Right on, Target!
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007If you had told me 10 years ago that I’d be shopping at Target for trendy clothing and accessories I would’ve said you were outta your mind. Growing up in SoCal, Target really was just an off-shoot of a similar discount store Fedco (which happened to have my favorite pizza when I was a kid). At UCLA, the store with the omnipresent bullseye logo became the place to stock up on household necessities and school supplies within a college student’s budget. In the late 90’s, there was a sudden evolution at this once practical mega-store and what was Target, quickly became widely referred to as “Targé” (Tar-jé). With the introduction of a houseware line by Michael Graves and clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli (yes, the SAME Mossimo that created popular surfer clothes in the 80’s), Targé became a cool place to buy not only your TP and toothpaste, but also your toasters and tees.
Fast forward a few years and now you’ve got high-end fashion designers - the same ones who have their designs strutted on runways during New York and Paris’ Fashion Weeks - lining up to get a piece of Target’s humongous customer base of middle (and not so middle) America. The GO International concept was launched and so was a new name in fashion, function, and style at a fraction of the price. IMHO, there’s been a few hits and misses in these rotating lines, but that may be just due to my particular sense of style. While I loved most of Paul & Joe’s whimsical creations (I completely heart the plaid owl purse), I was less impressed with Behnaz Sarafpour’s line, which was a little too pearly and girlie for my taste.
When I saw a billboard in January of this year announcing the new Proenza Schouler line about to be launched, I could barely contain my excitement and almost ran into the car in front of me. See, for a girl like me, I read the fashion mags, chuckle at the high price tags of anything with a recognizable name attached to it, and just dream of the days when I’m rich or famous enough to buy or be given these extravagant goods. But with the Target fashion lines, these fashion icons could be purchased by whoever and practically wherever (the Target across the city, target.com) without having an ounce of buyer’s guilt or remorse. For that reason, I crown those who came up with this idea as the marketing geniuses of the century. Even more brilliant is the angle of having these lines as “limited edition,” exercising the laws of supply and demand seamlessly. While other discount retailers have tried to copy this format, I’m sorry to say that Martha Stewart, Kathy Ireland, and Jaclyn Smith aren’t the first names that come to mind when I think high-end, innovative fashion.
I went to Target on Saturday and sifted through the racks in awe, thinking that I could find half if not 75% of the clothing in my closet. Cute dresses, summery skirts, quirky tops, bold prints, OH MY! I fell in love with the new line, Proenza Schouler. Among my favorites were a silky, corset-y tank and a dress with a similar sexy cut. What I ended up buying for myself was a wide pleated cotton skirt with a teal leaf print (kind of like palm tree fronds), that will look divine with a ribbed white tank, chunky ethnic necklace and leather sandals. I also adored a new Mossimo sub-line, called “Mossimo Supply Co.” that had comfy bermuda sweats shorts and cargo wear that were all very reminiscent of American Eagle or A & F at a FAR better price. This khaki mini dress with pockets on the side caught my attention, and I picked it up as a summer staple. Can I just say how much I’m looking forward to 80 degree days?!?!
As my life takes me abruptly from apartment renting to home owning, I’m sure I’ll be visiting Target more often. I’ll have the perfect reason to say, “Babes, I’m going to stop by Home Depot and Target. Do you need anything?” and come back with a shopping bag full of the season’s hottest trends. I’ll also make sure to pick up some Advil for the headache that I give him when he sees that I bought another pair of shoes.
