Tuesday’s Rant: Is Target Skimping on Isaac?

Every Tuesday I pick a topic to “rant” on Target about….because although I love ‘em to death, they ain’t perfect. Today’s rant is about the oddly repetitive Isaac Mizrahi offerings showing up in Target Stores. Now we all know that Isaac is leaving Target, and we’re all heartbroken about it (sniff, sniff!) but I wonder if he’s actually already “checked out” and they’re just re-hashing his old designs? Because despite the fact that Target is supposed to keep the line alive until the end of 2008, I’ve found several items from IM’s new Spring line that are almost identical to offerings he had last year.

First was a scalloped-edge cotton blouse that is a carbon copy of one sold last Spring. Another is a seersucker sundress; same as last year’s, except the new version has an added grosgrain ribbon at the neckline. Still another example is the eyelet-trimmed trench coat pictured at left. I thought I was seeing double when I saw this in the store because I bought the same trench last year I and it quickly became one of my favorite items – so elegant and chic. But upon closer examination, I discovered that the coat wasn’t quite the same as the one that I have: the 2008 model has been re-done in a lesser-quality fabric, a less-flattering cut, and they’ve even skimped on the amount of eyelet trim. If Target is simply re-hashing old IM designs, then shame on them for sullying Isaac’s good name and trying to dupe customers.