Product Review: dENiZEN Jeans at Target

Recently I tried on the new dENiZEN jeans (from Levi's) at Target. And I have to say, I'm somewhat impressed! You can view the entire collection here on Target.com, although in stores, they only carry the regular length jeans. I am glad that Target also offers them in short and long lengths, but you have to shop their website to get those variations.

I bought (online) two styles in the short length: the Totally Shaping Bootcut in Sterling (shown here) and the Totally Shaping at Waist Bootcut in Meadowlark. The difference is that the "Totally Shaping" is a midrise jean, and the "Totally Shaping at Waist" is a high-waisted jean. Both control your "muffin top", but for me, the "At Waist" style is TOO high. And while I DO like the Totally Shaping style - and will keep them - I wish it came in the darker "Sapphire" rinse (which is only offered in the medium length).

These jeans are already at a great price-point at $27.99 a pair, but it looks like this week Target has them on sale for just $21.99 - $24.99 each online (depending on the style). I like them a LOT better than Levi's "Curve ID" line, which I've tried on and claims to offer similar shaping. IMO, the dENiZEN line both fits better AND is a lot more wallet friendly (as Levi's Curve ID start at $58).

Another former Target designer joins Project Runway...

Another former Target in-house designer has thrown their hat in the ring to try and win the coveted top spot on Project Runway. The last Target tie-in was contestant Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman from Season 6. Now Season 9 of Project Runway has just debuted, and 28-yr. old Danielle Everine has left her position as a lingerie designer at Target to compete on the show.

Reading over this Q&A that The Minneapolis Star-Tribune did recently with Danielle, I was surprised to find out that she actually didn't seek out a slot on the show. Rather, she says that “Recruiters from Project Runway contacted me. It wasn't on my radar and all of a sudden, I got an e-mail that they liked my work.”

If you want to learn more about Danielle, check out her full full bio here on Project Runway’s official website. As for me: after the first episode, I'm on Team Bert ;-)

Fab Find: Printed Ottoman

While wandering through Target the other day, I found this chic little ottoman stool and thought the graphic print would complement the decor in our living room perfectly. Even better, it would fill that lonely "empty space" between our TV cabinet and the fireplace. And if need be, it can also act as extra seating when I have people over.

Best of all, at just $49.99, it didn't break the bank. And for those of you looking for something in a "wilder" pattern, it also comes in a fun zebra print, too!

New at Target: Vintage Varsity

Target has partnered with the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin to create unique graphics for a variety of apparel items on Target's "Vintage Varsity" collection for Fall 2011.

Target's designers worked side by side with the museum's staff to create more than 100 different hand-pressed prints. The designers then toyed with color and scale to translate the vintage wood type images into a retro-inspired collection of t-shirts, hoodies, leggings, and sweatpants and sweatshirts, for men, women and children.

For more information, check out the Vintage Varsity section on the Target Style Facebook page. While there, you can watch videos inspired by the collection, and enter to win a a one-of-a-kind Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum collection tee.

McDonalds hearts Target, too

This morning I spied this Merona dress (the "Hayley", shown here) in a new TV spot for McDonalds Premium Grilled Chicken Sandwich. It caught my eye because I actually bought this same dress last week, and am wearing it to work today! Unfortunately, the commercial is so new that I can't find it on YouTube or anywhere else on the web; otherwise, I would have included a screen capture of it. But it's the commercial with the guy and the girl on a park bench, realizing they're eating the same sandwich and then each repeating the same phrase at the same time.

Michelle Obama hearts Target

Thanks to The Recessionista, we know that Michelle Obama hearts Target so much that she "recycled" this Merona dress for her appearance last week at the "Joining Forces" program at Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia Beach. Mrs. Obama first debuted this dress back in in August of 2009 (shown here) while on a family vacation in Arizona. The dress features an oversized herringbone print, and I'm betting that Mrs. O styled it with her own studded belt to give the outfit more of an "edge".

Unfortunately, this exact dress is long gone from Target. But if you're interested in a dress with a bold graphic print, check out the "Vevette" striped dress from the Merona Collection.

And the winner is...

The winner of my latest blog giveaway - for the Calypso St. Barth for Target Bobby Pins - is Danielle! Danielle's entry was picked by the random number generator over at Random.org. Danielle, I've emailed you for your mailing address so I can get your prize out to you. And thanks again to everyone who entered and for continuing to read my blog!

Man gets punched for pretending to FART in Target

Really, the title says it all. Watch the hilarious video here on Racked.com. And keep in mind that the key word here is "pretending", as the offender is hawking something dubbed "The Pooter" - the Artificial Flatulence Maker.

Back-to-School season arrives earlier this year

The NY Times is reporting that many retailers are moving up the start of their back-to-school sales and marketing campaigns devoted to children's clothing, stationery, computers, and other school-season merchandise. In at least one instance, ads that promote buying such items on layaway appeared in mid-June, when schools in several parts of the country were still in session.

The front-running of the back-to-school shopping season is not unlike how Madison Avenue has for years been advancing the start of the Christmas shopping season. Indeed, even as some retailers begin their back-to-school sales early, they are also sponsoring "Christmas in July" sales (as Target recently did online). In both instances, the reason for getting an early start is the same: with an uncertain economy, the goal is to gather your consumer dollars while they can, even if it may peeve some tradition-minded shoppers.

The first weekend in July brought newspaper circulars with back-to-school pitches from retailers including Target, Staples and Toys R Us. At the same time, August issues of magazines including Family Circle, Martha Stewart Living, and Parents have been arriving on newsstands and in subscribers' mailboxes with back-to-school ads from Target, Lands' End Kids, and Walmart.

A spokesman for Target in Minneapolis, Jennifer Mooney, said the retailer was "focused on delivering more value than ever" at Target stores and on target.com. Although the back-to-school merchandise "is available at the same time this year as it was last year," she added, there is a renewed emphasis on savings through coupon offers. For instance, "new this year," Ms. Mooney said, is a promotion in certain stores called Text to Get Coupon, by which shoppers can receive "an instant mobile coupon on specific items" such as General Electric light bulbs.

This just in: Gwen Stefani for Target

Attention all Harajuki Girls! Target's next design collaborator is noneother than Gwen Stefani! But before all you hipsters get too excited, she'll actually be designing a children's line - not women's wear. The upcoming collection (launching in November) will be called Harajuku Mini for Target, and will feature a price range from $3.99 - $29.99.

Reader Giveaway: Calypso St. Barth Bobby Pins

It's time for another reader giveaway to say "thank you" to all of you who continue to read my blog. This time, I'm giving away these adorable "mock turquoise" bobby pins from the recent Calypso St. Barth for Target collection (shown here, and brand new in package).

To win, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post along with your email address by Thursday, July 21st. This giveaway is limited to U.S. residents only, and the winner (picked at random) will be announced on Friday, July 22nd. Good luck!

Deal of the Day: Mossimo's "Katherine" Boots

So I've been checking Target's "Black Friday" deals this morning, and most of them are just ho-hum, IMO. The Vizio 19# flat screen TV is already sold out, but they still have a great deal on a Kitchen Aid mixer if you're in the market for one.

The "women's deals" seem heavy on the swimsuits (which they're probably trying to clear out for the season) and rain boots, with a sprinkling of maxi dresses and other summer clothing. But one "deal" caught my eye: these Mossimo "Katherine" Boots, as they've been featured by both The Budget Babe and the Elements of Style blogs. These boots have also gotten rave reviews on Target's web site, and for today only, they're on sale for just $34.99 (down from $49.99). They come in both black and brown, and are very similiar in styling to Frye's Harness boots (which will run you over $225!).

Double-Take: Calvin Klein vs. Calypso for Target

It's time for another double-take, folks, where we take one item from Tar-jay and pair it up with a similar designer piece. This time we look at a summer jewelry staple: the hammered gold cuff bracelet. One of these beauties is from Calvin Klein, and will set you back $185. The other option is from the recent Calypso St. Barth for Target collection, and is just $14.99 (probably less on clearance in stores).

Can you guess which one is which? The answer appears in the comments section below. But before you guess, let me share with you that I recently wore the Calypso cuff into a Michael Kors store, and was stopped immediately by two salespeople asking me "where did you get that gorgeous bracelet??!". I wish you could have seen their faces when I told them it was from Target :-)

Christmas in July...

Just as they did nearly a year ago, Target is celebrating Christmas in July with "Black Friday" deals. The date to put on your calendar is this Friday, July 15th, with Target boasting "huge deals, only online, and only this Friday". You can check out a preview of the deals here on Target.com.

And this year, Target also promises a "Tweet Peek": three deals so great they want to share them early, but only with your help. As soon as 500 of Target's friends 'Tweet' about the sneak peek, they’ll reveal the first deal. 500 more friends will reveal the second, and so on. Target asks you to Tweet away, then come back to their web site on Friday at 12 a.m. to save big.

New at Target: Yonanas

Have you heard about Yonanas? All of a sudden, this hot new "fro-yo" maker seems to be everywhere: on TV, on the Internet, and now, coming to a Target store near you.

The Yonanas Maker is a revolutionary new kitchen appliance that takes frozen fruits – like ripe bananas, mangos, peaches, coconut, and strawberries – and creates a creamy frozen treat that looks, tastes, and feels just like soft-serve ice cream. A major benefit of this new frozen treat-maker is that fruits low calorie and loaded with nutrients and vitamins. Frozen yogurt and ice cream, on the other hand, are filled with calcium, but they are also loaded with calories and sugar. A large cup of “fro-yo” can contain 380 calories and 76 grams of sugar. By comparison, a large cup of Yonanas offers zero fat, no cholesterol, and half the calories of ice cream.

And beginning this month, the Yonanas Maker will be available at select Target stores and on Target.com for $49.99. If anyone's tried Yonanas yet, please leave a comment here with your thoughts; I'm really tempted to try this thing, but would love to hear some "customer reviews" first!

PS - On a programming note: work will be taking me away from my computer (and this blog) for several days, so no more posts until next Monday at the earliest.

Target's new online return form still has some kinks to work out...

If you've ordered anything online from Target.com recently, you may have noticed a new form accompanying your order. FINALLY, Target is including a return form with online orders, so that you don't need to go to their web site to print out your own return form to return items to the store.

That's the good news. The BAD news is that Target hasn't quite fixed all the "technical glitches" with the new system yet... so most likely, if you try to return something to the store, the Customer Service Associate will ask to look it up via your original form of payment, as the forms aren't working yet.

Or, you could get lucky and be in a similar situation to mine. For whatever reason, one Converse One Star shirt I ordered - as part of an order of 6 Merona t-shirts for my hubby - somehow got mislabed as "did not ship" (even though it did and I received it last week). When I tried to return it to the store, I couldn't. The Customer Service gal even called Target.com, and they told me about the "technical difficulties" with the new system, and until they worked it out on their end, I couldn't return the shirt. They reminded me that I had a 90-day window to return the shirt, and asked me to try again in a week or two. And then, I got this email from them today:

Dear Target.com Guest,

We’re writing to let you know about a situation impacting your recent order on Target.com. Due to a technical issue, we had to cancel the following item(s):

Merona Metal Blue Men's Ss Tee Fx - XL
Merona Ebony Men's Ss Tee - XL
Merona Par Four Green Men's Ss Tee Fx - XL
Merona Garnet Men's Ss Tee - XL
Merona Blue Glory Men's Ss Tee Fx - XL
Merona Gradual Gray Men's Ss Tee - XL

Due to this issue, some item(s) may have already shipped to you. Don’t worry -- you won’t be billed for these items. If you do receive any items from this order and no longer want them, please donate to a local charity or shelter of your choice rather than returning them to Target.

If you still are interested in any items from this order that you did not receive, please visit Target.com and place a new order. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. Thanks for shopping at Target.com.

Sincerely,
Online Guest Services
Target.com

So in short, I got 6 shirts for free....cool! Thanks, Target!!!

Advertised as organic, but aren't

So much for truth in advertising. Racked.com is reporting that The Center for Environmental Health - an organization dedicated to protecting the public from toxic chemicals - has lifted the lid on cosmetics companies that wrongfully label their beauty products "organic" when they're clearly not. Earlier this year the organization surveyed dozens of products found on the shelves at stores including Target, CVS, and Walgreens and found that some of these supposedly organic products actually contain no organic ingredients at all. The company issued this statement:

"Several of the products, including products intended for children, contain potentially toxic ingredients, including chemicals suspected of causing asthma, disrupting hormones, or causing cancer and other health problems".

For a list of the 26 products that the CEH state are are not organic, click here. I noticed at least one product on the list that's currently carried by Target: the Boots Amazon Forest Body Wash (shown here).