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Last night, a mélange of celebrities and fashion luminaries gathered at the Opening Ceremony outpost in the über-hip Ace Hotel in New York. The blowout was to celebrate the five-year anniversary of Target's Go International series and the much-anticipated re-launch of the top 34 dress styles from the collabs. The guest list ranged from the stunning Liv Tyler (sporting a pretty fabulous side-swept french braid) to comedians and Fashion Week neophytes Olivia Munn and Aziz Ansari to a bevy of Go International designers, including Richard Chai, Tracy Feith, Thakoon Panichgul and Anna Sui.
Now, we know that Target has been christened by us regular fashion types as the go-to purveyor of designer-collab lines (not to mention reasonably priced toiletries and home goods), so it was refreshing to find out that the bold names aren't too fancy-pants to shop at Target, too.
"I have a lot of pieces from some of their first collections," explained Michelle Trachtenberg, otherwise known as Gossip Girl troublemaker Georgina Sparks. "Libertine, Zac Posen and the Rodarte collection...I do have a ton of stuff and I'm looking forward to finding my new favorite pieces again tonight." Stars are just like us! But what about her Upper East Side dwelling alter-ego, Georgina?
"If I can talk about myself in third person for a moment: Michelle loves Target, Georgina doesn't know what Target is unless it's a bulls-eye on someone's back."
"Actually, I shop at Target a lot," Project Runway judge, editor extraordinaire and Go International style consultant Nina Garcia explained. "I buy for my kids, I buy for my husband, I buy for myself. I bought for myself when I was pregnant. I shop the collections. I shop for basics, I shop for t-shirts, for button downs for pants. This is Target: (pointing at her outfit) Mossimo (top) and Merona (pants)." We love that Nina was all on-brand for the evening and looking glam while she was at it. We thought her black jewel-embellished tank and black tapered trousers were Prada or something.
Now, we're trying to imagine the chic Nina Garcia on a toilet paper run at her local Target. What's her typical Target-run outfit? "I don't know if I want to say. But I'll wear sneakers, black pants — just black — and flat shoes."
So Target has worked with some of the hottest established and contemporary designers out there, who else would the fashion-expert love to see?
"So many! Nicholas Ghesquière, wouldn't that be great? Miuccia Prada. From New York, Alexander Wang would be amazing. Who else? I could sit here and just pretend and fantasize. Rodarte did it and it was phenomenal. Oscar? That could be interesting." We'd be all over an Oscar de la Renta x Target evening gown collab.
Fashion-fixture and Big Love actress Chlöe Sevigny strutted into the party sporting a slicked back 'do, a leopard print dress layered under a peaked-shoulder blazer and a bow-tie to complete the ensemble. "I like the Rodarte and the Proenza," the Opening Ceremony design-collaborator mused. "Early on, I used to wear the little striped tee shirts with the jeans and I have some of the Rodarte dresses."
Since her Opening Ceremony line does so well, would she consider going mass with a Target collaboration? "I'm gonna stick with Opening Ceremony for the time being. They're my favorite," the actress firmly declared.
While the celebs and designers were performing their red carpet duties, a party was raging in the lobby of the adjoining Ace Hotel. The Bad News step team performed a routine and they looked adorable in the Luella Bartley strapless and bubble tartan confections. Good choice, since those dresses really stood out in the video. Then DJ Mia Moretti, looking ladylike in Thakoon, and electric violinist Caitlin Moe, rocking the black lace-print Rodarte, entertained the house.
The bold-name faces slowly made their way to through the Opening Ceremony boutique and at-times frantic shoppers snatching Go International dresses off of the racks (we noticed that the blue and green striped Libertine was a popular choice) to enjoy the peak performances of the night. Santigold, outfitted in the pink Rodarte punk-princess frock, gave Aziz Ansari an enthusiastic hug before taking the stage to rock out with her three-song set.
The final surprise performance turned out to be legendary singer/drummer/Prince pal Sheila E. and, damn, the girl still has it. "The Glamorous Life" is still awesome and so are her live drum solos, which made the crowd go wild. The night ended on a thunderous note when Sheila E. finished off her set and pitched a drumstick into the pumped up audience.
The dresses officially re-launch on Sunday, March 13, so look out for them on Target.com or at your nearest Tar-jay location. Remember to keep your eye out for any incognito celebs in the midst of a routine errand outing.
Check out a video snippet of Santigold singing "L.E.S. Artistes" and one of Sheila E.'s famous drum solos:
· Target [Official Site]
· Target Relaunches 34 Dresses From Previous Designer Collaborations [Racked]
· VIDEO: Target Dress Collection Re-Launch: A Dance Interpretation [Racked]