Wednesday's Rave: new Lume Luxe candles at Target

Regular readers of this blog will know that I’m over-the-moon for Target’s Lume Luxe candles. They are highly fragrant, beautifully packaged, and attractively priced. They disappeared from store shelves for a while, but then Target brought them back earlier this year.

And lo and behold, now Target has introduced 5 new scents. There's Ocean & Sea Salt, White Fig, Black Amber, Wild Herb Cassis, and Blackberry Creme. After testing them in-store, I’m partial to the Blackberry Crème one (shown) which smells almost identical to Trish McEvoy's Wild Blueberry Vanilla candle. But at just $12.99, the Lume Luxe version is a fraction of McEvoy’s (which is $48).

Tuesday's Rant: Target copies Coach (again...)

Most Tuesdays I take the opportunity to rant about something I do not like about Target… because although I love ‘em to death, they ain’t perfect. Today’s rant is about the news that Target is being sued for copying designs from Coach, Inc. In a complaint filed last Thursday, Coach stated that it wants Target to stop selling the bags and pay an undetermined amount in damages, injunctive relief and attorney fees.

The bags in question resemble Coach's Ergo bags, launched in 2008 and marketed as ergonomically correct, and its Signature Patchwork bags (like the one shown here) which have patches in different fabrics and also were introduced in 2008.

Target began selling handbags this past summer with "exact and/or confusingly similar reproductions of Coach's Ergo designs and Signature Patchwork designs," Coach claims. However, a quick search of Target’s site doesn’t turn up any of the bags in question, so my assumption is that Target has already stopped selling them pending this lawsuit.

Ironically, Coach also sued Minneapolis-based Target back in 2006 for the very same reason, claiming the retailer was selling a copy of one of its handbags. The companies settled that previous case, but you’d think Target would have enough sense to avoid copying products from a company that already sued you once.

Pick of the Week

It's Pick of the Week time: each week I pick one great buy from Target's Weekly Ad (in the Sunday newspaper) and highlight it here on my blog. Today's pick is a variety of women's sweaters from Merona and Mossimo, on sale this week for just $15 each. And perfect timing, too, as there's definitely been a chill in the air these past few days. I have my eye on the argyle one, and will be heading over to Target later today to check it out in person.

Plaid: Yay or Nay?

As I wrote about a couple of months ago, I'm not so sure I can get on board with this season's craze for anything and everything plaid. In Nina Garcia's latest video on Target's StyleBoutique, she fully embraces this trend, predicting "you’ll see plaid in lots of silhouettes and colors this fall."

As with her last 2 videos, she makes her test subjects look super stylish and up-to-date. I just personally can't warm up to this trend, having lived through it once already in the early 1990's. What about you folks out there? Will you (or have you already) fallen "mad for plaid"?

New Starbuck’s Via to be sold at Target

Starbucks, the company that built its reputation on selling pricy espresso-drinks, now wants to turn folks on to its version of instant coffee. In their biggest product launch to date, Starbucks will start selling its new Via instant coffee packets at all of its U.S. and Canadian stores this week, backing it with a nationwide television advertising and merchandising blitz. Via will also be sold at other select retailers, including Target.

Starbucks first unveiled its instant coffee offering earlier this year, selling the product online and at its stores in Seattle, Chicago, and London. For a company that got people hooked on $3 lattes, instant coffee seems at odds with its premium image. But Starbucks has supposedly been developing the product for almost 20 years, waiting to concoct an instant coffee that was close in taste to its regular brew.

For a review of how Via stacks up to regular Starbuck’s coffee, check out The Recessionista’s take on it. She thinks Via is pretty darn good! And today through Oct. 5th, you can test it yourself. All Starbucks stores will be hosting taste tests this Friday through Monday. You'll be able to taste the Columbia Starbucks Via instant coffee next to their fresh-brewed Pike Peak blend. Best of all, taste test participants will receive a coupon for a free tall brewed coffee on a future Starbucks visit and $1 off a Via purchase.

Britney Spears hearts Target

Perez Hilton posted this picture of Britney Spears shopping at Target on Wednesday. Looks like Brit hearts the Bullseye as much as I do! What do you suppose she bought??

The Returns Department...

I hope this doesn't turn into a regular feature here on my blog, but from time to time I DO return items to Target that at first I was in love with. So in the spirit of full disclosure, I bring you the first installment of The Returns Department.

A couple of weeks ago I bought this Pleated Tulle Dress by Anna Sui, and at first I was smitten. I even tried the dress on in store to make sure I liked it, and was convinced it was a "hit". And I wasn't the only one who liked it, as it seems to have sold out already on Target.com.

But alas, upon reflection - and trying it on again in the comfort of my own home - I now realize it is a "miss". The dress still is super cute, IMO, but just not cute enough on ME to warrant keeping it. Therefore, I'll be returning it this week.

BTW: Angie from the YouLookFab blog gives similar advice in this piece for The Today Show (see video below). She advises that "if you get it home, and don't absolutely love it, then return it!". I couldn't agree more.

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