Collaborations

Lilly Pulitzer Is the Collab Win Target Needs

By Nicola Fumo Jan 7, 2015, 8:38am EST

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Target revealed its spring design collab partner with a party in New York last night, announcing the April 19 launch of its massive capsule collection with preppy, print-heavy brand Lilly Pulitzer. Fifteen prints were designed especially for the collaboration, which is made up of a mindblowing 250 pieces for women (including plus sizes!) and girls—apparel, sandals, bags, even hair ties—as well as pieces for the home, outdoor entertaining, beach, travel, and more.

The collection is true to the Lilly Pulitzer aesthetic, a mid-century Palm Beach visual blowout of bright colors, shift dresses, swimwear, and fabric napkins. We were impressed by the sturdiness of the dresses—less so by the flimsy coverups—and charmed by the barware, which includes cocktail stirrers topped by tiny gold pineapples. Other favorites included a pair of high-waisted shorts in a blue fish print, a green-and-white jumpsuit, and a pair of gold sandals with a pink tread sole. Prices will range from $2 to $150, with almost 200 items under $30.

This collab follows relative flops between the retailer and Joseph Altuzarra (launched this fall, that product is discounted up to 70% currently) and design duo Peter Pilotto (which was marked down less than a month after hitting stores). By contrast, Lilly Pulitzer seems like safe—but smart—bet for Target; its visual identity is established and its customer base is fanatic (we were amazed by reader response when we toured Lilly's headquarters, and did you see what happened when the brand had a warehouse sale?!). The addition of plus sizes, kidswear, and an expansive range of home goods should make this a win for the retailer. Your first peek at images from the collab are below.