COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Altuzarra Meets Target This September

It's been a few weeks without a designer collaboration announcement, but just as things are slowing down for the Memorial Day Weekend, Target has announced its next big team-up: Joseph Altuzarra (pictured at left).
Don't make plans for September 14th if you are a fan of the young designer. That's when his 50-piece collection will hit Target's stores and website, and, in what appears to be an ongoing international arrangement, Net-A-Porter. As usual, details and previews will be carefully doled out over the Summer leading up to what is likely to be a glittery launch timed to coincide with Fashion Week. The first tidbit is a sketch of a swiss dot dress (pictured below) of which the designer says, "I designed this beautiful, elegant full length dress as part of the Altuzarra for Target collection to add a sense of glamour to the collection. I envision women wearing this dress to special occasions and feeling confident, sexy and sophisticated." Prices will range from $17.99 to $89.99 for apparel and lingerie, and $29.99 to $79.99 for shoes and accessories.
After the sketch, check out a sexy teaser video for the collection

Target and Altuzarra Announce Fall Collaboration (Target Pressroom)
This Sketch from Altuzarra for Target is Everything (A Bullseye View/Target Blog)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Have A Look At The Entire Peter Pilotto For Target Collection

The line won't be available until February 9th, but until then, you can pick and choose which pieces you want to stalk because the full lookbook for the Peter Pilotto for Target collaboration has been released. If you love prints —loud prints, tiny prints, prints upon other prints— then you should start saving up now. The women's apparel and accessory line isn't quite as broad as last fall's 3.1 Phillip Lim project. Instead it's more focused on youthful, bright dresses and sportswear, but that's very much in keeping with the London-based designer's usual offerings. Did we mention that there would be prints?

See everything in the gallery below:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Previously:
Collaboration Anticipation: As 3.1 Phillip Lim Sells Out, Target Announces Peter Pilotto Up Next

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: As 3.1 Phillip Lim Sells Out, Target Announces Peter Pilotto Up Next

In a surprise to exactly nobody, determined shoppers descended upon Target stores yesterday morning to strip the racks and shelves of the chain's heavily promoted and anticipated 3.1 Phillip Lim collaboration collection. Never has The Shophound felt more relieved to have been to a pre-shopping event, because, by all reports, they were ruthless. As if to underscore the success of the retailer's return to its tried and true collaboration format, Target has wasted not a minute in announcing its next designer. On February 9th 2014, Peter Pilotto for Target will launch in most United States and Canada locations of the chain as well as at international online retailer Net-A-Porter, giving international fans of the London-based label more of an opportunity to participate in the modern shopping frenzy phenomenon known as the Designer Collaboration Launch.

The initial announcement was made earlier today at the label's London Fashion Week runway show. Though the brand, designed by Christopher DeVos and Peter Pilotto (pictured above), is less well known, more expensive and more exclusively distributed than Phillip Lim's, it has been gaining steam among luxury customers in recent seasons at stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Saks, and you can rest assured that with the momentum Target has created this past weekend, customers will be primed and ready to shop come next February. The designers are looking forward to making themselves more well known, as they are quoted in the retailer's press release,

“By working with Target, we’re able to broaden our reach and bring our design aesthetic to an entirely new audience,” said Peter Pilotto. “This is a pivotal moment for our brand. Our collection for Target embodies the elegance and spirit of our own line, but makes it accessible to everyone,” added Christopher De Vos.

Look for the designers' signature, colorful prints to be featured in the 70-piece apparel and accessory assortment which will range in price from $14.99 to $79.99 with most items under $60. This one's for women only, so sorry, guys. You'll have to wait for the next one. So far, no images have been released, but a brief promotional video hints at some of the prints we might see in the collection. Have a look after the jump.

Target and PETER PILOTTO Announce 2014 Spring Collaboration (Target Pressroom)
PETER PILOTTO for Target is the Next Must-Have Collaboration (A Bullseye View/Target Blog)

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: About Last Night's 3.1 Phillip Lim For Target Launch Party

As The Shophound was waiting in a very long line last night to pay for our purchases at the launch party for Target's 3.1 Phillip Lim collaboration collection, it occurred to us that we might have spent less time in line if we had actually just waited until next Sunday for the collection to launch in stores or online.
But then, we wouldn't have had the hors d'oeuvres, would we?
And, of course, we wouldn't have been shopping alongside Jessica Alba, Solange Knowles, new fun couple Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent, Maria Sharapova, E!'s George Kotsiopolous and Perez Hilton.
Well, we, and probably everyone else could have lived without seeing Perez Hilton in his weird, sheer tight tank top (or at all, really, ugh), but he came with the deal. And, truth be told, we are pretty sure that the celebrities got whatever Phillip Lim for Target duds they wanted sent directly to them and didn't have to wait in any checkout lines, especially since most of them were already wearing the collection. Nevertheless, we were definitely at the same party as they were at the same time, which is what matters, really.

Aside from the clothes and celebrities, the party also debut the Target "Stylescape" (pictured below), a panoramic, interactive video installation that showed off Lim's collection on a cast of notable individuals all photographed on the same day in several different North American cities. it provided a striking backdrop, but mostly everyone was focused on frenzied shopping.

We were prepared for some serious queueing up for the evening, arriving there a comfortable 30 minutes early mainly because, before we realized all the celebrities were there, our main concern was getting ahold of one of the $29.99 camouflage patterned backpacks from the collection. We were not the first person there at all, but thanks to planning ahead, the line to get inside Spring Studio in TriBeca snaked down Varick Street long behind us by the time they started admitting guests promptly at 7 PM, and, in fact, we did manage to snag one of the last backpacks, so... success! Even though The Shophound has been to many a press preview and pre-shopping event for these designer collaboration lines from Target, H&M and others (and we don't mean to sound jaded because we fully appreciate being invited to these things), this was the first time we had found ourselves at the glitzy, paparazzi-fueled celebrity launch. It turns out that the non-celebs really care more about loading their arms and stuffing those mesh shopping totes with as many pieces of the line as they can than they do about the glittery VIP guests. There is nothing that will trump some people's voracious hunter/gatherer instinct. As we arrived into the party area, guests were already deep into ransacking the stock faster than Target staffers could replenish it, and things only got more chaotic as the room filled up. Popular items included the exceedingly well-priced handbags, trenchcoats, party dresses and small leather accessories. During our extended checkout wait, a staffer replenishing the assortment of scarves was nearly trampled as shoppers swiftly emptied his stash and the chiffon squares flew every which way. We finally made it out feeling thoroughly satisfied with our backpack plus the camo-pattened T-shirt and sweatpants all for well under $100 (and, of course, a dinner's worth of tiny snacks being passed around on trays). Given the response to the collection, we suggest that interested shoppers get up early next Sunday morning if they want to get the best pieces. Have fun, and bring our own hors d'oeuvres. We'll be sleeping in.

Have a few more looks at the party scene in our gallery below

 Previously:
Collaboration Anticipation: Phillip Lim Confirms His New NoHo Store As He Previews His Upcoming Target Collaboration

• 
• 
• 

 

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Phillip Lim Confirms His New NoHo Store As He Previews His Upcoming Target Collaboration

Summer Vacation is a delight... except when it keeps you away from a preview of Phillip Lim's upcoming collaboration line for Target stores. Had we been in town last night, we would definitely have been at Target's midtown showroom to get a look at what the designer will be debuting on September 15th. Luckily, our friends at Target have supplied us with every possible preview image, and we have picked a few to share here in our gallery below. If you want to see everything (and it's a lot) for men and women, you can check out Target's extensive interactive lookbook. From what we can see, the collection looks strong including lots of accessories. The styles are very consistent with Lim's previous collections so they should blend in very well for the designer's regular fans without making new customers feel like they are getting a special sub-par product. Prices seem to be in the general range of previous collaborations with a few exceptions. Those leather jackets are real, and they range from $249.99 to $299.99. On the other hand, many items are $29.99 or less. Don't expect those high-top sneakers to last for long at $44.99, and we have dibs on the camo backpack for $29.99.

In other Lim-related news, rumors that the designer is opening a second New York boutique have been confirmed. He will be taking over a 3,200 square foot space on Great Jones street that is not terribly far from his original Mercer Street store, but much bigger and located in an area that is quickly becoming a fashion destination itself. it's looing like it will be a very big Fall for Phillip Lim.

High Fashion Hits Great Jones (Crain's)
Phillip Lim for Target (Official Lookbook)

 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

 

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Target Taps 3.1 Phillip Lim For Fall Collaboration

In more Target news, after a stumble last Winter with a poorly performing collaboration with Neiman Marcus and a host of designers, the retailer is getting back to basics with a Fall capsule collection with —not a retailer or a stylist, but a popular designer. 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target will launch on September 15th and, in a pleasant surprise, will offer apparel, shoes and accessories for both women and men. The collection was announced in a Wall Street Journal article (sorry WWD) that questioned whether the public still had an appetite for designer collaborations after missteps last year from leaders in the practice like Target and also H&M, whose Maison Martin Margiela collaboration was an uncharacteristically poor performer. Last Year was but a bump in the road, however and if the Neiman Marcus and "Shops at Target" programs received mixed responses, a simple team-up with a popular designer should put things right back in order. The product line will consist of over 100 items priced from $19.99 to $299.99.

As for H&M, the chain has already announced that it would skip its regular Spring collaboration this year, but we are expecting one for the Fall —which they should be announcing any day now...

The Retailer-Designer Dating Game (Wall Street Journal)

After the jump, check out a video preview of the collection

COLLABORATION DEFLATION: Target + Neiman Marcus Has Officially Tanked

It has not been a good season for two of retail's leading purveyors of otherwise wildly successful designer collaborations. First, H&M's Maison Martin Margiela collection flew way over the heads of the fast fashion chain's typically receptive customers, and now Target's heavily publicized team-up with luxury bastion Neiman Marcus has been deemed a disaster. Weeks after both stores' executives assumed that the multi-designer collection would have long since sold out, it remains available in stores and online marked way, way down. According to Time.com's detailed assessment, the collection of "affordable" Holiday gifts created by designers who sell to Neiman's was on the whole too expensive for Target's customers, and too cheap for the Neiman Marcus shopper. Poor reviews from influential bloggers didn't help either. Though the various items reportedly sold somewhat better at Neiman's stores, there are only 42 of those versus over 1,700 Target locations. Other complaints included quality issues, and the fact that most of the fashion designers who participated did not actually make clothes. The few who did, did not find success, as Target's customers were not inspired, for example, by Thom Browne's schoolboy jackets for men and women at $149.99.

There's good news, though, if you did want that jacket. You can now get it at Target.com (and reportedly at stores as well) for a mere $44.99, along with the rest of the collection also marked down by 70% -leaving much of it under $20. Target prices at last! Neiman's has also marked down the collection on its website (pictured below), but only by 50%.

When the surprising collaboration was announced earlier last year, both stores admitted that it was an offbeat idea, but they wanted to see what would happen if they teamed up.
Well, now they know, so don't expect to see this kind of thing happen again too soon. Of course, this isn't the end of designer collaborations by a long shot. Target has hot designer Prabal Gurung on deck for an 80-piece collection launching on February, with likely hopes that reverting to its tried and true formula of a collaboration with an exclusive up-and-comer will erase the recent memory of the Holiday season stumble. H&M, still clearing out of esoteric Margiela line, has already said it will take a brief break from it's "guest designer" series, so don't expect a seasonal follow up to last Spring's successful Marni line, but you can bet they are working on something for next Fall with more commercial potential. Neiman Marcus, for it's part has hopefully learned that there's not much need to do popularly collaboration lines when they have stores stocked full of designers' original collections. Now they can return to sitting back and letting Target and H&M publicize the young designers whose pricey main labels they can sell at full price.

Epic Retail Fail: Where Did the Target + Neiman Marcus Collection Go Wrong? By Martha C. White (Time.com via The Cut)
Previously:
Maison Martin Margiela with H&M Is Now On Sale Big Time

COLLABORATION ANTICIPATION: Have A First Look At The Complete ODIN At Target Lookbook

Yesterday evening, The Shophound was invited down to ODIN's Lafayette Street flagship for "Guys Night" which included snacks, a game of Plinko with Target gift card prizes (below, right), all kinds of booze and a long awaited look at the retailer's upcoming collaboration collection for The Shops at Target. If you are wondering if Target can put together a collection that can respectably hang in a boutique famous for selling labels like Rag & Bone, Common Projects, Burkman Bros. and Thom Browne, then wonder no longer. The collection was so well conceived that we didn't immediately realize that, instead of Odin's usual fare, the mannequin display above was entirely dressed in the Target line right down to the sweet pair of white-soled, suede desert boots that Odin owners Paul Birardi and Eddy Chai created for the giant chain. The clothes capture the store's signature, moody character with plenty of dark plaids and patterned knits in an earthy color palette, but they still maintain an accessible feeling that should easily appeal to Target customers unfamiliar with the exclusive mini-chain of downtown boutiques. Unfortunately, we only managed to score a $25 gift card from our misbegotten game of Plinko, but we did get an advance piece of the collection for ourself as we left, along with plenty of media information including the complete lookbook for the line which you can see below. This round of The Shops at Target, including lines from Kirna Zabête, Patch NYC and The Curiousity Shoppe as well as Odin, will drop in Target Stores in just about a month on September 9th, and, just in case they can't make it up to Harlem or out to the other boroughs, lucky Manhattanites will be able to purchase the respective collections at Odin and Kirna Zabête as well. Odin's line will range in price from $14.99 to $99.99, so have a look below and make your list. We don't think it will last too long in stores.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS: Neiman Marcus Teams Up For A Holiday Surprise With ...Target?

We don't think anyone saw this one coming.
Neiman Marcus, America's ultimate luxury department store chain, has joined forces with Target, the most stylish mass-market chain, and 24 card carrying CFDA member designers to create an exclusive collection of over 50 exclusive Holiday gift items that will go on sale at both companies' stores, which includes 1,763 Target stores and the 42 Neiman Marcus stores as well as their websites, on December 1st. The designers (pictured below in tiny form) include: Alice + Olivia, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Brian Atwood, Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenberg, Eddie Borgo, Jason Wu, Judith Leiber, Lela Rose, Marchesa, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Philip Crangi, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Robert Rodriguez, Rodarte, Skaist-Taylor, Thom Browne, Tory Burch and Tracy Reese. You must have a favorite in there somewhere. Each designer created between one and three items, and prices will range from $7.99 to $499.99, with most items coming in under $60. Proenza Schouler, Rodarte and Jason Wu will be returning to Target after having done collaborations there in the past.

The unlikely collaboration seems to have come about from a mutual admiration of both retailers, and a desire to work together in some way. This project is unconnected to the "Shops at Target" retailer collaboration program which launched this past Spring with specialty retailers, and will include hometown favorites Kirna Zabête and Odin this Fall. Instead, the event evolved from much brainstorming from both parties to figure out a way for the companies to collaborate in a way that would not be inconsistent with either store's image or usual offerings. While Target has done exclusive collections in the past with designers that are carried at Neiman Marcus such as Proenza Schouler or Missoni, Neiman's has typically avoided associations with mass retailers. When asked if the partnership would diminish her store's prestige, Neiman Marcus Chairman Karen Katz told WWD, “We don’t think so. The product and the design is so terrific. For Neiman Marcus, it’s so unexpected,” adding, “Most of our customers buy something at Target, maybe detergent, but this is fun and unique. We hope it brings a smile to our customer’s faces.” The collaboration also accompanies a $1 million donation by both companies to the CFDA "to celebrate the partnership and affirm their continual support the American design community" according to the Neiman Marcus blog.

Exactly what will be included in the product offerings has yet to be announced beyond the hints that some designers will be working well within their usual, expected categories while others have taken the opportunity to experiment in categories like sporting goods, home decor, pet accessories or electronics accessories. Materials will range from real leather and silk to hand beading to hand-blown glass and 18K gold, but those are the only details that have been released so far. Both stores will merchandise the collection in a single shop concept rather than distributing the items throughout the stores. The retailers chose to release the collaboration a few days after Black Friday to avoid it getting lost in the holiday shopping kickoff which, particularly at Target, is more focused on bargains and discounts. Even so, the merchandise is expected to last in stores only for a few of weeks at best, and possibly only a few days if the project gets a response as strong as last year's website crashing Missoni collaboration, so get ready to make your lists as soon as more details are announced. It's going to be a Masstige Christmas.

Neiman Marcus, Target Team in Daring Designer Deal (WWD)
Little Black Book of Designers: Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection (A Bullseye View/Target Blog)
Neiman Marcus + Target! This is Actually Happening (NM Daily)

MASS EFFECT: TARGET Adds Gay Pride Tees To Online Mix

What does it mean when a huge, mass-market retailer like Target adds ten Gay Pride t-shirts to its online offerings? In a year when same-sex marriage continues to be a lightning rod-issue in Presidential and state politics, it says something about progress and attitudes. In fact, voters in target's home state of Minnesota will vote this fall on a state contitutional amendment prohibiting same-se marriage. Are the new product offerings a result of Target's troubles with gay activists a couple of years ago when the retailer was discovered to have donated $150,000 to the MN Forward PAC  supporting Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, who was known to hold some anti-gay views? Boycotts were threatened. A music deal with Lady Gaga was torpedoed, and the company's generally exemplary reputation for supporting its gay employees with fair and equal benefits was tarnished by the bad publicity.

Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder tells Minneapolis' Star Tribune that the decision to offer the shirts came not from that embarrassing episode, but was generated by the company's 1,200 employee strong LGBTA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allies) Business Council. "Over the past year, we heard from our team members and guests that they'd like to see an assortment of Pride merchandise available at Target."

The shirts which became available this week, sell for $12.99 each, and the entire purchase price will be donated to the Boston-based Family Equality Council which is dedicated to supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender parents and their families. The assortment includes 10 different styles including one by singer Gwen Stefani, who also sells an exclusive line for children called Harajuku Juniors at the chain. As far as we can tell, the shirts are available only online, not at Target stores, so...baby steps.

Line of Target T-shirts to support gay pride (Star-Tribune via Towleroad)