Do Not Pass GO!: Proenza Schouler for Target's GO International Line

The curator of Target's GO International line really knows her stuff. The line has quickly cultivated a following of frenzied budget fashionistas for under-the-radar designers (at least, here in the US) since its inception with British pretty-punk sensation Luella Bartley last year. Now offering its most highly anticipated collection from fashion world It Boys, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler, Target GO International is hitting its climactic stride. The Proenza Schouler line has been brewing up excitement for months—I've been chasing after it since back in summer 2006, when rumors started floating around the Internet.

Weeks before the new GO International arrival, I rounded up a group of devoted shopping buddies to hit the biggest Target in the Seattle area as early as we could possibly get up on opening day, Sunday, February 4 (I admit knocking down the doors at 8 am would be getting ahead of ourselves—even for discounted Proenza Schouler). I was making my countdown when I found out about a leak on the Internet where most of the Proenza Schouler line was available for early online purchase (I'm not clear on if this was Target's mistake or not). I got out my credit card, purchased what I thought were the best pieces in the line, and stopped worrying about trying to get to Target at the crack of dawn to get first crack at the goods. Relief.

Finally, February 4 rolled around. With all the commercials and the web announcements, we thought we'd all go crazy with anticipation and be fighting with tooth and nail to get to the racks. One of the girls showed up to Target early and found out that there had been a "miscommunication" about the release date (even with all the commercials and publicity) and that Proenza Schouler would not be at Target until the next day. As the dutiful shopper that I am, I proceeded to phone each and every Target in the Seattle area and found out that every single one was behind schedule except for ONE! Furthermore, most employees did not even know what the GO International line was—eek. I guess they're not all living in fashion obsession like some of us, eh?

We finally made it across town (an hour behind schedule) to find a small, picked-over selection. To sum up my feelings on seeing the line in person: I haven't been so much disappointed by the quality of Target's GO International line as by their inconsistency in sizing and release dates. Maybe I'm asking for too much, but I hate having to scramble to every store hoping to find the size I'm looking for only to attempt to order online and find that it's not available on the site yet either. Bugger! Part of me loves the "limited time only" aspect of GO International, but most of me despises the relentless, and sometimes unfulfilling, chase. Staggering release dates for the store and the web is probably a good idea to stave off cross-country "out of stock" signs, but it's also frustrating when you can't find what you want, when you want it (hence, the frenzy). The good news is that I've always found what I wanted in whatever size I was looking for, regardless of the competition.

Secondly, I've always had to order items in several different sizes to be sure that they fit properly—if at all! The cabin Voile Bustier Dress is a perfect example.

I ordered it in sizes 3, 5 and 7 and found that none of the sizes fit me without being too small or too big. I'm so in love with the dress that I'm having it taken into my tailor to fix. For any GO International pants and shorts, I don't really even bother trying—the sizing and cuts always seem to be way too off.

In my opinion, the star (and most advertised) piece of the entire line is the Silk Bustier Top. Luckily, through the leak on the net, I ordered two sizes early and ended up giving one to a friend (The fit on these isn't as harsh as the cotton Bustier dress). This top definitely exemplifies Proenza Schouler's style and it just the right mix of Spaceball's Dot Matrix and pure couture. Now that it's been recalled from the website and is not in stores yet, good luck getting your hands on it!

A dress from the collection that I adored is the Silk Colorblock Dress. Though the bust detailing is amazing (especially for $44.99!), the problem I have with it is the length. Getting a sing-songy "Paging Da-ko-ta Faaaan-ning!" from my friend when I walked out of the dressing room in it was more than a little disconcerting. I'm taking this one to my tailor as well to have it cut up into a mini-dress. One big let-down was the Bubble Print Cropped-Sleeve Cotton Jacket, which was too long for my short frame, but looked way cute on their online model. The bubble print on this jacket in Showgirl Purple was vertigo-inducing after staring at it for too long. Also, I loved all of the button-front stretch pencil skirts, but saw that they pulled in the wrong places on just about every woman who tried them. To note, though, were the tissue tees and tanks—definite wardrobe staples.

Overall, I'm excited to see the line released stage by stage and wonder what else I'll pick up from it. I am still debating whether to wear the stuff now or wait for the mania to die down. As with the other GO International lines, I've already started wondering who the next Target superstar will be or if this will be the end?