The Recessionista Reviews the Target Neiman Marcus Holiday collection

The Target Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection in store at Target (photo M. Hall)

I had to see the Neiman Marcus Target Holiday collection for myself this morning in-store so I could touch and feel the goods, and really judge the quality. Overall, I think this collection is a huge upgrade for Target…but, don’t get completely caught up in the hype, because the price point is an upgrade as well.   My store was pretty quiet this morning at 8:05 am PST.  The Target folks told me that there was a small line of people waiting to get in when they opened at 8:00 am.   It was a quiet, well mannered crowd, no pushing , no shoving, but just  a bit of hoarding.  I saw a few very few carts.  Many of the shoppers had already been checking out the goods on eBay and knew how inflated they were.  On women was eyeing the Derek Lam slippers saying, “These are already $200.00 on eBay.”   I haven’t seen them for $200, but I have seen them for over $100.00 on eBay.   That’s a steep mark-up when you consider  the slippers retail for $49.99 at Target and Neiman Marcus. At the time of this writing, they are still available online at Target.

I think this collection offers some good value and they items are certainly beautifully packaged.  They have the Neiman Marcus look/packaging and it’s a big upgrade for Target shoppers.   I liked a a lot of the women’s fashion.  The quality of the pieces is quite good, again an upgrade from the usual Target collections.   Watch the sizing if you shop in store.   I think all the women’s apparel is really Junior’s sized like Target Go was.   It’s not Neiman Marcus sizing.  I got the Tracy Reese sequin embellished top.  It’s gorgeous, but I sized up to get the blousy look shown in the ad campaign.

The Prabal Gurung cape from Target Neiman Marcus (photo M. Hall)

The Prabul Gurung cape offered good quality for price at $79.99.  It is sold out now on NeimanMarcus.com, but my Target had plenty of them.  The Lela Rose and Robert Rodriguez fashions were very good looking and well priced, but again junior sized like Target Go.   The Robert Rodriguez ruffled sleeveless top is particularly impressive.  I didn’t care for the Proenza Schouler sweatshirt. To me, its’ a hot mess and a complete  miss.  I didn’t care for the print, and for $29.99, it’s not money well spent.  It’s just a standard Target sweatshirt with a busy pattern. Because I didn’t like the pattern, I didn’t care for the matching iPad case. The Marchessa girls holiday dresses look lovely, but maybe a little more mature than what most girls normally wear for holiday parties and events.  They are definitely show pieces. which you might expect from designers that do so much work for celebrities.

More impressive to me were the accessories.  My top picks: the Prabul Gurung evening bag, the pink Oscar de la Renta dog leash  for a small dog (adorable, I bought it for my 12 year old niece to walk her little dog), the Jason Wu Christmas Ornaments (pricey for $50.00, but very good looking) and the gorgeous Altuzarra glasses, martini shaker and try.  The Altuzarra items are perfect for holiday entertaining and they look better than the marketing pictures. I didn’t buy the serving tray for $79.99, but I am thinking of going back for it.   It’s heavy weight and substantial for carrying drinks at a party or serving a holiday breakfast in bed.

Things I was disappointed in:

Marc Jacobs accessories: I was disappointed in the Marc Jacobs pouches and the scarves for the prices.  I would recommend buying Marc Jacobs high end line at Neiman Marcus Last Call for better value.

Oscar bag: I loved the design of the Oscar de la Renta handbag, but it looks more like a summer bag in-person.  It’s canvas with printed flowers on the front.  It’s good looking, it’s just not what you expect for a holiday bag.

Band of Outsiders: The Band of Outsiders cookie cutters are adorable, but probably not very practical  I saw people buying them for gifts.   The hats to me are a complete miss.  Again, better looking hats for winter wear at Last Call for the price.

Tory Burch: The Tory Burch thermos and lunch box just didn’t do it for me, but they were attractive.

Judith Leiber: The Judith Leiber pieces just didn’t look enough like the Judith Leiber pieces at her boutiques and Neiman’s to tempt me for the price.

Alice + Olivia: I didn’t see anyone buying the $500.00 Alice + Olivia bikes or luggage case for $179.99.  Those seemed very overpriced to me, as they did to other shoppers.  The suitcase didn’t look sturdy.  There’s better stuff at Last Call or TJ Maxx for the price.  .

Skaist-Taylor Vest:  Cute but just not my taste.  I prefer the faux fur vests at Last Call and TJ Maxx and again they are cheaper.

Rodarte Wrapping Paper & Ornament:  These are too goth and dark looking for my taste.  Black wrapping paper? Really?

If you didn’t get your items this morning, there are still some left online and in-stores.  I would wait awhile before buying on-line.  The Target workers this morning told me there expect there will be returns, just like there were for Missoni and items will come back into stock.  If you’re patient, you might get a better deal too, as Target typically marks down within 30 days on things of this nature.   I think there was a lot of impulse buying today due to all the marketing hype.  When things cool done, and when some things don’t sell on eBay, returns will come in. Note, the return policy for these items has a deadline.  Returns will be accepted only until Jan. 5th.  This is not the typical 90 day Target return policy.

Did you shop this collection? If so, tell me what you think of it in the comments.  Thanks.