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Target Announces Anna Sui for Target Inspired by the CW drama "Gossip Girl"

Retailer continues to offer impressive design at budget-friendly prices with the second designer in a series of "Designer Collaborations" program available for a limited time

Minneapolis (August 2009) — Target is partnering with fashion designer Anna Sui as the second designer in a series of Target Designer Collaborations, a unique program that features well-established designers who draw inspiration from a collaborative partner, muse or creative element. The exclusive Anna Sui for Target collection draws inspiration from the four main female characters on The CW Network phenomenon, "Gossip Girl." The collection will launch on Target.com and at select Target stores nationwide September 13, 2009, timed to the third season debut of "Gossip Girl," Monday, September 14 (9:00-10:00p.m. ET) on the CW. The Anna Sui for Target collection will be available through October 17, 2009.

Designer Collaborations is another way Target brings an emporium of designers to its guests. These exclusive collections will bring top design at unbeatable prices to women everywhere, for a limited time. This program is separate from the company's GO International initiative.

"Anna Sui is a fashion icon known around the world, said Trish Adams, senior vice president, Target. "Target is thrilled to partner with Anna and bring her signature aesthetic to women across the country. Her vibrant, pop-culture inspired collection combines vintage influences and ultimate sophistication, providing outstanding looks at a great value."

Known for her mix of vintage glamour, art and culturally inspired-design, Sui developed her Target collection based on the distinct looks of "Gossip Girl" heroines, Serena van der Woodsen, Blair Waldorf, Jenny Humphrey and Vanessa Abrams. Through the creative vision of "Gossip Girl" costume designer Eric Daman, each character has a defined color palette and sensibility reflective of their unique approach to fashion. By combining the elements of art, spirit, punk and glamour, Sui's collection reflects New York City through classic silhouettes, minimalist geometric prints and the designer's ever-present eccentric personality.

"When I was in Asia last year, girls kept asking me about the different areas in New York City by referring to them as where the characters from "Gossip Girl" live," said Anna Sui. "The show is such a phenomenonand so fashionable, so I really wanted to create a collection reflective of the four main characters."

Raised in the suburbs of Detroit, at age four, Sui decided that she would become a designer and started to make her own clothes. With a serious approach to learning her craft and innate unconventional creativity, Anna went to New York to attend Parsons School of Design. After two years at Parsons, Anna served as a stylist for friend and acclaimed fashion photographer Steven Meisel and designed for several sportswear companies before launching her eponymous collection in 1980.

Anna Sui's business continued to grow throughout the 1980s, and in 1991 she premiered her first runway show. The following year, Sui won the prestigious CFDA Perry Ellis Award and opened her first flagship store on Greene Street in New York's Soho district. Throughout the late 1990s, Sui experienced significant growth launching cosmetics, fragrance, shoe and accessory licenses and quickly established a cult following with her hugely successful expansion in the Far East. Sui has become an iconic mainstay in American fashion, creating clothes perfect for a rock n' roll superstar. Anna still has the same love of fashion that she did when she was a little girl, and in June, Sui will be honored with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the CFDA.

With a colorful palette of blues, purples and oranges and neutral shades of ivory, gray, brown and black, the Anna Sui for Target includes an array of fall must-haves. Metallic jacquards, houndstooth and herringbone give warmth and rich texture, while satin, tulle and chiffon add a softer touch. Bows and lace provide feminine allure on the ivory lace long-sleeved dress with velvet bow tie collar and short-sleeve blouse with raschel lace sleeves and collar, while stripes, plaids and paisleys evoke school-girl charm on blouses and skirts.

Ranging in price from $19.99-$149.99, the line includes a variety of soon-to-be-obsessed with seasonal staples including sweaters, blouses, dresses, cropped pants and mini skirts A seersucker satin ruffle-front button-down shirt exudes uptown glamour and sophistication, while a silk crepe de chine cap sleeve striped dress is retro chic with flare. Sui adds her signature whimsical charm to the party-worthy black lace halter dress with bow-tie collar, while also offering casual cool wardrobe mainstays such as a silk charmeuse jumper and leather bomber. A classic Anna Sui bohemian touch of ethnic prints is modern on an asymmetric velvet burnout spiral floral print dress and beaded-collar blouse paired with the jacquard graphic mini.

The Anna Sui for Target collection celebrates the fusion of Upper East Side style and Downtown urban-edge at incredibly affordable prices, making designer fashion available to women everywhere.

About Target Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,699 stores nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.