Give Us Liberty or Give Us Death ... at Target

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After hearing about the early shuttering of the Liberty of London for Target pop-up in NYC due to swift sales and depleted stock, plus the quick sell-outs online, we weren't sure what to expect at LA Target stores after the doors opened on the official launch day. We admit we weren't there at the exact moment they opened—losing an hour of sleep due to some wacky clock-changing doesn't sit well with us, okay?—but we got there early enough to give a good review of the collection.

The WeHo store was cleaned out pretty early in the day, but the Westfield Culver City location stayed strong as the hours passed. We found plenty of dresses, tops, bathing suits and lingerie throughout the store. The home goods (bedding, dishes, decor) were almost completely decimated. (And we saw a few ladies rolling carts through the store piled high with quilts, pillows and sheets.) A poor employee was desperately trying to carefully set up a display of accessories according to the corporate stock photos, but the inventory was getting picked off as fast as it could be put out.

The fashion side of the collection is pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Target diffusion line—lots of polyester and hit-or-miss fits. Thankfully, we found this collection to fit pretty true to size, especially since most items were labeled XS-XL. We liked the subtle-ruffle-necked halter tank because it was cut flatteringly (curved in at the waist and flared at the hips instead of a straight boxy shape) and had a colored lining underneath the sheer patterned top layer. The large-ruffle-neck keyhole top was cut the same flattering way, although unlined.

The peasant tops were disastrously unflattering, extremely oversized all over with awkwardly large sleeve and neck openings, plus the bottom ruffles hit right around the hip area, which is not a place that ladies like to 1) draw attention to, and 2) make bigger and thicker with added material. The halter dress unsurprisingly featured an instant-pregnancy cut since it flared out right below the bustline, as did the smocked-top maxi dresses. Also, are smocked tops flattering on anyone?

We liked the real-life look of the floral shift dress, the pleated dress and the cotton embroidered sundress, although we couldn't find any in our size to test the fits (or, you know, buy). We also really liked most of the prints that were repeated throughout the collection, despite the abundance of 100% polyester items. There were plenty of kids clothes, but we forgot to check the men's department to see what was available there (d'oh!). We also didn't see the fabulous trench coat, any shoes, the bicycles or furniture. There was one storage bin, a few picture frames, one stack of plates and a handful of office supplies at the Culver City location, which looked extremely sad and lonely in front of such bright, colorful signage. We hope they've been rescued and taken to a good home by now.

· Liberty of London for Target [Official Site]
· First Look: A Bright Burst of Sun from Liberty of Target {previously]