Anna Sui is the next designer on deck for Target's lower price point collections, but this time there's a twist. As I understand it, starting with Sui's collection, each designer will have to pick a specific client in mind for their looks. Anna chose a subject--or rather, group of subjects--close to my heart: the Gossip Girl ladies. She came up with 4-5 looks for each of the four leading characters: Blair, Serena, Jenny, and Vanessa. While I liked the designs for "Vanessa," I felt they 1) didn't gel with the rest of the collection very well at all [they were all brown and orange!] and 2) didn't really embody Vanessa's Brooklyn/hipster vibe. I like a lot of the "Serena" looks, but again, not so 'Serena.' I think the "Jenny" looks definitely have the right vibe, they aren't my favorite things. I think the "Blair" collection is the most true to the character, but again, [in my opinion!] there are some things that I just don't see Blair wearing [although this dress to the left, so fab!] I'm hoping they're more impressive in person. The collections did get me excited, because for once I feel ahead of the game. For my Independent Study this past semester, I designed 3 collections using watercolors, and each one was very loosely based on a Gossip Girl character, combined with a touch of my 3 favorite musicals, and a bit of a location. Blair had elements of 1890's 'Spring Awakening'-esque feminine touches, and hints of Moscow. Serena encompassed the free spirit vibe of 'HAIR', and dashes of London. Jenny went a bit more alternative combining 'RENT' with a grungy bit of Seattle. The Blair and Serena collections were my favorite, but the Jenny collection I really let myself experiment with color combos and design elements. I've posted Anna's interpretation of the characters, along with mine...
