First thing Monday morning, I got a ding from my Strategist staff Slack group: “Did anyone have success with the Target designer collab this weekend?” Staff writer Chloe Anello had shopped the retailer’s highly anticipated collaboration with Victor Glemaud, Nili Lotan, Rachel Comey, and Sandy Liang. Naturally, this wasn’t the first time we’d discussed the collection. Early in the month, senior writer Liza Corsillo asked us to join her online at 3 a.m. on launch day (September 25), when the collection would go live. And for almost three weeks, our Slack kept buzzing with shopping plans: We were in awe of how inexpensive everything was and landed on early favorites (the Rachel Comey marble turtleneck and Sandy Liang cottagecore sweaters were top picks). As for strategy, some writers settled on wee-hours online shopping, while others planned to show up in person at their local Target. In the end, those who tried all ended up with some very cool, very affordable clothes (out of a wish list of eight, I snapped up four items). Below, we’ve rounded up what we got our hands on and how we pulled it all off.
While many things in the collection have sold out, it seems like some things are still undiscovered by Target shoppers. Anello saw this in person and was sold. “I showed up at Target at 8 a.m. thinking a lot of people would be there, and it was completely empty,” she says. The traffic around this jacket is similarly dead online, but that just means you can still get your hands on this gem before it blows up. It’s still available in every size.
New York deputy editor Alexis Swerdloff shopped from her phone at the park this past weekend. “I went into the Target fall collection with a plan: what would I actually wear, and what felt unique/worth it enough to pounce on while huddled under the slide at the playground with my 3-year-old on a Saturday morning,” she says. After consulting with “an equally obsessive friend,” this jumpsuit met the criteria. At $55, this was worth it because it looks like an actual Rachel Comey jumpsuit, Swerdloff says.
In the hopes of wearing it under the jumpsuit, Swerdloff also bought this mint-green Sandy Liang pointelle top.
Surprisingly, these tie-dyed-ish jeans are still in stock in every size. Swerdloff says, “I got them in a size up than my usual with the hope that they’d make for a slouchy look.”
The team had its eyes on this Rachel Comey turtleneck from the beginning, but only writer Ambar Pardilla and I were able to get it. “I’m sort of a sucker for any printed turtlenecks — I have a drawer filled with them (including one printed with actual leopards, as in the animals, not just the spots), so I immediately knew I had to get my hands on this shirt,” says Pardilla. “It looks like you were running down the street and were splattered by a truck filled with paint. The colors shouldn’t really work together, but they do.” Everyone anticipated it to go quickly, but when I signed on around 4:30 a.m. Saturday, I was surprised to see so many sizes still in stock.
Anello went on a bit of goose chase to get this jacket. “They didn’t have this at any Target near me, but my sister and sister-in-law saw it at theirs in Connecticut and got me one,” she says. Anello’s sisters each got one too, so they’ll all be matching this fall.
I stashed this in my cart kind of on a whim. At first glance, I thought it would be something my mom would like; on second glance, I thought I liked it for myself; and then the more I looked at it, I started to think I didn’t like it at all. I ordered it early in the morning, and when I went to see it in-store later that day, I was still confused. It’s really soft, though, which might be enough to convince me to keep it. This will either be gifted, worn by me, or returned.
“By the time I logged on, some of my favorited items had sold out (Rachel Comey marble top, Sandy Liang ruffle turtleneck), but I still snagged a bunch of stuff I added to my cart in a bit of a frenzy,” says writer Lauren Ro. “I don’t imagine I’ll keep all of it, but I’m looking forward to trying everything on.” In addition to Swerdloff’s denim jumpsuit, Ro purchased this trench. “I’ve been on a Nili Lotan kick ever since I scored a double-breasted blazer from the designer on Poshmark,” she says. “Can’t go wrong with a classic trench — especially one that’s under $60!”
Ro also snagged this Rachel Comey herringbone tweed blazer. She’d been wanting to try the oversize-blazer look. If you do too, the blazer and the matching pants are still very much in stock.
“I really wanted the whole look, but sadly the sweater was sold out by the time I remembered to log on,” says Ro. The skirt is nearly sold out as well, so if you’re interested, don’t dillydally.
I had my eye on a couple of the collection’s accessories (like these sunglasses and this furry headband) but figured they wouldn’t be hot commodities, so I focused my under-the-gun shopping on clothing. Ro got a little bit of everything, including these trendy resin earrings and tortoiseshell headband, in an effort to “be a person who accessorizes more.”
“I just really like the idea of wearing pastels in the winter, and this crochetlike sweater spoke to me,” Pardilla says. “It’s very cottagecore-esque, with a Peter Pan collar and bow tie in the front, but I really like that. Plus, the knit actually looks well-made from the photos and not just poorly pieced together.”
“Like the lilac sweater, this one just seemed too adorable to pass up,” says Pardilla. “Everything from the edged collar to the delicate floral embroidery makes it seem vintage — like something you just so happened to pick up at a thrift store,” she adds. She clearly wasn’t the only one who had flashes of vintage finds past — the sweater is completely sold out. “I’ll probably roll up the sleeves and wear it with pants in the same olive tone, for that monochrome look the model has.”
I didn’t anticipate a lot of people wanting an understated schoolgirl skirt, but it sold out, too. Because I added it to my cart early, I was able to secure it. Still, it’s no consolation for missing out on this dress. (I have in-stock alerts in several sizes, and my mom and dad are on the lookout at stores in south Jersey.)
Going into the sale, I was in gifting mode too. I planned to buy this turtleneck for both my mother and me, but it was only available in her size when I signed on. She’s lucky my vision for this was a super-fitted look because I’m very tempted to keep hers and wear it oversize.
If something on your wish list also is currently sold out, don’t forget to sign up for stock notifications or check your local store, as a lot of these pieces are in brick-and-mortar too. And don’t forget about the online-purchase to in-store-return pipeline. “I feel like there will be returns next week,” says Anello, “so I plan to scope it out again.”
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