Last night after perusing Pinterest and noticing Prabal Gurung runway looks, I decided to check and see when the Prabal Gurung Target collaboration would make its debut.   Fortuitously, I learned that the launch was this morning.  So I signed up for Target’s text notification for the sale.  Fortunately, I made it to Target.com around 8:30 a.m. this morning, as the Target notification for the launch didn’t appear in my message inbox until 12:14 p.m.!  I was a bit surprised to see that the 2 items I had chosen the night before weren’t sold out yet since they were both online exclusives. 

I picked two pairs of shoes, the Wedge Sandal with Ankle Strap and the Ankle Strap Pump,which aren’t figured into my current 25 Things list. 

 

We’ll see if I keep them.  Thankfully, Target has a 90 day return policy on these items, so if they don’t work out, then I don’t lose money.  I feel a bit odd about making these spur-of-the-moment purchases.  On the positive side, they are reminiscent of much higher priced pairs of shoes that I’ve been eyeing for spring, including the Manolo Blahnik, Alexander Wang and Givenchy sandals pictured above.

 

On the other hand, these “fast fashion” pieces seem to go against the new clothing acquisition policy that I’m somewhat struggling to implement.  Though these items are “designer” names, at Target prices, I doubt they will be of the quality that I’m trying to sustain in my wardrobe.  But, if I keep a pair or two of these shoes and get a season or more of fairly frequent use out of them, then they will certainly be worth their price.  Still, I suspect I’ll still feel a bit guilty for choosing to put money towards one season items rather than an investment piece, especially since we’re talking about shoes here rather than a t-shirt.  I certainly don’t have anything against Target shopping; I have purchased many items at Target over the years, some part of designer collaborations, some not.  I’ve been happy overall with my Target clothing purchases.  I think that Target is a particularly great place to stock up on plain black Ts, maternity wear, bikinis, and accessories.

 

My experience with the Target designer collaborations has been a mixed bag. While it’s exciting to see what a high-end designer will do within the constraints of the Target price points, ultimately, few of the items are of high enough quality to purchase.  I’m realizing that, even if Target does a collaboration with a designer I don’t follow, like Prabal Gurung, I still feel the need to check out the merchandise just so I don’t “miss out.”  This speaks volumes of my overall challenge in building a wardrobe.  I aspire to be a woman with a select number of pieces that are all stunning and frequently worn, but I continue to find too many things that I like.  I’m sure that this is an experience that many of my readers share.

 

The first day feedback on the Prabal Gurung collection at Target is that the response was not as overwhelming as expected.  As with many of the other designer collaborations, there are complaints that many of the items are ill-fitting and cheaply made.  Forbes Magazine recently questioned the relevance of designer collaborations.  And, I was dismayed to learn today that Target had in fact designed most of the pieces from the Missoni collection with the advice of the Missoni family.

 

I loved Issac Mizrahi’s line for Target, which was the first designer collection to grace Target stores.  Missoni has been the most successful Target designer collaboration.  On the day of the Missoni launch, I was up at 5:30 a.m. to put items in my cart.  Every time I tried to purchase the items, they would disappear.  I later learned about Target’s infamous site crash after the site experienced traffic greater than that of any Black Friday or Cyber Monday.  Thankfully, I enlisted my mother to wait outside a remote Target before it opened.  She was able to procure several great items for me, some of which I actually returned because I decided I didn’t need so many Missoni for Target items.  I ended up keeping a winter scarf, a silk scarf, a cardigan, and a black and white button down blouse, all in the classic Missoni zig zag pattern.  I’ve been pleased with the quality of these items.  In addition to my purchases from the Issac Mizrahi and Missoni Target diffusion lines, I have also purchased items from the Alice Temperly (of the Go International series), Jason Wu and The Webster (part of The Shops at Target) lines.  I would like to see Target bring in another designer with a recognizable print; perhaps Burberry.  I believe that’s where buyers can find real value:  literally taking a design from a recognizable brand and selling the item at a more approachable price point.