I am a complete sucker for collaborations between high end brands and high street stores. Way back in the olden days (just checked - it was about 5 years ago), I went faint over Bella Freud for Miss Selfridge, and my heart raced for Luella at New Look. Since then, I fell in love with Celia Birtwell all over again - and her dreamy dresses for Topshop. I've even swallowed the hype by dabbling in Kate Moss for that same store. So I didn't surprise myself by joining the hordes in Bryant Park, New York city for the launch of Liberty of London for Target.
As soon as I heard those two brands in one sentence, I got palpitations. I could never afford a Liberty pencil case at their normal prices - so the idea that some of those fabrics could end up in my wardrobe had my heart beating faster. For a home sick English rose, the shop itself was a slice of everything that's good about Spring in the mother country - daffodils, hydrangeas and tea pots were the right side of twee - and created a sense of nostalgia akin to a Lula magazine photo shoot. Despite the empty shelves (well, I am always late so of course I missed the queues, the stampede and consequently a lot of the good stuff) it was still a beautiful space as you can see from these pictures.
The clothes were lovely - though I could have told Target that five changing rooms wouldn't suffice. Being broke, I left with nothing for myself - but clutching a present for a friend (baby clothes). It doesn't actually matter to me that I didn't buy anything for me, I think the anticipation of seeing the collection and knowing I could afford it if I wanted it is enough.
