In her latest blog post, Times fashion critic Cathy Horyn gets all lovey-dovey over Wal-Mart, professing her longtime love for the big-box store. You never know when the jean shorts are going to go on sale, right? Well, according to her, Wal-Mart’s on the up-and-up because of their collaboration with designer Norma Kamali, a line of red, white, and black casual separates that’s part of a long-term contract. Oh, you didn’t know about it? Not your fault.
Wal-Mart does little to promote projects like this one, which serves as a blinding contrast to their competitor Target who bombards our in-boxes daily with news of Hayden-Harnett, Thakoon, and Rogan. And because of Wal-Mart’s subtlety, Horyn’s charmed: “If Kamali had designed them, I reasoned, they had to be good, whatever the price. The price, as it turned out, was $20. The dress fit perfectly, as did the top,” she wrote, while painting the picture of pushing a royal-blue shopping cart. Well, we find it a little strange she’s using the word “perfectly” to describe these clothes, something she so rarely jots down in reference to runway designer collections during fashion seasons.
But then again, maybe she’s on to something … isn’t it time Wal-Mart steps on Target’s and H&M’s toes a little? If the line wasn’t so yawn-inducing, we might say yes (though we’ll admit the bat-wing cardigan isn’t bad – 1 out of 135 items). But until Wal-Mart signs Alexander McQueen, we’re not counting on it. Instead, we’ll just happily point out that there are plenty of perfect $20 tops that can be purchased elsewhere. Like Target.
Pioneers, or One Night at Wal-Mart [On the Runway/NYT]
