Cheap and chic?

As a student on a budget, nothing enthuses me more than the collaboration of high-end designers with mass retailers. Payless has collaborated with the likes of Patricia Field, Alice + Olivia, Abaete, and Lela Rose and Christian Siriano of Project Runway launches his Payless line this fall. Kohl's is going on two years carrying Simply Vera by Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad has announced her partnership with this mass retailer after her eponymous line went kaput. Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, and Matthew Williamson have joined forces with H&M and Charlotte Ronson and Allen B. Schwartz teamed up with JC Penny.

While some have been a hit and others more of a miss, this new trend gives us the wallet-friendly ability to embrace our inner fashionistas with fierce vengeance (and without breaking the bank)! With previous designers such as Isaac Mizrahi, Jonathan Saunders, Thakoon, and Alexander McQueen, Target is the cream of the designer-collaborating crop! And with much success thus far, I suspect (and strongly hope!) the list of designers to follow suit will only get longer and better! They have already announced that Anna Sui will grace their shelves with her boho-meets-rocker designs on September 13, 2009, which is rumored to be inspired by one of the prime time’s most fashion-forward shows -- Gossip Girl! Stay tuned for pictures soon!

xoxo