Perfectly planned to sync with the retailing furor, Target is about to find out whether its hotly anticipated new collaboration with Neiman Marcus will create as much of a frenzy as that now infamous launch with Missoni. Armed with 24 different high-end designers, this joint venture finds itself in fairly unprecedented territory, kicking the whole retail bar up a notch as well. Not only has the mass retailer paired up with a society grande dame heretofore considered "out of its league," but the designer roster is quite an impressive who's who from the CFDA - aka the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Now that the lookbook is available online, I've done my window shopping and made my list. I was surprised at the number of items that appealed to me, either as gifts or for yours truly. Home decor and clothes are the main offerings, and while it weighs more towards the ladies, there are dude-friendly choices, too.
Here are some of the eagerly-awaited things just waiting to jump into your cart:
Already familiar to Target, Jason Wu is back, this time putting his fancy touches on ornaments.
Carolina Herrera, of the swooping formal gowns, sticks with smaller accessories for this launch.
A pretty darn cool cocktail set up from Altazurra.
Lela Rose's top is pretty, but it also looks complicated to pull on. I envision getting everything from chunky rings to kids' curious fingers snagged in the delicate overlay.
These opera gloves by Brian Atwood look even better in person.
I predict madness as moms try to grab this Marchesa number for their little princesses.
I love this blazer from Thom Browne. Too bad the chick's version has 3/4 sleeves. Maybe I'll see if I can get away with the men's option shown here. It does kinda smack of the Olympics' opening ceremony, but who cares.
Do I want a skateboard by Derek Lam? Yes.
Aww... Band of Outsiders is offering you and your BFF the chance to show your love.
I adore Diane von Furstenberg. My adoration extends to her jewelry box.
A Rag + Bone flask? Hellz yeah!
Should you feel inclined to share your secret stash of bourbon...
Tracy Reese's first foray into hardlines, I believe. And these are also much prettier in person. I passed up the online version, only to find myself coveting the real-life display. (P.S. I got to meet Tracy, and she is the sweetest gal ever, making my decision to buy her appetizer plates that much easier.)
The perfect holiday party dress, thanks to Robert Rodriguez. Now I just need to find that party.
Wanna spoil your pup (or cat)? Oscar de la Renta enables you.
Oscar also enables you to treat yourself with this chic printed purse.
It's sort of random, but I like Rodarte's moon wrapping paper.
Eddie Borgo's larger-than-I-expected letter opener. Scary in a good, elegant way. I'll keep this at my desk, for tearing through envelopes and warding off the engineers, haha.
Of course Marc Jacobs wasn't going to do any full-size satchels, but his pouches are cute and festive.
Oh, Proenza Schouler, I was really hoping for a bag of some sort. Guess this sweatshirt will have to do, instead.
And finally, Tory Burch's colorful thermos, which you can pair with...
...her glam take on the lunch box. I really love Tory's designs, and these are no exceptions. Too fab for your egg salad sandwich and turkey wrap? I'll stash my pile of sunglasses in here.
So... what caught your eye? Scribbling down a wish list now, too? Let me know what made you do a happy dance. Or, were you expecting/wishing for different things from certain designers? What were those? I'd be curious to see if we had some similar "why didn't ABC do 123 instead of XYZ?" moments. There are many other pieces to salivate over, including a bike by Alice+Olivia (looked ginormous to me), a cape by Prabal Gurung, and so on. Click here to see the entire lookbook (cue the crying and/or chiding of your checkbook).
The Target+Neiman Marcus collaboration unleashes the mayhem on Saturday, 12/1. I'm still deciding whether to stick with online shopping (and risk website crashes circa September 2011) or drag my butt out of bed and hit one of the stores. Oh, and both Target and Neiman Marcus will carry the entire assortment. While the former is accustomed to the crush of shoppers, I have to wonder if Neiman's has planned for a possible onslaught. Hmm. That could be interesting.
Finally, a plea to Target's co-collaborator... Considering you've just engaged in this lovely partnership, don't you think it's kind of mean to close your Minneapolis outpost?? We've already suffered the loss of other upscale department stores... bye-bye Bloomie's and Saks. While I love Nordstrom bunches, I hate to see it become the lone wolf. Please consider keeping our Neiman Marcus open. Some may snort and call it Needless Mark-Up, but I think plenty of fashionistas here "need" you. And you realize you'd be closing shop on Target's home turf... isn't that like giving your partner and newfound BFF the finger? I don't know... just a thought...
Coming soon... Uptown (in Minneapolis) continues to turn into a mall, without the roof... But is this a bad thing?
All images: A Bullseye View / target.com
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