Target has started a fashion war!
Total basics will soon be able to buy the Lilly Pulitzer brand in the Everyman's department store; it will no longer be sold only at high-end outlets and exclusive boutiques! How will we know who sells Mary Kay?! #SaveLillyPulitzer !!
Wednesday, Target announced that as of April 19, it will be partnering with and carrying the Lilly Pulitzer brand, and holy crap, that did not sit well with the cranky rich-lady population. Some Lilly Pulitzer-brand loyal customers feel it's complete crap that the same dresses they have been paying hundreds of dollars for all these years are now available for less at Target, right there next to the dog food and 12-packs of Mountain Dew Code Red, and they are telling Target about it on Twitter and Facebook.
However, other women are psyched, even predicting that there will be a run on Lilly merchandise as crazed shoppers rush stores to scoop it up, like what happened when Target partnered with Missoni and Jason Wu.
Target says the addition of the 250-part Lilly collection allows anyone to own a piece of a recognizable prestigious brand at an affordable price, with some items starting as low as two bucks. While it was nice being all rare and exclusive, it seems like Lilly is all about getting its sundresses on people now.
Jane Schoenborn, vice president for creative communications for Lilly Pulitzer, said, "The Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection marks a new chapter for our brand, and we're excited to give Lilly fans everywhere, including those who have loved the brand for years and those who will get to know it for the first time through this collaboration, a chance to experience this incredibly chic lifestyle collection."
The Lilly Pulitzer brand is best described as "resort chic." The items Target plans to carry will include apparel, accessories and shoes, home accents, beach gear, and more. Stacia Andersen, a senior vice president for Target, said Lilly was a clear choice to partner with, given the brand's "authority with print and pattern."
The Lilly Pulitzer brand, if you aren't already aware, has a local background that dates back as far as 1959. Lilly Pulitzer was a Palm Beach hostess and socialite whose husband, Peter Pulitzer, owned several citrus groves in the area. Lilly, so the story goes, would pluck her husband's oranges straight off the tree, make some amazing OJ, and sell that sweet nectar right on Worth Avenue -- an area that is now an upscale shopping district in Palm Beach.
Even selling juice on the corner, Lilly dressed to impress, and eventually people noticed. Soon enough, people like Jackie Kennedy were wearing her dresses, and America went nuts for the designs. Lilly Pulitzer was a sought-after brand that women felt said something about them, and now some are scared it might just say they shop at Target.
The brand has been synonymous with resort-frequenting well-off people. In a shocking twist, it appears those same people are none-to-happy with seeing their beloved brand in a plastic red shopping cart next to a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. I'd argue Cool Ranch Doritos are also a prestigious and coveted brand, but to each her own.
If you're like me and totally can't wait to get your hands on some of this hot-ass merch, you can check out some of the items Lilly currently sells here. The items at Target will feature a limited-edition collection of 15 exclusive prints, which are original works of art, created by Lilly Pulitzer artists specifically for this modern collaboration. These special items will be exclusively available at all Target stores in the U.S. and Canada and on Target.com.
And now for some of the best rich-bitch reactions to the news that Lilly Pulitzer will soon be at Target, right next to, like, poor people merch:
If Lily starts selling through Target I will stop buying. You are making a high class brand into white trash. @TargetStyle @LillyPulitzer
— Katie Cummings (@kackadooo) January 6, 2015
WAY TO GO LILLY PULITZER CKMING TOGETHER WITH TARGET WILL MAKE THE COMPANY SO CHEAP AND EVERYTHING SUCKS NOW THAT LILLY IS DEAD
— a d d y (@adalynnnnnnnn) January 7, 2015
@CaitlynHearn I personally think it cheapens the @lilypuliterrs brand by putting it in @Target
— Kathleen Hearn (@kathyhearn) January 8, 2015
So basically I just spent almost 200$ on a dress that is going to now be about 50$ at target. What. The. Fuck. Lilly pulitzer
— Taylor Appell (@T_appell15) January 7, 2015
Lily Pulitzer is being sold at target wtf is the world coming to
— Olivia (@_LivVazquez) January 8, 2015
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