When Anna Sui was announced as the next fashion designer to collaborate with Target, I was thrilled. When Sui said the collection would be inspired by the four leading ladies of Gossip Girl, I was ecstatic. Gossip Girl is one of my favorite shows and considering the characters wear the latest fashions, I knew the line would be fabulous. Now, Target is reconsidering the association with Gossip Girl. Anna Sui’s fashion collection will hit Target stores in the Fall, but whether the collection is dubbed as “Gossip Girl influenced” remains to be seen.

“One of Target’s top executives got nervous about being that closely associated with the show, given the [debauchery] its characters get into,” says an on-the-set source. For example, Blake Lively’s character, Serena, killed a man, and most of the characters frequently get wasted, do drugs and have promiscuous sex.

After reviewing the lookbook for Anna Sui’s Target collection it really doesn’t matter if a TV show inspired Sui or not, because the collection is one of the best I have ever seen for a mass market retailer. The apparel definitely hints at each of the four leading ladies: Blair, Serena, Jenny, and Vanessa. Their influence is evident in the clothing, but you needn’t be an Upper East Side queen bee or hipster from Brooklyn to wear these looks.

The collection consists of 19 Gossip Girl inspired looks. Queen Bee Blair’s influence is seen in the dresses, which are feminine and worthy of the Upper East Side. I wonder if a headband will be part of the collection? Vanessa’s Lower East Side pieces showcase her devil may care attitude when it comes to dressing with bold color collaborations and prints. Jenny’s attire reflects her hipster, Brooklyn vibe mixing rocker chic and school-girl. And Serena’s outfits are channel the party girl with leather jackets, short skirts and fashion forward pieces.

Highlights from the collection include an ultra feminine white lace minidress with long sleeves, high neck, and a blue bow (Blair). There is also a 70’s inspired baseball jacket and matching wrap dress in golden hue’s of tangerine, orange, and brown (Vanessa). Worn alone or together the colors are right on “Target” with fall’s warm tones. There is also a sleeveless puffer jacket in the same color palette which is a must-have for fall. Another standout is a sleeveless swing dress with bold, blue peacock detail (Serena). This party dress could go from runway to reality by pairing with tights for day and stilettos for night.

A “Gossip Girl” insider said that a party scene featuring Blair and Chuck (played by Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick) was set to shoot at Sui’s flagship store in SoHo last weeks and the models being used as extras were to wear Sui’s Target collection. Target staffers sent over boxes of clothes for the episode, labeled with the names of each female character (Jessica Szohr’s Vanessa, Taylor Momsen’s Jenny, Meester’s Blair and Blake Lively’s Serena). But the store pulled out at the last second. “The crew was thrown into a frenzy because they had to scrap everything they had planned,” says the insider. “They can’t believe Target would bail on them, especially after publicly announcing the collaboration. It’s Target’s loss, because the line would have sold better if it had played a part in the show.”

Target’s marketing team is in the process of figuring out how to brand the collection. It may not be associated with your favorite upper East Side zip code anymore, but will be available to purchase regardless.

The line will be available in select stores and online September 13 – October 17. Anna Sui’s collection is the second collection following Alexander McQueen in the Designers Collaborations initiative; it is another way in which Target brings an emporium of designers to its guests. xoxo