The Collection is Now Complete

My Jason Wu for Target frenzy was going strong, 18 days after launch date. 2 nights ago, I was on target.com, searching for the cat tote. I got excited cuz after I activated the "find in store" feature, I saw that one of my local stores had it in "limited stock". I called the store, and the operator said it was an error. I looked at the clock. 8:25 pm. 35 minutes until one of my favorite shows, "Person of Interest", would start. I was in my pajamas. It was possible for me to change into jeans and a T-shirt, drive over there (it was only 10 minutes away), check the store, and drive back in time without missing a minute of my show. My frenzy died right then and there. I knew it did cuz I decided against going. If it was the previous week, I totally would've done it. I decided I wasn't going to buy any more from this collection, and I resolved to a life of going without the cat tote.

I went to 4 Target stores today. I was searching for a strapless bra. This weight loss has been great for me for the most part. Clothes have been pretty easy to find, but bras are another story. I'd given up on the tote, and the 3rd store didn't even carry the JWfT collection (they got the occasional return, though). This was the same store that had the tote in "limited stock" 2 nights ago. The lingerie department was right next to jewelry, so I decided to peek anyway. I saw a couple of canvas items in a random place. One was the JWfT striped tote, and the other...no! It couldn't be! I picked it up. It was!

There was a surge of adrenaline going through my body. It was the same rush I felt on Feb. 5, launch date of the collection, when I ran past stink-eye chick up the stairs. I made a beeline for the register. There was a mother/son duo buying a bunch of stuff in front of me, and they bought their items in 3 separate transactions. They seemed to take forever, and the cashier was super-slow. I didn't want any customers to see me with the tote, so I kept it in my hands until it was my turn to be rung up. My turn came, and I handed the cashier the tote. He scanned the tag. My total came up, and I immediately swiped my debit card. Yay! It's really mine! (Silent) Valley girl scream as I floated back to my car! I was so excited I forgot to look for the bra. I went back, but no such luck. I went to another Target on the way home. No luck. I even went to Wal-Mart. No luck. Who knew a 32C would be so hard to find?!

So now my collection's complete. I am done. I ended my hunting-and-gathering frenzy on a high note. I now have all 3 cat items from JWfT: the tote, scarf, and bag. I also have 2 cute dresses, the poofy black prom dress with the nude belt and the navy floral dress worn by First Lady Michelle Obama (I guess to prove that she's just like us, shopping at Target lol).

My Visit to the Whitney Houston Shrine

Hello, everyone. How was your Presidents' Day weekend? For my international readers, I'll explain a little about this. 2 of our most well-known American Presidents, George Washington (born on Feb. 22) and Abraham Lincoln (born on Feb. 12), are considered so special that their birthdays must be acknowledged as national holidays (paid time off for many of us). There was a time when these 2 days were acknowledged as 2 separate holidays, but that is no more. Instead, we celebrate both birthdays on the 3rd Monday of each February. Many people choose to go out of town (Vegas is a popular destination for many Angelenos), but I usually stay in town to get stuff done.

So what did I get done? Since launch date (Feb. 5), I attempted to build a bigger collection of Jason Wu for Target items by scouring various Target stores in the LA area. I was pretty successful last weekend, when I found 3 of the infamous cat-print scarves in a Target store 35 miles from my house. I did think of leaving 1 on the rack for a poor soul who'd been hunting it down, but I ended up snatching all 3. I didn't want to take any chances that I wouldn't ever find them again. I turned out to be right. I haven't seen them in any store since that day. Don't fret, though. All of them went to dear friends/family who were absolutely grateful and will keep in order to treasure. I was unsuccessful this Presidents' Day weekend with that, but it still turned out to be a good weekend nonetheless.

So while on the hunt for more JW for T items, I drove by Beverly Hills and decided to stop for a few minutes to visit the shrine of the dearly departed Whitney Houston, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she passed away. There were others there, reading the cards/notes filled with sincere words. The candles were burning, the flowers still strewn, even 8 days after her death. I took a close-up pic of 2 of the many handwritten notes. I chose these 2 in particular because they came from people from countries far away. It just goes to show how far-reaching Whitney's fan base was. She's a true inspiration to singers and people in general. There will never be another singer like her. It's sad to think about how her career declined toward the end of her very short life, but I choose

to remember her in her prime. "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?", "One Moment in Time", and "When You Believe" (her duet with Mariah Carey, from the soundtrack of Prince of Egypt) were my favorites songs of hers.

Time permitting, I think I'll revisit the shrine and leave my own little token of affection for her. I'll let you know how that goes.

Jason Wu for Target

In all the years that high-end designers have been doing collaborations with mass-market chains, I had never lined up for opening day of any of them. I never felt it was justified to miss work just to buy clothes. But when the Jason Wu for Target collaboration came, and I found out the launch date was on a Sunday, I decided this would be my first time. I got up even earlier than I do for work, went on an early coffee run, and got to Target by 7:15 am. There were about 6 women already waiting outside. I sat in between and struck up a conversation with a mom-daughter combo who were super-sweet. The mom even held some of my clothes while I was in the fitting room. There were a couple of hard-core followers, one wearing a zigzag Missoni for Target beanie. One red-haired girl rambled about the items she wanted and her efforts to buy them (without any success) on target.com. At about 7:30, a large middle-aged Black man pulled up and got out of his car, holding papers. He immediately, in his loud and deep voice, stated that he was embarrassed to be there, but did so on behalf of his wife, whom he loved enough to do this, and on Super Bowl Sunday, too (I later helped him pick up the cat scarf, which he dropped on the floor and physically couldn't pick up).

7:45 am, and the ladies (and man) crowded around the front entrance. We joked and talked, and though everyone had been nice while we were seated minutes earlier, there were a few people who turned. 3 people stepped in front of me (there was no formal line), and the red-haired girl made comments best kept to herself. She seemed polite before this time, but when I tried to make polite conversation about certain pieces, she snarled and refused to tell me which ones she wanted (although she was happy to talk about it minutes earlier). The doors opened, and we all made a run for it. I decided to go against the grain by opting for the stairs instead of the escalator. My legs may be short, but I earned a bronze medal for the hurdle/sprint event while I was on the track team in high school, so I was able to go up them 2 at a time. It worked cuz I and the only other person who opted for the stairs were the first 2 to the racks. I even got there ahead of red-haired girl and the cutters! Anyway...

I ended up getting what I wanted from there, but there were a couple of items not even in the store, for which I will look in the coming weeks (at least Target is close enough to my work that I go there for lunch often anyway). I'm bummed I missed out on most of the accessories, but managed to snag a bag and a cat scarf. I'm so glad I opted for the stairs cuz within 5 minutes, all the dresses in size 2/XS were gone, and many ladies complained that this was the size they needed, but could find only L/12 and up. My final haul is pictured on the right.

What we do for fashion and exclusivity! And when it's exclusive fashion, it's total madness!