Bogus sentence in Target cart crime

In an update to a story I first reported back in November - in which two 12-year old juvenille delinquents shoved a Target shopping cart over a railing at East Harlem Plaza, hitting an Upper West Side real estate agent four stories below - one of the perps was assigned a sentence that is basically a slap on the wrist.

According to the NY Daily News, one of the boys was sent to a group home Tuesday for as little as six months. The sentencing came as a lawyer for cart victim Marion Hedges, 47, said that she is out of a coma and talking but is a “shadow of her former self.”

Family Court Judge Susan Larabee sent the now 13-year-old, referred to in court papers as "Jeovanni R" (actual name Jeovanni Rosario, as has been previously reported by various news outlets) to Graham Windham, a low-security therapeutic home in Westchester County, for a minimum of half a year and a maximum of 16 months. “He’s finally going to get help . . . I thank God for that,” Jeovanni's tearful mother, Rosemary, said.

As a reminder, the other assailant - Raymond Hernandez - did not plead guilty back in late November, and his case was adjourned. So in short, there is no real justice for the poor victim in this case.

Merona Spring Lookbook: coral, crops, and strange styling...

The Budget Babe has posted the Spring 2012 Merona Lookbook (from Target) and I have to agree with her: there's some strange styles shown here! Lots of coral tones and crop pants - which are regular staples for Spring - but the way they're shown just seem "off". I'm also not getting the black cardigan on black shorts ensemble, as the monotone color combo looks too dark for spring.

Earlier in the week The Budget Babe also posted Mossimo's Spring Lookbook, and while the looks are a bit better, they still seem lacking something. Is Target slipping in the fashion department?

Target bans denim sandblasting

Jeans with the "lived-in look" comes at a price to the garment workers who make them. That’s because sandblasting – the process of weathering denim by blasting sand onto jeans using high-pressure machines – contaminates the air workers breathe and can lead to an incurable lung disease called silicosis.

Worker advocacy organizations such as the Clean Clothes Campaign have been working with industry leaders to change this practice. As more designers, manufacturers and retailers recognize the harmful consequences of sandblasting, safer processes are being adopted. Levi Strauss & Co was among the first to ban sandblasting as part of its commitment to its workers, and now Target has joined them in a stand against this technique.

By the end of this year, Target will no longer carry any products that have been sandblasted during the manufacturing process. But fans of the distressed look need not fret; while Target is banning harmful sandblasting technologies, they will still employ alternative methods - such as hand sanding with safer tools – to result in denim with the same broken-in look.

The Returns Department...

It’s time for another installment of The Returns Department, a sporadic feature on my blog in which I share with you an impulse buy that went awry. The focus this time is on the recent Jason Wu for Target collection, of which I'm afraid I ended up returning most of the items I bought. To date, I've returned the Black flared dress (as it was "too poufy" for my tastes), the Striped t-shirt dress (as I felt it was too see-thru) and the Milu cat tee (for the very same reason). And as I previously blogged about, I returned the Gold blouse as it fit completely differently then the Red one I purchased. I also returned the lace tee in Blush, as I thought the "lace" was printed in black (as is the case with the lace print skirt) but oddly enough, it's in blue - ?

So at this point, the only things I'm keeping are the "Michelle Obama dress", the Red blouse, and both the Navy and Floral print scarves. And the only thing I'm still longing for is the Milu cat tote... but I fear that unless I stumble across a customer return, I'm out of luck on that one!

Double-Take: J. Crew vs. Target

It's time for another double-take, where we take one item from Tar-jay and match it up against a lookalike designer piece. Faithful reader Cotton Candy alerted me to this one while jewelry shopping the other day. One of these coral/gold bamboo bangle bracelets is by J. Crew, and retails for $22.50. It's currently on sale for $18.50... which isn't bad, until you consider that the Target version comes in a set of FOUR for just $16.99. Which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below.

Mad Men style at Target...

Banana Republic is about to release their second Mad Men-inspired capsule collection on March 1st. One of the preview pics (at far left) shows a neutral-floral cardigan paired with tailored crop pants, which is a look you can easily re-create with separates at Target (for a fraction of the BR price). Just take a pair of skinny crop pants from Mossimo (only $22.99, in assorted colors) and pair it with a grey print cardigan from Merona (also $22.99). Add a ladylike bag and a pair of colorblock pumps, and you're ready to channel your inner Betty Draper.

Join Target for Dr. Seuss Storytime!

Mark your calendars tomorrow for Dr. Seuss Storytime at Target stores nationwide. Bring your kids to any Target store tomorrow for a live reading of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, from 9-11am on Saturday, Feb. 25th. The celebration also includes free goody bags and other fun activities. For more information on this special Read Across America event, click here.