Q&A: Kate Young Talks About Her New Target Line

As if there weren’t enough reasons to long for summer nights, celebrity stylist Kate Young’s first-ever collection of wallet-friendly ($14.99–$89.99) women’s apparel, accessories, and special-occasion dresses will be hitting shelves at Target on April 14. Young, who worked at Vogue prior to becoming one of Hollywood’s most sought-after stylists, has dressed actresses like Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, and Rachel Weisz. And Young called upon her red carpet experience when putting together her collection. “I have always been inspired by the magic of old Hollywood glamour and I really wanted to create an affordable collection that allowed a wider audience of women to feel that magic,” she told the Cut.

For her ad campaign, she asked Terry Richardson to shoot “It” girls D.J. Leigh Lezark, actress Nathalie Love, and models Hailey Gates and Lily Kwong clothed in Kate Young for Target outfits while striking fierce poses on a red carpet. We spoke to Young about her transition from styling to designing, her thoughts on her finished products, and working with Terry on the ad campaign.

You’ve worked with Target as a stylist before — but were you always interested in creating your own collection for the chain?
During an appearance on the Today show, I mentioned that a dream of mine was to create an affordable line of clothing for women. Shortly after the segment aired, Target approached me about doing an entire collection and I loved the idea right away! The entire process has been energizing, but also really comfortable given I’ve worked with Target for so many years.

What is it like to transition from styling to designing?
As a stylist, I work hand-in-hand with designers on the creation, styling, and fitting of their collections, so I have been exposed to this process for years! For this line, Target gave me a lot of authority to make decisions that I felt were best for the collection, which in the end made me feel empowered and in control of the aesthetic of each dress. 

How would you describe your final product?
The Kate Young for Target collection is exactly what I dreamed it would be. The line truly reflects my aesthetic for edgy, sophisticated style and is designed to offer items that are versatile, modern, and ideal for special occasion dressing.

What was it like to work with Terry Richardson on the ad campaign?
Terry is one of the world’s most renowned fashion photographers; he has photographed a variety of high-fashion ad campaigns and editorial shoots and it was absolutely amazing working with him. Terry and I have worked together many times in the past and I felt his style — a clean, snapshot style and high energy portraits — truly complimented my background and vision for this campaign.

What drew you to the “models” you cast?
Target and I worked with top industry talent to bring the collection to life. The choice was easy as I knew all the girls we cast before — Nathalie since she was 11 years old — and it was of utmost importance to me that the ad featured “real” girls, not models or actresses who seem so “unreal” to a lot of women. “It” girls today are seen as style icons and have the ability to influence what we wear and how we wear it, so it only seemed right for these amazing women to be involved with the campaign.

Do you hope any of the celebrities you style will wear these looks on the red carpet?
Michelle Williams already wore the black clutch to her premiere of her new film Oz! I can only hope my designs will pop up on more celebs, but we will just have to wait and see.

Check out the Kate Young for Target look book and an exclusive video below.