Target and Neimans must be Crazy

Click to view the collection

I was excited when I first heard about the Neimans and Target collaboration. I was thinking that it was going to be as exciting as the Missoni collection that debuted last fall and crashed their website. The Missoni line featured their signature style but at high end Target prices. Most pieces were under $40 and looked great. Of course there was some wacky things like a $400 bike, but most things were budget friendly and totally usable.

The Neiman Marcus collection at Target will be officially available for sale Saturday, December 1, 2012. It has been hyped up a lot, even creating spots on my favorite TV show Revenge. The main marketing message is that you can get items from these exclusive Neiman designers at Target. Maybe this is great for people that don't live within a decent area of a Neimans, but considering there's one within 20 minutes of me, its not that much of a draw.


Yes, designers featured through this partnership are cheaper than the hundreds to thousands of dollars that you would pay at Neimans, but it still doesn't feel like they have the Target consumer in mind. Someone looking for style, while on a budget. A $50 cocktail shaker detailed in 18K gold, a weird looking Tracy Reese blouse for $80, or $30 for five cookie cutters. I do love this pink Marchesa dress for girls, but not to the tune of $80 for a little girls dress.

Jason Wu is one of the featured Neiman designers, and offers a couple of cute dresses for girls and some pretty fancy ornaments. However, its expensive. The three-pack of ornaments are priced at $49.99 and the dresses for little girls are $59.99. Not what I would expect to see at Target. Wu also offered an exclusive collection to Target in February 2012. The collection featured over 50 items all priced under $60. The collection was sold out quickly, but not as fast as Missoni collection.

One holiday season I worked at Neimans and the only reason I was able to afford to buy anything was because I had a discount, and still had to wait for one of my double discount days in order to buy something. Working the food area and men's cologne, I was shocked that people actually purchased $15 potato chips. The colognes and perfumes were priced as many other places, and often had scents that were exclusive to Neimans. Also around the holiday, they would offer things like special gift boxes, free engraving of bottles and other perks. So perfume & cologne is definitely a good buy at Neiman Marcus.

While I find some of the things in this collection cute, I highly doubt there is anything that I would actually purchase. I'm not much on designer names. I like things that are classic, but shows off my style. I hate things that appear to be a fad or you can tell what season something was purchased. Plus, if I really cared about a big name designer I'd actually go to Neimans, or just hit the Nordstrom Rack. This collection will most likely sell out, but I think it will be the Neiman customers that are amazed they can get something at Target. Most Target customers will probably be turned off, I know I am.