When the news dropped that Lilly Pulitzer would be the next designer to collaborate with Target, I couldn’t have been more excited. (One of my favorite things Target has ever done was the Jason Wu collaboration.)
I’m so excited to share the full look book (link here). This collection is even cuter than I hoped for, and the pricing is amazing!
I’m not sure if it will help when the collection finally posts online, but you can click a little red heart on each item, and it seems to save to some kind of wishlist. It may make checking out that much faster…especially with how this collection is going ot sell out fast. Try logging in (or creating an account here) and then saving all your favorites.
Here are some of my must haves:
Button Down Shirt in Nosie Posie – $24
Satin Flounce Dress in Sea Urchin for You – $38
Shift Dress in Fan Dance – $38
Embroidered Clutch in Nosie Posie – $24
Halter Top in Pineapple Punch – $26
I definitely recommend you check out the full lookbook and start “hearting” your favorite pieces.
In the meantime, here are some of my tips to start planning your sale strategy.
1. Make a List. Write down all your must-haves. It helps to have a game plan of exactly what you want. It also helps to nail down your budget ahead of time so you can start saving.
2. Buddy System. Link of with friends (both local and out of state) and coordinate your attack. This collection will probably be more popular down South, so if you have friends in Montana, they may experience a leisurely shopping time compared to your frantic grab and run. It helps to share your lists, and then you can feel better knowing that even if your store doesn’t have something, your good old Montanan (sp? haha) buddy picked it up for you.
Buddies at the same store can help combat the resellers. The Target resellers are probably some of the worst people on the planet. They will shove you and take things from you and literally grab entire racks and stuff them in their carts. (I once saw a woman bear hug an entire rack of dresses, yank them all off, and fill her cart. It was gross.)
Personally, this year, I’m up to like an eight woman collective team. We are intense about our Lilly.
3. Shop Online! The new collection normally drops around midnightish the day of, and it’s nice to be able to handpick all your choices without having to fight other bleary-eyed girls a few hours later. Also remember that some items will only be available online. That’s where your list comes in handy–you may have a BUY ONLINE list and a BUY IN STORE list.
4. Ignore the Haters. I have never seen a more snobbish backlash for a designer collaboration than with Lilly for Target. (Just google Lilly for Target and a bunch of articles will pop up about the girls on Twitter whining.) I’ve seen people lamenting the loss of quality to the loss of exclusivity. Girls, you are seriously making us all look like bratty, entitled women.
Do people now think of Liberty of London as a cheap brand? What about Zac Posen? Phillip Lim? Proenza Schouler? Rodarte? Alexander McQueen? All these designers (and bunches more) have partnered with Target without any hit to their branding. If anything, it’s cool to be able to afford a dress by Phillip Lim without having to drop a grand at Neiman Marcus.
As for quality, I guarantee most of the girls whining love to stroll through Target with their Starbucks in hand and stock up for spring break. I don’t have super high expectations of my $24 Target sundress, but then again, I paid $24 for it. (And honestly, I have dresses from Target that are years old that have held up just fine.)
I hope your mothers raised you right enough to live by that old Thumper adage from Bambi–if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.
The Preppy Leopard 
Thanks for reading! You're the best!