In 10 minutes, 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target was over.

My arrival time? 7:38 a.m. I set my alarm with a goal to get there at least 20 minutes earlier but started to do the usual rollover and snooze for another 15 minutes until it hit me…3.1 Phillip Lim at Target!! It’s amazing that on a normal morning, I can barely muster the energy to stumble to the coffee machine. But when Phillip Lim is mentioned, I catapult out of bed and am out the door in 5 minutes flat. The doors didn’t open at the Dadeland Target until 8 a.m. But, being 23rd in line (yes, I counted), I thought there’s no hope for me. Then the waiting began. Yeah, it was only 22 minutes. But my god does that go slowly when you know that what’s just beyond that metal gate is heart-pounding, supermarket sweep-type shopping for fantastic fashion at unbelievable prices.

Looking around, I realized, these women ahead of me are no joke. I thought I put in a good effort but these women were calm, cool, collected and even had coffee in hand. When was there time for that? One was in heels. My effort was lipgloss. It’s not even 8 a.m.! My game plan? Bags first, they fit me perfectly. I previewed online and was already drooling over the big black tote, that cute mini satchel, and the Boom sweatshirt. Perfect travel pieces…the big tote makes a perfect carry-on, the mini satchel packs perfectly in small spaces, and the sweatshirt will keep me warm in flight.

Finally, a Target employee marches out and starts giving us the rules. They evidently remember the lunatics that showed up for Missoni in 2011. The rules were basically as follows: no more than 2 pieces per style per person, take only the sizes that are close to your size into the fitting room, & try not to attack restockers. Okay, fair enough. WAIT! What? It’s not all out?? Oh, this should be interesting. Then he says, he’ll repeat it all again for those in the back. I turned around and there were probably another 50 people behind me. Still, not even 8 a.m. yet. When he started to repeat himself, he stopped first, took a deep breath and sighed. I couldn’t help but giggle. It was almost as if that sigh was saying, “You guys have no chance in hell back here.”

So here we are, all with our red carts, in a civilized line and the silver gate begins to roll up and…CHARGE! So much for being in line. Everyone shoved their carts to the side and dashed in. Bags, bags, where are the bags??? They weren’t out yet. HELLO??? Do we know who Phillip Lim is?? Ugh! So, I redirect and grab whatever clothes I’m loving in a small…ruffle tank in navy and white, green long sleeve blouse, sleeveless black sparkle dress, silky navy skirt, white/black drop dress, Boom print sweatshirt (YES!), floral print peplum tank, grey sparkle tank, floral print long sleeve blouse, and navy/green pullover. Then, in the corner of my eye, I see a mountain of taupe & black being wheeled my way. The bags!  They rolled out two shopping carts of bags and, thankfully, I was just feet away. I snatched up the mini satchel in taupe, the black tote with gusset, and the top handle cross body in black! YESSSS. Within seconds, they were all gone. For that, you can mostly thank the guy that threw 20 in his cart which he was clearly about to list on ebay.

In 10 minutes, 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target was over. Those just arriving at 8:15 a.m. were looking around confused as if they weren’t sure what was happening…where was all the merchandise? Yeah, gone, folks. I felt bad for them…I’d been there myself in 2011 when I naively arrived an hour after the Dadeland Target opened only to find two lonely Missoni acrylic tumblers on the shelf, which I still have and love. But, then I saw the desperation in their eyes and wondered if these fashion vultures might attack my red cart. So, I picked up speed and wheeled off into fashion bliss. Maybe next time, slow pokes.

So here are my tips on How to Get Everything You Want at a Target Designer Collaboration Launch:

1. Preview/Drool over the collection online. There’s always a ton of press on upcoming launches so you can scope out what you want…and spot it easily from a distance in the store.

2. Arrive as early as possible to the store and ALWAYS before it opens.

3. Think about going to a Target off the beaten path to avoid crowds and hysteria…but not too far off as they might not carry the line.

4. Ditch the red cart. You can’t make it through half of those tight aisles with it and you need to move cheetah fast in order to score anything. Grab your must-haves first, then get the cart after the frenzy.

5. Be friendly & start conversation with other shoppers and they just may give you their discards. I got a top handle cross body bag in black this way!

6. Casually and calmly (when none of the vultures are looking) stroll by the dressing room to see if there are any discards there.

7. Remember, if you’re petite like I am (and by that I mean a shorty 5’2″, not skinny) you probably need to size down just so the armholes don’t go down to your belly button.

Good luck!