DwellStudio

DwellStudio, the contemporary home furnishings resource, has launched a special budget-friendly line for Target. DwellStudio for Target includes adult and infant bed linens, nursery furniture and room decor, baby layette and a full range of kitchen and table linens and accessories. The baby line is already available (here’s a pic of one of their adorable throw pillows!) and the home collection will hit stores soon.

The Luck of the Irish

How perfect is this little sweater? From the elegant single cable down the front to the luxe cotton-jersey knit (which is lightweight but not too flimsy) it’s the perfect Spring top (especially in this vibrant green, with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner). And at 50% off, I just had to nab one in each color :-)

Isaac Mizrahi for Target Cabled V-Neck Sweater: $14.99
(on sale from $29.99)
Available in Signal Green (shown) or True White

Wednesday's Rave: Smith & Hawken

One of my favorite – and one of the more consistent – designer lines at Target has been Smith & Hawken. S&H produces solid, affordable, and whimsical patio and garden accessories season after season. They also offer a great selection of outdoor furniture, lighting, planters and fountains. And with their Target line, it’s far more affordable than at their retail stores. They’ve had various versions of these duck statues for the past couple of years, and I actually have a yellow one displayed on my fireplace mantle.

Tuesday’s Rant: Red Hot Shop

Each Tuesday I take the opportunity to rant about something I do NOT like about Target…..because although I love them to death, they ain’t perfect. Today’s rant is about the sudden disappearance of the “Red Hot Shop” on their web site. For those of you unfamiliar with this section, this was the place where Target highlighted “new and cool” items (sometimes only available online and not in stores). It was always fun to browse this section and get unique gift ideas and inspirations. But Target must have abandoned this feature, because I checked in today and the Red Hot Shop hasn’t been updated since Dec. 24th, 2007 (??!). What gives, Target? The Red Hot Shop used to be one of the things that made your site hip and different. Please don’t phase it out. Please. Pretty please?? ;-)

Something old, something new…..

… something borrowed - you know the rest. It’s gearing up towards wedding season, and how cute are these bridal shower invitations?? I got my own shower invitations at Target when I got married 4 years ago, but they pale in comparison to these. Target has actually beefed up all their wedding/bridal offerings in the last couple of years, and the selection is pretty impressive for those who’d rather buy something “off the rack” (so to speak) rather than order custom stationery and invitations.

20-count Bridal Shower Invitations: $9.99
Available in stores or at Target.com

Pick of the Week

It's pick of the week time: every Sunday I pick one great buy from Target's Weekly Ad (in Sunday's newspaper) and highlight it on my blog.

This week's pick is the Classic Home 8-piece comforter set at only $55 for ANY size. Anyone who’s shopped for bedding lately will know that this is a GREAT deal, especially at the larger king and queen sizes. The set includes a comforter, 2 standard size pillow shams, 2 Euro shams, 2 decorative pillows, and a bedskirt. The only downside is that there’s probably only 2 or 3 colors/patterns to choose from. But if you find one you like, then you’ve found a true bargain!

Converse One Star

I simply love Love LOVE the Converse One Star collection at Target! So far I've bought the gray heather hoodie, the matching sweat pants, and all the graphic tees I can find in my size. My next purchase will probably be this adorable track jacket in what they call "Federal Blue" (aka navy blue). I've been to 3 different Targets in the last couple of weeks, and each store seems to carry a slightly different collection of Converse One Star. So your best bet for the complete line - as well as a full range of sizes - is to just shop it off Target.com.

Two more thoughts on Isaac leaving Target (and then I'll shut up....)

1) Liz Claiborne Inc. has already nabbed the wonderful Tim Gunn (from TV's Project Runway) to work for them. Do they really need to steal away Isaac, too??
2) For those of you who've been wondering: Target will continue to sell the Isaac Mizrahi line through the rest of this year. But at the end of 2008, it's done, kaput, nada, fini.

Isaac Mizrahi Leaving Target

Although it’s old news by now, I’ve been holding off on blogging about this because the thought of it almost makes me cry. But last month, Liz Claiborne announced that designer Isaac Mizrahi would be leaving Target to become the creative director of Liz Claiborne's better-priced women's division. Which means that after 5 wonderful years, there will be no more Isaac Mizrahi line at Target :-(

Now I was CRUSHED to hear this news! As an avid Target shopper and a HUGE fan of IM (even before his association with Target) I hate to see the end of his mass-market line. IM for Target was always my go-to option for fashionable, fun, and affordable career clothing. I cannot tell you how many of his things I’ve purchased at Target (clothing, handbags, shoes) that have kept me on trend AND on budget.

When IM first joined Target, he was going through a metamorphosis: after a successful fashion run in the 1990s, he was forced to shut down his design business in 1998 after Chanel (his financial backer) pulled out due to concerns about low sales figures. He then decided to take a break from fashion and dabbled in both publishing and theater. But in 2003 he returned to his fashion roots – with a twist – when he signed a deal with Target to bring high fashion to the average, cost-conscious consumer. With prices topping out at less than $100, Isaac’s Target line signaled a clear departure from his earlier big-ticket designs.

Now the magic question is: who does Target bring on next? Some have speculated (or wished for!) Marc Jacobs or Michael Kors to step in as a replacement. I say, dream on. I think whomever steps in has to be a big name (but not TOO big) or someone on the verge of (or needing) a comeback. Someone a bit edgy – like Isaac - who can bring hip yet classy clothing to the masses.

Another Go International designer tapped by Target

According to reports from Women’s Wear Daily, Jonathan Saunders will be the next designer tapped by Target to design a limited edition run for their Go International line. Jonathan hails from Scotland, and recently partnered with Britain’s TopShop to design a special line for them. He’s known for his innovative prints (whatever that means!) and his association with Target must be very recent, because Target hasn’t even put a press release out yet confirming when his collection will hit stores.

Wednesday’s Rave: Soap & Glory

Beauty guru Marcia Kilgore, the founder of Bliss Spa, is the brainchild behind the fun (and affordable) bath and beauty line Soap & Glory, available at Target. The super-girly, retro-inspired pink & black packaging features tongue-in-cheek product names like “Calm One, Calm All”, “The Righteous Butter”, and “Clean on Me”, as does their tagline: “At Soap & Glory, we believe that you shouldn’t have to spend an arm and a leg just to moisturize one (or the other, or both)”. They all smell super-yummy, too! My favorite is the “Flake Away”; it works wonders on dry rough patches (like neglected winter feet!) and leaves your skin oh-so-soft and gently-scented.

Tuesday’s Rant: Merona Tights from Target

Each Tuesday I take the opportunity to rant about something I do NOT like about Target…..because although I love the store to death, they ain’t perfect. Today’s focus is on Merona Tights. Now I used to love these; back in the day, Merona’s quality was just as good as much pricier department store brands like DKNY. And their classic black opaque-style tights were just that: a TRUE (non-see through) pair of black tights. But a year or so ago, they changed dramatically: the quality went down, and the packaging changed. Instead of being “folded” with a cardboard wrapper, they now have a cardboard insert (which is hard to get out and can damage/snag/run the nylons when unwrapping them) in addition to a sticker wrapper that is hard to peel off. Memo to Target: please go back to the drawing board on this one, reformulate the product back to the way it was, and drop the unnecessary packaging.

Is Kmart trying to copy Target?

I found a banner ad yesterday for something called “Piper & Blue” on http://www.thebudgetfashionista.com/ …… and lo and behold, it led me to Kmart’s web site. What the ??!! You can further click thru to the “Designer’s Blog” for “trendy tips” and “style file” notes from the “SoHo designers behind the Piper & Blue line”. Um, yeah……this is clearly a poor attempt to imitate the Go International line at Target. And it must have just launched recently, because the site still seems to be under construction, with very little content and not all the links working.
I think I’ll pass.

Pick of the Week

It's pick of the week time: every Sunday I pick one great buy from Target's Weekly Ad (in Sunday's newspaper) and highlight it on my blog.

This week's pick is the Cherokee Ultimate Polo for Men, on sale this week for $9.99 each. My husband loves these shirts, and even made the permanent switch to these from his old favorite - Land's End - last year. They feature a classic fit in 100% cotton pique knit, a no-roll collar, are both shrink and fade resistant, and come in a wide variety of colors.

PS: The Cherokee Ultimate t-shirts and khakis are also on sale.

Global Bazaar clearance at Target

Target’s Global Bazaar collection – which includes furniture, lamps, rugs, and all sorts of home décor from around the world – is now on sale. The inventory in stores is getting picked over, but there is still a great selection available online at Target.com. So far it seems to be marked down about 20-30%, but I predict it to be further discounted after this weekend as Target starts to make room for their new Spring/Summer outdoor furniture and accessories.

UPDATE: Yep, I was right. Since posting this yesterday, Target has now discounted the Global Bazaar collection to 50% off.

Coming Soon to Target: Jovovich-Hawk

Model/actress Milla Jovovich and model Carmen Hawk will bring their vintage-inspired clothing line to Target’s Go International collection starting March 2nd. To be honest, I have no insight on this fashion line, although I’ve read that Hollywood hotties like Nicole Ritchie and Ginnifer Goodwin wear their stuff. According to the official Target press release “Jovovich and Hawk's L.A.-based namesake label is in its fifth season, although the two have been friends for over 10 years. The first collection was bought exclusively by Fred Segal and sold out almost instantly. The label continues to build a fan base around the world and is now stocked in stores such as Ron Herman, Net-A-Porter and ShopBop in the U.S., as well as high-end retailers in Europe and Asia.”

PS: Let’s just hope it’s better than the fugly Erin Featherston line that was in stores over the holidays!

Target Garden Center: going, going, gone?

What's happening to the local Target Garden Center? I just found out that the garden center at my nearest Target store has closed. For good. For reals! I thought they were just remodeling, as they routinely scale back inventory for a few weeks after the holidays once the Christmas trees and poinsettias are gone. But when queried, a Target employee told me that the Garden Center was gone for good, and that the former space would instead be used as "storage" (whatever THAT means....). This isn't the first Target in California that's done this (I hear the Morgan Hill store did the same thing) and I fear this is becoming a horrible trend.

Loeffler Randall: Not so hot.....

I’ve had a chance to check out the much ballyhooed Loeffler Randall bag collection for Target….and frankly, I’m not that impressed. I bought the bag pictured below, but it’s still sitting in the trunk of my car and I will most likely be returning it. I want to love it – really I do! – but just can’t. While this bag looks great from afar, up close the faux leather material looks rather cheap. One might be better off getting the brown one, which has a richer, shiny patent-leather look. And the cream color is inconsistent; I saw several on the rack at Target that ranged from a true off-white to a yellowish gray. But most importantly, this bag isn’t constructed intelligently: the only closure is one snap in the middle, leaving two huge gaps on either side from which things can either fall out (or can be easily pick pocketed!). IMO, the Loeffler Randall line is a disappointment, and not nearly as chic as the Rafe line Target produced last year.

Wednesday’s Rave: Rimmel’s Lycra Lash Extender mascara

I have a mascara problem. I try a lot of them, but none of them really "wow" me, so I’m not brand-loyal. They either don’t make good on their promises (Makes lashes longer! Doesn’t flake or rub off! Positively no clumping!) OR they irritate my sensitive, contact-lens wearing eyes. So it was with great skepticism that I tried Rimmel’s mascara, which supposedly offers “60% more length and 50% more curve” onto my spare little lashes. While the effect wasn’t as dramatic as, say, false eyelashes, I do have to admit that they looked longer and, well, curvier. No irritation, either, despite the “lycra extenders” it contains. And absolutely no clumping or flaking! For the price (around $6.50) I’ll give Rimmel’s Lycra Lash Extender mascara a rave. Available at Target (of course!) as well as Walmart and Walgreens stores.

Dominique Cohen clearance at Target

The Dominique Cohen line is now on sale at your local Target store (as well as online at Target.com). Dominique Cohen is a high-end jewelry designer (as in some of her luxury items retail in the tens of thousands of dollars!) who decided to slum it a few months ago by creating a more affordable (yet still fashionable) line for Target. The Los Angeles-based Cohen, known for making layered looks in 18-karat gold, instead used ribbons, shells, and faux pearls for her budget-friendly Target line. I still thought that some of her items were a bit pricey for costume jewelry, with some of the fancier necklaces topping off at the $60 range. But now at 30-50% off, they’re pretty much affordable for everyone.