isabel marant x h&m

Earlier this year, H&M announced a collaboration with Isabel Marant. I know the entire blogisphere blew up with anticipation over the collection since no pictures were released. Yesterday the entire collection was released online and it's safe to say that I'll definitely be there in the morning lined up for a couple of items!

I've included a couple of my favorite pieces, but if you want to see the full collection, skip over to Vogue for womens, mens and juniors!

You can easily see how my style revolves mainly around basics, neutrals and fine prints, through my selection of the collection. Fear not though, there is a piece appropriate for everyone!

Lust or Leave

LEFT: rag & bone ($495 USD) | RIGHT: Target ($34.99 USD)

I promise, Target is not compensating me for these posts (although I wish they did). My trip to Target last week brought to my attention the lovely boots in above right photo. The minute I laid my eyes on them, I just knew that something about them looked familiar. Sure enough, they're basically almost identical to the Rag & Bone Suede Harrow Bootie. Although the outside part of the ankle has a buckle, the wrap around detailing with the two suede plates definitely are inspired by the Rag & Bone version.

For a fraction of the cost, I obviously had to try them on for comfort. Although the shoe itself fits nicely, because there are three straps of leather wrapped around the front shaft, it's rather complicated to put on and take off. The straps are actually laced into the shoe at the back and the movement of the leather against suede just isn't a smooth action. If it takes me that much time to put on/take off a simple shoe, I don't think that it's worth it. Although I love the shoe to pieces, and for the amazing price it was, I didn't end up purchasing it.

I have however heard testimonials from other ladies who have purchased the shoe and are head over heels in love with it. So if the lack of fit feasibility isn't something that bothers you then I'd definitely recommend picking up a pair!

3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

I'm sure since my last post the question on everyone's mind is "Did you pick anything up from the 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target collection?". The answer is yes, yes I did indeed. And if I had to sum up the entire experience in one word, a few that come to mind are: choatic, hectic and frantic. Don't get me wrong, the Blogger Breakfast was fantastic. It was the grand-opening of Target that got a little crazy.

Myself and a large group of other fellow Ottawa bloggers were invited to a breakfast at 7 AM the morning of the grand opening and were treated to a lovely assortment of fruits, croissants and Tim Horton's beverages. As discussion of the grand opening ensued, the hot topic quickly became evident: did anyone want anything from the 3.1 Phillip Lim collaboration collection and what did they want? Having already had a pre-tour of Target, we had knowledge of where exactly the collection was kept. We then quickly hatched a plan and came to the conclusion that we would work together to ensure that everyone would get what they had their eye on.

As we wrapped up the breakfast and descending upon the front entrance of Target, a little bit of shoppaholic anxiety set in. Rounding the corner of the parking lot, to our dismay a line had already begun to form outside of the store. Surprisingly though the line was a lot shorter than I had anticipated. With about 35 minutes to go before opening, there were roughly only about 15 people ahead of us. We did a couple of photo-ops and then gathered in line to wait. It definitely was a little chilly that morning, but being Canadian and having experienced Boxing Day in -40 Celsius, this was next to nothing.

The doors opened promptly at 8:00 AM and everyone in front of us literally dashed inside. Running towards the bags, you could see eager hands grabbing for anything they could get ahold of. My mission was to exit the store with two mini pashli's, and that's exactly what I did. Luckily for myself, other people were pulling at the larger totes so the top racks that the smaller bags hung from were still fully stocked. I remember at one point when I was trying to get a yellow satchel a woman was trying to pull the same one off from the other side of the display. I let go at that point because we both had our hands on the same bag and I already had one in my other hand. I took what I needed, grabbed a couple extra for good measure and stepped back to view the scene playing out in front of me. Since I had a couple extra, I gave away the ones that I didn't want to keep to the other bloggers that weren't able to get ahold of a bag for themselves.

Within less than 3 minutes, the racks of bags were cleared and some bloggers later recounted that they saw bags literally flying off of the racks. Some of the customers walked off with handfuls of bags leaving others frustrated in their wake.  Sadly there were only three of each bag, so supply was extremely limited.

After taking my time to shop the rest of the store, I stopped back at the collection on my way back to the cashiers. Myself and some other bloggers chatted with one of the employees who informed us that a few minutes before opening the doors they had toyed with the idea of regulating the flow of customers to the collection and only allowing one item to each person. That idea was quickly forgotten in the excitement of the doors opening, resulting in sad looking empty racks within minutes.

I do have some good news to those were unable to make it to the grand opening. Apparently the shipment that Billings Bridge received was extremely small just to test out the market in that area. So by next week, a new shipment of the collection should be arriving and those who still wish to pick up a bag are recommended to call in ahead of time to make sure that stock is available.

However I do want to give the opportunity to those who are unable to pick up something in the collection a chance to own a piece of it. Therefore I'm thinking of picking up one of the bags hopefully next week, should anymore come into stock. If you'd like to see a giveaway, please comment and let me know which bag you're interested the most!

Target Private Pre-Open Tour

Myself and some lovely other Ottawa bloggers received invitations to attend a private access pre-tour of Target the day before the grand opening. While we were not allowed to purchase anything, we were allowed to take some photos and ask the Target Canada spokesperson Lisa Gibson some questions. Safe to say, the main question was "Is the 3.1 Phillip Lim line available and can we buy anything today?". The answer was yes and no. The limited edition line was available in-store and we were able to admire it, but nothing was to leave the premises. Even the staff and friends that attended the private shopping event later that night were allowed to purchase anything!

Although Target had already opened quite a few locations across Canada recently, the anticipation and excitement was still very much present. Albeit Ottawa being the nation's capital, it lacked many things necessary to a booming consumer population. Target being high up on this list. The mere fact that borders no longer need be crossed to access such great quality products at such a reasonable price is definitely a hit amongst all bloggers and consumers alike!

After purchasing several Zellers locations across the city, the three to be completed for September 17th were Billings Bridge, Hazeldean and Orleans. Each location's interior was completely gutted and re-done in order to provide consumers with a complete "Target" feel that they would get at any other retail location. I definitely did not sense any lingering Zellers during the tour. Although the main color is shared by both retailers, a Target feel resonated throughout the store. The aisles were larger, the displays were brighter and the sections were arranged according to customer preference.

Not only were the aisles larger, but the store itself was brighter than your typical retailer. Now I don't know about other consumers out there, but stores that have dim lighting that literally cause you to be temporarily blind drive me insane. The lighting is really taken to the next level in the cosmetics aisle, where the backlit displays had every blogger ooh-ing and aah-ing. Doesn't this bright aesthetic make you excited? And that's exactly the feel that Target Canada was going for when they brought this set-up over from US stores.

Besides bringing over these brightly lit displays, Target Canada also carries the beloved Sonia Kashuk and and Pixi brands that are much sought after. To make it even better, the pricing of products are on par with US stores as well.

And if cosmetics weren't what you were after, Target also has its own pharmacy in-store! Each pharmacy is privately owned ensuring a quality customer service.

Although I didn't see anyone physically linger, we definitely all stared at the neatly packed shelves of food in the grocery section.

I tried making a mental note of the things I wanted, the golden elephant tealight holder being one of them. Sadly when I came back the next day, all of them were gone. So that's a note to all shoppers out there, the ever popular Nate Berkus collection is available and going just as quick here as in the US.

There were also some crazy and colorful wigs on display in their seasonal section that provided us with much amusement.

 

As we made our way around the store, my list of wants definitely grew.

The most anticipated part of the tour had to be the 3.1 Phillip Lim collection. Saved for last, everyone's excited was easily seen. As the collection had already launched in US stores 2 days prior and stock was going fast, shopping strategies were covertly discussed as we roamed around the collection. At the top of most of the bloggers' lists were the coveted bags. With the Canadian collection launch simultaneously landing on the same day as the store's grand opening, we all knew that the next morning would be chaos.

After having a once all of the rest of his collection, I knew my heart was set on the yellow mini Pashli look-a-like satchel. Beyond the bags, there wasn't much else in the collection that I was too keen on. While the comic patterned scarves looked promising, I had to remind myself that I'm not much of a silk scarf wearer. For me, scarves are reserved for the winter and are to be fabricated of wool/cotton. Therefore I had to let the silks pass.

After allowing us enough time to snap photos of the goods, Lisa Gibson answered a couple questions before leaving us each with a stuffed version of Target's mascot Bullseye. Sadly I didn't get a chance to pick one up on my way out as they had under estimated the number of bloggers that were showing up for the pre-tour. Regardless, I'm still happy to be expecting one in the mail!

 

For my first blogger event, I would have to say that it was extremely enjoyable and I got to meet lots of lovely girls. Before leaving for the day, a couple of us exchanged blog URLs and Instagram accounts in order to remain in touch before the storm of the next day. How was it you ask? Fret not, you'll definitely get a chance to re-live the chaos with me in the next post!

September LustListt

With Fall just around the corner, my tendency in September is to pull for lots of leathers and jewel tones. Evidently with the grand opening of Target across Ottawa tomorrow morning, featured on my LustListt this month is the 3.1 Phillip Lim Satchel. Much like the shape of his coveted Mini Pashli Satchel that retails for $650 CAD, this retails for $34.99. At such a steal, I can't help but NEED this in my closet. It's about time I expand my purse collection beyond the neutrals anyways. I had the chance today to see in person up close the quality of the entire 3.1 Phillip Lim collection and the price points are literally on point. Although the purse is not constructed of leather, the polyurethane is thick and buttery soft. The warm mustard tone personifies the colors of fallen leaves which further pulls that Fall feeling into my wardrobe. Now to set my alarm clock for 5 AM in order to wake up on time for the Blogger Breakfast and line-up for my satchel!

1. Felt Cap - H&M | $14.95
2. Leather Pointed Ankle Boot - Zara | $99.00
3. Wilfred Coquette Scarf - Aritzia | $85.00
4. 3.1 Phillip Lim Yellow Mini Satchel - Target | $34.99
5. Leather Gloves - H&M | $29.99
6. Knitted Headband - H&M | $7.95
7. Rouge Noir Le Vernis - Chanel | $27.00
8. Mackage Kenya Jacket - Aritzia | $575.00
9. Imitation Leather Skirt - H&M | $34.95

Refresh

With so much more time on my hands now that I'm on my final semester of my degree, I felt that now would be an appropriate time to remove the hiatus. My aim is to post twice a week and to keep the consistency.

With the recent grand openings of Target in Canada, I jumped on the chance when Billings Bridge Shopping Mall invited bloggers to a celebration breakfast! What better way to welcome theLustListt back into the bloggersphere than by joining me in a sneak peak of the new location in a pre-open tour with the Target Canada Spokesperson Lisa Gibson! Tomorrow morning, myself and other bloggers have the chance to access a private pre-open tour of the Billings Bridge location and will be able to share with you how it all looks before the grand opening Tuesday, September 17th, 2013!

I hope that everyone has had a great summer and is equally as excited as I am for fall. See you all tomorrow at Target!