Earlier this evening, we headed over to the Zac Posen for Target Collection pop-up shop on 34th and 8th.  This 24 hour party kicked off at 11 p.m., and will last until 11 p.m. tonight.  When we arrived at 11 p.m. on Thursday, the line stretched half-way down 8th Ave, and there had to be at least 300-400 women in line.  I didn’t mind the wait though, as I was entertained by the projector that flashed images of celebrities who experienced the collection earlier today.  Selma Blair and Ginnifer Goodwin were just some of the celebs there. Once it was 11:10 or so, the line started to pick up, with security letting about 60 people in every few minutes.  

We were inside by 11:25 and it was sheer madness.  I first made my way around the first floor.  The center of the first floor had a dance floor, a bar to one side and a live band playing.  Clothing was presented on racks all around the outside of the room.  This collection consisted of shirts, bathing suits, jackets, skirts and dresses (from what I was able to see on the racks).  To my surprise though, within 25 minutes of being in the store, most of the racks were emptied.  Ladies were running around with their arms filled with clothes, hoping to get a coveted spot in front of the mirror.  Obviously there was another line for this spot, and I watched as girls tried dresses over their clothes (guaranteed that when they get it home, it won’t fit, and will be on ebay).  I noticed a floral dress that I liked on a rack in a corner (see it below), picked it up, thought about taking a photo of it, and by the time I put it back on the rack to get my camera out, someone already snatched it.  You really had to be aggressive - think back to when you played Park & Rec basketball and learned how to box out.  You had to box out other shoppers, otherwise, you were going to leave empty-handed.

I made my way up to the top floor, which had a great view of the dance floor and bustling shoppers.  Again, this was filled with customers, all in a line to try on clothes.  I’m honestly not sure if it led to a dressing room or another mirror, but this line took up most of the upstairs and you would continuously hear friends say to one another, “Maybe I’ll just bring it home and try it on.”  Most of the racks upstairs were bare as well.

As I made my way back downstairs, I circled the floor one last time and saw that some of the racks had been replenished.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one who noticed this.  I saw this beautiful red leather coat (priced at $199.99), and I began to unzipper it to examine the inside, daydreaming about how I could wear this with all my black dresses and shirts…aka my entire wardrobe.  Keep in mind that there were 6 other red leather coats on the rack, one of which was in the same size.  I didn’t think I needed to be boxing out, but as I pulled the zipper on the coat down, a hand reached over me. A woman a good fifteen years older, grabbed the coat and walked away.  She didn’t even apologize as I gave her the look of death.  

At that point, I knew it was time for me to go.  But as I walked out, I did notice this little red dress (also available in black).  This was one of my favorite items of the night and it was priced at $79.99.  With wedding season coming up, it would make the perfect dress for an elegant wedding.  Surprisingly, a lot of these remained on the rack and no one was going too crazy over them.  For a more affordable, yet similar dress, you may want to try H&M’s Garden Collection. 

As I walked out of the shop without a bag in hand, a rarity when I step foot near anything Target related, there wasn’t even a line outside the store.  If you want to check out the shop, I suggest you go sometime between now and 6 a.m.  Otherwise, remember to bring your patience with you.