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Sometimes I ponder whether designers create their much hyped lines for Target in a subconscious attempt to justify their primary line's high prices. I imagine them sitting amongst their disappointing goods, throwing up their hands, and all-but yelling to the public, "See, this is why you have to pay out of the nose for my designs at Bergdorf's. My genius is not translatable to synthetic fabrics and middle America. I cannot work with price tags lacking three digits before the decimal! Impossible!"
Because, truthfully, if they were to produce an amazing, cheap line…wouldn't it negate the pricing of their luxury goods? Wouldn't consumers question why they're coughing up $500 for their shoes when the same quality of construction and design aesthetic can be produced for $50 (albeit with cheaper materials)? (Kate Moss and some of H&M's designers are notable exceptions. However, Moss has no luxe line littering high-end department stores while Topshop simultaneously pushes her affordable wares.)
It would seem, since brands like Steve Madden and Sam Edelman have ripped off expensive designers for years with good and affordable results, that Loeffler Randall could follow their lead and redesign their shoes and bags using cheaper material. After all, the superior styling of their pricey shoes most likely had a good deal to do with them winning the coveted free and far-reaching publicity of a Target Go Collection slot.
However, early photos indicate that Randall has not maintained the integrity of its high-end chic. Instead it has created accessories which are at best unexciting and at worst just plain ugly.
(In undergrad, I once took five upper level English courses during the same semester. During the last week of class I had five papers due. And three days before the last paper's due date, slightly drunk, totally sleep deprived, highly caffienated, and entirely apathetic, I pounded out a paper. And that sad, typo-ridden paper was still a better effort than these Loeffler Randall accessories.)
Whether or not you agree with my fairly bilious assessment of this line (feel free to disagree in the comments section), we at SheFinds would like to give you a sneak peak at the Loeffler Randall for Target rotgut. Personally, the only reason I would buy one of these flats would be to wear during my walk to work…so that I don't ruin my nice, non-disposable shoes.
And, to further my bitterness over this doleful collection, let's take a look at some of Randall's expensive shoes and bags. Not exactly a patented Shefinds Taste Test, is it? Target's line is sorely missing Loeffler's sleek lines, rich colors, urban edge, and attention to sophisticated detailing. Instead it resembles something fit for a junior prom in South Dakota.
