Target-ed Style
Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 10:58 AM 
Images courtesy of Target
Fashion blogs have been abuzz with coverage of the new 136,000 square foot Target store that opened in East Harlem last week, with an opening party held Tuesday, July 20.
To celebrate the new store, exclusive designer collections for Target were revealed -- beach gear by Isabel and Ruben Toledo and colorblock knit dresses by Stephen Burrows (see above).
What's the tie to Mrs. O? Yesterday, we learned the designer of the "sunrise yellow" pantsuit the first lady wore last week -- Stephen Burrows. Now, how interesting that Mrs. O wore said pantsuit by Stephen Burrows on June 19, followed by an Isabel Toledo ensemble for the National Design Awards luncheon on June 21.
A coincidence? Or was Mrs. O, a self-proclaimed Target fan, showing support for the designers and their new collections? If the latter, what a fabulously clever use of fashion on the first lady's part. What do you think?
Isabel Toledo, Stephen Burrows, Target
Reader Comments (14)
Oh, I want that dress! I hope it's available at my Target. . . the article says the exclusive collections will be at limited other Targets after August 1.
How exciting! I love Target, too:) And, yes, I believe that was more than coincidence on part of the 1st Lady.
Confused. Were the clothes she wore part of the designers' Target collections? Or special designs?
BeeGee, the clothes Mrs. O wore were not part the Target collections.
I want that towel!!
This dress looks like some of the unfortunate clothing that was in Forever 21 two seasons ago. Not my taste. Tres 70's. Kind of cheesy IMHO.
I think that Mrs. Obama needs to be careful shopping at Target, particularly after the revelation that the company has funded campaigns for staunch right-wing Republicans, with Tea Party symphaties.
What a great artistically created beach towel by Toledo. A must have in my book. It would be interesting to see the rest of the beach gear. I certainly will check it out. Thanks Mrs. T.
That towel is really cool. I'd be interested in seeing both of the collections at Target. I recall a few years ago when Stephen Burrows had a line that was sold on HSN and it was a huge hit. I saw one show where his pieces were sold out almost as soon as,and even before, they aired. People were snapping them up on-line. He has a fascinating life story, and some of the tales he told of his youthful days back in Studio 54 will leave you speechless. He LOOOOVES to color block. Thanks Mrs. T, good looking out!
Cincinnati Kid, I needed a good laugh and your comment made me laugh out loud! I think Target rocks and I'm glad to hear the FLOTUS does, too!!! ROTFL, seriously!
@canyongal: Unfortunately, what Cincinnati Kid said about Target supporting the Republican Party is true. I read an article about this revelation a couple of days ago in the NY Times. I was absolutely shocked at this news, and sadly has made me take pause at shopping at Target. Apparently, according to the NY Times' article, the contributions come on the heels of rule changes that now allow corporations to donate directly to political parties.
If consumers didn't shop at a store or buy a product because of the political donations by the corporation and/or its executives, there would be hardly any retail left in the US. And besides, several companies donate to both parties, so what would you gain, except losing out on good buys or the things you really want or need.
It's time to separate politics from impulsive ideas and actions that harm you more than the intended recipient.
Here's Target's page at Follow the Money, which tracks corporate giving to politicians and political causes:
http://www.followthemoney.org/database/topcontributor.phtml?u=9099&y=0
They give primarily to ballot measures rather than parties, and give overwhelmingly to incumbants rather than challengers. For candidates,19.2% of their donations were to Democrats and 20.9% were to Republicans, and looking at the breakdown they gave 4 times as mych to Arnold Schwarzenegger than anyone else, which was more than enough to account for the difference.
I don't work for Target or anything, but I do live in Minnesota, where they're based, and have always considered them a progressive company, so when I saw the comments about their donations I was surprised and went looking for information, since it's all public record. I'm not happy that they're donating to organizations against public healthcare, but all in all I'm comfortable enough that I'll continue shopping there. Especially comparing it to Wal-Mart's page, who are their main competition.
I want that DRESS!!!!!!