up that looked pretty awesome with it's matte black crepe and white satin lapels that were nice and clean looking. It was beautiful and looked pretty luxe but it wasn't quite my style.

Finally the Boom sweater dress. This one doesn't come off as quite as nice as the other pieces. Up close the sweater does not feel amazing and I didn't love the poly  flounce on the skirt. I may remove this because unless I was about 7-8" taller the proportions felt wrong on my 5'3" frame. 

However this piece is quite eye catching and a lot of fun. I may exchange it for the sweat shirt version that I was hoping to get my hands on.

I can't wait for the rest of the collection to hit stores this September 15th (which happens to be my birthday), can you?

Thorny Rose Wines Launch at Hotel Chantelle

Last week I had the fortune of being invited to the Thorny Rose launch party where we got to sip and celebrate the new varietals - Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Blend from Washington's Columbia Valley, and Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.  It was the perfect night to head to the amazing rooftop at Hotel Chantelle in the Lower East Side.

DJ Mia Moretti was spinning the soundtrack for the evening but Caitlin Moe also rocked her violin.  Later on in the evening we got treated to a mini concert thanks to Caroline Polachek and Patrick Wimberly of Brooklyn-based syntho-pop duo Chairlift.  I also spotted a few other bloggers in the house including Kelly Framel of The Glamorai and Sara Zucker of Farpitz.

Guest had the chance to play Jenga, make custom charm bracelets, print Instagrams, custom screen print tees while noshing on sirloin and caramelized onion empanadas, lamb meatball sliders and custom bacon wrapped figs all while sipping Thorny Rose Wines.  If there wasn't enough awesome events taking place on their rooftop, there was a live artist on stilts creating a colorful chalk mural as the night progressed in the background.

While I'm not a wine connoisseur of any means I made sure I tasted each of the four varietals and here are my thoughts:

Chardonnay Columbia Valley (2010) - a well balanced fruity white that is not too sweet.  Hints of apple, pear and citrus keep it light.

Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley (2009) - A very smooth wine that goes down easy, my preferred of the 2 reds.  Notes of blackberry, chocolate and cherry.

Red Blend Columbia Valley (2009) - A very warm tasting wine with full flavor - black cherry, raspberry and blackberry meet subtle notes of vanilla and surprising finish of graham cracker.

Sauvignon Blanc New Zealand (2011) - My new summer favorite.  It is a very bright, crisp and refreshing combination of passionfruit and citrus.


The wines are moderately priced at $10.99 for a 750 mL screw top bottle and will be available at local wine and food stores nationwide beginning September 2012.  In NYC they will be carried at Dawn Liquors, Madison Avenue Wines, Wine Heaven, Tenth Avenue Wine & Liquors.

Sorrelli x Pinkberry Launch in Park Slope

On Sunday lovely ladies gathered together at Brooklyn's first Pinkberry location in Park Slope to celebrate the launch of Sorrelli's Pinkberry jewelry line that was inspired by the colors of the icy cold frozen yogurt and vibrant toppings.  Pinkberry is an innovative Frozen Yogurt retailer that first launched in West Hollywood, California in 2005 and have since taken the world by storm with over 190 locations worldwide.

You might ask what does frozen yogurt have to with jewelry?  The concept behind the collection that is sweet enough to eat was to be refreshing, luminous, high quality and above all original.  Since sparkle was important to the collection, Swarovski Elements faceted crystals are paired perfectly with signature Sorrelli style.  The finished result is bold, vibrant and beautiful.

Even better? 10% off the proceeds from the collection are donated to the American Breast Cancer Society's Brooklyn Chapter to support women from the local neighborhood.

The day was sweltering and it was nice to cool down with adorable ladies all decked out in their best Pinkberry inspired garb. As for myself I lost track of the day and left the house wearing a floaty Alexander Wang top and striped seersucker shorts but by sheer chance had bejeweled myself with a Sorrelli ring and necklace in addition to other jewelry from my wardrobe. But as soon as I was given the opportunity I added to my sparkle with the brightly colored Sorrelli x Pinkberry cocktail ring and star necklace that reminds me of Jem & the Holograms. So my pink carpet walk (yes you heard me correctly!) ended up being Pinkberry inspired afterall. It was a great time seeing some blogger friends I hadn't seen in a while and hanging out with the lovely and sweet Sorrelli crew. 

We also got a chance to style our own Pinkberry treats inspired by the jewelry collaboration. I went for the classic pinkberry style arrangement with a Raspberry on top, not unlike my sparkling new cocktail ring. I used kiwi, mango and strawberries on a strawberry swirl yogurt that corresponded with all the gem stone shades and competed for best styled Pinkberry for a chance to win a giftcard. Since I saw ladies hand placing almonds on their creations I thought I wouldn't have a chance and was stunned when my cocktail ring inspired styling took the win. Regardless I had a great time staying cool on a sweltering day.  Thanks Pinkberry and Sorrelli for making my day.

PS. If you live in Brooklyn and want to have the chance to style your own Pinkberry tonight is the Grand Opening and they will be swirling free small cups from 6pm-10pm.

Pinkberry, 161 7th Avenue (at Garfield Pl.) Brooklyn, NY 11215