Anna Sui’s Gossip Girl-inspired women’s clothing line for Target will launch in September, just in time for Season 3 of our favorite fashion-friendly teen drama to commence, with most of the crew beginning at various universities in the fall.
The 4 mini-collections in the line are inspired by the four female Gossip Girl leads: Blair, Serena, Jenny and Vanessa.
How do the looks measure up–to our favorite, ever-stylish characters, and as clothes we might actually want to buy?
Pull up a desk and grab a #2 pencil, because we’re about to take Anna Sui to SCHOOL.
By the way, the line will be available in Target stores and online September 13th through October 17th.
Blair:
Grade: A-
As a whole, this collection seems to best reflect the character who’s supposed to have inspired it, and the most buyable outfits in their own right. With the exception of Look #3, which is a little too “Say Night-Night, My Little Princess Sweetpea Darling!” for my tastes, the overall feel of the collection is feminine and frilly with a bit of mod thrown in: very Blair. Look #2 nails Blair’s penchant for pairing bright sheaths with long necklaces and contrasting tights, and Look #4 has Queen B written ALL OVER IT: buttoned up and professional, but short and bright enough that it’s still young and sexy. My favorite of the whole lot here, by far. Looks #1 and #5 seem a bit *yawn* in photos, but I’ll hold off judgement until an in-person assessment. Their textures at least seem promising, if the colors and cuts are… not so much.
Serena:
Grade: B-
Apparently this collection is taken directly from that episode with Bart Bass’s funeral in it. Okay, but seriously, since when does Serena wear only black and gray? If I remember correctly, Serena is as much a fan of yellow, green, and blue as the rest of us who are still with the living. And where are the opportunities for her signature cleavage? Not here! Unless you count Look #2, in which an angry shark seems to be bent on devouring her bubbies on the way to her throat. In all, Looks #1 and #3 win the day, both as pieces in their own right, and for wearing by the masses. But, on whole, I see the list of a very depressed bourgeois housewife packing for the summer house: “Now, let me see… black dress, gray dress (for those rare good days!), black apron, and black riding outfit? Check, check, check… Oh, can’t forget the “there’s a shark devouring my soul” cocktail for evening! There! All packed. If I could feel happiness, I think it might be happening… now.”
Vanessa:
Grade: C-
First: Haha, Vanessa is the only one with four looks! Now, allow me to repeat the dialogue going on in your head, if you have eyes: Yes, apparently Vanessa only wears orange. And no, I’m not sure what statement that is supposed to be making. Earthy girls from Brooklyn love orange? Poor people love orange? Boho chic girls love orange? Clearly, the jury is out on whether Anna Sui is paying Vanessa a high compliment or low insult, but one thing’s for sure: she’s got you positively STOCKED for the entire week of Thanksgiving. If you intend on buying all of these, that is. Personally, I’d be content to take the vest from Look #1, the skirt (maybe) from #3, and the riding boots from #4 to wear, spread #2 on the turkey table, and call it good.
Jenny:
Grade: C+
I get it. The Jenny collection is a little bit young, a little bit “rebellious” (or, rather, trying to be rebellious, but actually mistaking black, exposed zippers and vaguely grunge-inspired accessories as “rebellious”), and all about versality. See? You’ve got your… Angsty in the Fall (#1), Daddy’s Little Designer (#2), Guerilla Fashion Show Conspirator in Disguise (#3), Running Away and Never, EVER Coming Back! (#4), and um… Pirate Halloween? (#5) So there you have it. Looks for ALL OCCASIONS in the busy, up-and-coming Queen’s arsenal! Okay, but in all seriousness, if the dress in #2 goes on sale for less than $20, I’m all over it. Looks breathable. Like I could wear it while toiling all day and night in Eleanor Waldorf’s sweat shop design studio without breaking said sweat. Kudos to that!
-Meghan Carlson, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Images courtesy of Target
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
Meghan hails from Walla Walla, WA, the proud home of the world’s best sweet onions and Adam West, the original Batman. An avid grammarian and over-analyzer, you can usually find her thinking too hard about plot devices in favorites like The Office, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and How I Met Your Mother. In her spare time, Meghan enjoys drawing, shopping, trying to be funny (and often failing), and not understanding the whole Twilight thing. She’s got a BA in English and Studio Art from Whitman College, which makes her a professional arguer, daydreamer, and doodler.
