Visit to the Liberty of London for Target Temporary Store in Manhattan

As many of you I was really curious about the Liberty of London for Target Collection that hits the stores this Sunday (even if apparently some stores have already received some merchandise). I was hoping that they would sell some pieces of the collection online because I wasn't sure that I could make the trek to Brooklyn (our closest store) on a Sunday. I could have tried to convince my husband that toilet paper is cheaper at Target and that it was worth the trip (and then I could have maybe pretended that I had got lost into the store and disappear for half an hour?), but you see that the plan was complicated and there were chances of failure.

Well what is that they say, if Mohammad doesn't go to the mountain, the mountain goes to Mohammad (liberally translated from Italian). Last Sunday while I was reading the New York Times, I saw big had that announced a "sneak peek" of the collection in Manhattan (in Midtown) from March 10 to March 13 and because today was my free day (longest day of school for my daughter) I went to have a look after drop-off.

I wasn't prepared for this. They have put up a temporary Target store entirely dedicated to showcase (and sell) the Liberty of London Collection. The decor was just gorgeous, it was like entering in the world of Alice in Wonderland. Luckily I had my camera with me and I could take pics so you can enjoy a little bit of the show.

This is the entrance of the store, on the corner of 42nd St. and 6th Avenue (normally, there is no Target there, and I hope that they were also trying out the location for a future store in Manhattan):



The interior was a feast for the senses, with real flowers everywhere as a counterpart to the flowers on the pretty Liberty fabrics:



Those are umbrellas hanging from the ceiling (the umbrellas on sale were all gone by the time I got there):



They had a couple of these giant tea cups through the store:


This was the main display of the collection pieces:



The rack with the long dresses (againt a wall of hedges):


These bicycles were on sale for $199:



And the registers!



Some of the "hottest" items where gone when I got there (someone told me that yesterday, opening day, there was a line all along the block) and many of the tops were poly (looking like poly) and in some cases the combination of the poly fabric and the print reminded me of H&M. The line for the fitting rooms was extremely long because they only had five fitting rooms and customers were allowed as many items as they could possibly carry. In the end I only bought one thing for me, but the girls little dresses and tops were to die for (and generally better quality than the women's ones), so I brought home three for my daughter.

Ths is going to make a perfect party dress (for only $14.99):


And how adorable is this little romper ($11.99):


The only piece that I bought for me is a top in the same gorgeous print of the dress that is featured on the Target ad. By the time I arrived the dress was gone in my size (only L and XL were left), but I like the top as well. This one is in a heavy silk (not poly) and the price is $19.99. It it supposed to be worn with the keyhole on the front, like this:




But I think that I prefer to wear it with the opening in the back, like this:



The store wraps up on Saturday at the end of the day and then the merchandise will be shipped to the Target stores in the city. They told me that they are not restoking so at this point you might want to wait and checkout the regular stores on Sunday. Still, if you are in Manhattan, it is worth it to stop by at least for the "total Liberty experience" if not for the clothes themselves. It's quite impossible to walk out without buying anything, especially if you have a little girl.

Happy shopping!