Affordable Fashion...Designer Capsule Collections

There's been a lot of publicity recently about an incident that occurred when Oprah Winfrey went into a store in Switzerland and asked to look at a purse and was told it would be 'too expensive' for her and she should perhaps look at one that was less expensive.  Now, I like Oprah and I know that she does a lot of wonderful philanthropic work, and how true this story is I don't know - but the part that stuck out to me was that the purse in question was allegedly priced at around $38,000.  Now don't get me wrong, if you've got money you have the right to spend it in whatever way you choose, but it just strikes me as somewhat vulgar to spend that kind of money on a purse, when there are people in the world who are living on the poverty line and struggling to make ends meet.

Which brings me to what I want to share with you today.  As you know I often share what fashion news I have and trends that have been shown on the runway shows, and I regularly show what designers are showcasing in the Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter fashion shows.  I often look at some of the clothes and think wouldn't it be great if the average person could afford such luxuries instead of just the rich and famous? Instead, most of us have to be satisfied with window shopping and enjoying these designer trends from afar, because these items are so outrageously priced that only a select few can afford them.

So I was excited to learn that Target announced the designer collaboration capsule to end all designer collaboration capsules!  The retailer will be partnering with no less than 24 CFDA designers as well as high-end department store Neiman Marcus to create a holiday collection that will be sold in both stores.

Designers regularly create capsule collections for department stores, and when they do they usually sell out in no time at all, because people like us snap up the items that we ordinarily wouldn't be able to afford.  I'm a huge fan of Macy's, who have had capsule collections from Karl Lagerfeld & Matthew Williamson to name just a couple, and of course Target who have had collections from Prabal Gurung, Missoni & Jason Wu, and this fall will have one from Philip Lim.

But this new collaboration beats them all, and I can't wait to see what it will showcase.  Here's the list of designers that will be included in the collections.

Alice + Olivia; Altuzarra; Band of Outsiders; Brian Atwood; Carolina Herrera; Derek Lam; Diane Von Furstenberg; Eddie Borgo; Jason Wu; Judith Leiber; Lela Rose; Marchesa; Marc Jacobs; Oscar de la Renta; Philip Crangi; Prabal Gurung; Proenza Schouler; Rag & Bone; Robert Rodriguez; Rodarte; Skaist-Taylor; Thom Browne; Tory Burch; Tracy Reese.

So, basically, everyone you (we) ever aspired to own a piece of!  Each designer created one to three items, and prices will range from $7.99 to $499, with most items going for less that $60!

The collection will launch December 1, and though everyone's being tight-lipped about product details at the moment, it's a safe bet you can expect lots of holiday party dresses and accessories (it's gift-giving season after all!).  Target's website also promises "home decor, pet products, sporting goods, and more".

As I've mentioned, all products will be sold at the same price at both stores, as well as on Target.com and NeimanMarcus.com.  Target has promised to reveal the collections in October, but I'm sure they'll drop some hints before then!  I'll keep you posted!

In the meantime, here's a look at some of the fabulous designer capsule collections that have been in various stores of late....