Stella McCartney for Target Australia

[jml2]

I would have kicked the snatchers in the shins!
unbelievable

 

[DPD]

It's been a bloody interesting capsule launch, the way it's sold-out in a day was to be expected but was still amazing. I covered the launch of the range and the sell out (here);



There are more photos here.

 

[peachescream]

oh man this was awesome awesome awesome! i have no words for it! i got everything i wanted bar the beautiful grey tafetta trench *sigh* but i got the pencil skirt (YAY!) two tunic tops, scarf, black cashmere jacket and a black tie top in jersey thingo.. didnt want any of the knits..

this was srsly the most crazy but funnest moment of my life! people had bought their kids in strollers and they just left them on the outside of the scrum when they dived in to get clothes. and some poor little 4 yr old lost her mum and almost got her eye gauged out by high heels =[

im ashamed i dropped the most money ive ever dropped on clohtes but it was completely worth it !!

 

[bearbrick]

well i was at Target in sydney ..i called up first.......and was told there were some pieces left....but all gone when i finally got there...as were the other branches..except for a new target branch which will only open in april.....

the "event " was on TV news and it loooked like sheer pandamonium ... but i didnt think such a NEW designer would have such a following !!..

it was good publicity for Target but sad to say this will only be temporary as its back to the same ole usual stuff at Target when all the comotion has died....now if it were Dior for target i would become a cat burglar just to get my hands on the stuff first !!!

 

[Fashion Puss]

I am totally behind this - everyone boycott Stella Ebay sales! Thats disgusting that people were taking everything just so they could hack on ebay!


Call for Stella ban on eBay

Jane Holroyd
March 12, 2007 - 3:40PM

Fashion fanatics who missed out on designer Stella McCartney items, which sold out at some Target stores within minutes of going on sale today, have blamed eBay for their misery.

A web forum discussion devoted to the 42-piece Stella for Target range has attracted more than 160 comments from people who got caught up in the frenzy as the items were launched in almost 100 stores across Australia.
More than 400 people queued outside Target's premier Victorian store in Chadstone in Melbourne's south-east before the doors opened at 10am today.

In less than a minute the entire rack of McCartney's $199.99 trench coat had been cleared; just 6000 of the coats were available Australia-wide.
Now shoppers who left empty-handed have vented their anger on fashion forums, blaming both the eBay phenomenon and Target management for the chaotic scenes. Many people reported seeing customers grabbing handfuls of the same item, seemingly oblivious to sizing.

One Southland shopper told theage.com.au she had witnessed "absolute madness".

"One particular type of dress was gone within 10 seconds. A lady was almost pushed into the empty racks and many people were fighting and screaming over the last scarves.

"Some people just took anything, even if the sizes were five times bigger or smaller than themselves. I saw a lady with a trolley full of Stella's clothes. It must be worth over $2000."

Contributors to a Vogue.com.au forum on the Stella range have appealed to others to boycott internet auction site eBay should items from the limited, Australia-only range begin appearing.

"I'm definitely boycotting eBay sales for this," wrote one. "It's so unfair that some people practically grabbed everything in sight. It should have been handled better by Target. Only one style item per person. Or maximum 10 items or something like that."

Other forum contributors pointed the finger at men they had seen buying up the Stella range, raging at "eBay leeches" and rallying to a call of "WE DON'T WANT YOUR EBAY STELLAS".

But by 3.10pm (AEST), none of the 'Stella for Target' range had appeared for sale at ebay.com.au and Target's corporate affairs manager Deb Johnson said she did not have any regrets about the sale.

She said a limit on the number of McCartney items people could buy had never been considered.

"Whatever happens on eBay is what happens on eBay," Ms Johnson told theage.com.au. "That's up to individual people to do whatever they chose."

"I did not see anyone buying armfulls of trenches," Ms Johnson added. "It did not appear that there were huge quantities of any particular item (being bought)."

She said pointing the finger at male customers was unfair.

"There were probably some people who sent their husbands in because they were working. I think just because it's a man it doesn't mean they were there to profiteer."

Ms Johnson said the pace at which McCartney stock had sold was unbelievable.

"Whether it's jeans, silk tops, dresses, jackets - they've all sold really well," she said.

Ms Johnson said it was too early to know whether any particular items had sold out completely around Australia, but estimated that 50 per cent of the Stella McCartney range had disappeared from stores by midday.

She said Target would attempt to appease customers who had missed out by advertising the whereabouts of leftover stock.

"We're going to have a look at the end of the day, find out what's there (and) work out what we can possibly do. We might bring together the (remaining) stock that's in 10 stores and put it in two and then we'll let people know.

"If any particular item has sold-out across the board that will go on the website (designersfortarget.com.au)," she said.

theage.com.au

 

[DPD]

Going out against people selling the items on eBay is purely naff - if they got up with everyone else and queued they have every right to sell what they got. Who's to say that they didn't buy it for themselves and then change their mind later? If they want to profit from their hardwork, good for them.

The article above references to Vogue forums, where the majority of people who have joined in the slagging off of anyone selling it on eBay (notably there's nothing up yet) missed out themselves.

In realistic terms, the eBay sellers actually make such collections possible. Speaking to Jane Shepherdsen recently she said that TopShop's interest in such collections was solely because of the instant sell out of TopShop's designer collections - and they were fully aware that around 90% of the capsules were bought solely to put on eBay.

If you want to see such collections, you're going to have to accept it.

 

[mikka000]

i agree! people should be able to buy it and sell it on ebay if they want. if they sell to overseas customers, it means that there are less people in australia wearing the same stella piece as you, right? and fashion should be about expressing yourself and your individuality, not looking like everyone else. but then again it *is* target. it was a pretty mediocre collection anyway. as for me? i'm waiting for comme des garcons k-mart line.

 

[songbirdsel]

i got quite a few pieces.... I was soooo lucky that my mum offered to go and buy the stuff for me whilst i was at work! She said she was trying to stay out of the cameras the whole time. Anyhow i just wanted to comment on the quality of the items, im pretty impressed. The silk dress seems to be cut and sown beautifully, or at the very least sooooo much better than what i had expected.

 

[Fashion Puss]

no I'm sorry but ragging in, sweeping up everything you can and then selling it for twice the price is not fair on all those other people (including me) who lined up early and elbowed through the scrum, just like everyone else, to get something. I'd hate to think that someone missed out because someone else bought a whole size range to hawk later.

We're not talking about people who buy something and then change their minds, lets make that crystal clear, we're talking about bulk buyers. This isn't the first time this issue has come up with ebay, its a long running problem with tickets to football matches, gigs etc. Measures have (attempted) to be initiated by limiting the number available per person for purchase.

Target is in no position to do this. Why should they? At the end of the day they are a business and are there only to make money. If someone wants to buy $2000 worth of clothes Target is hardly going to stop them. Hell, if I was running Target I certainly wouldn't be.

What it comes down to is the individual. I like to think that there are decent individuals who see past an opportunity to make a cheap buck and appreciate that this was a momentous event in Australian fashion (sorry, but it is; nothing like this has ever been seen before) and let those, such as myself, who cannot afford a top of the line SMcC but do however remain a follower and admirer of her style and ethic, to be given the chance to be a part of it.

That may sound twee but its how I feel.

 

[elmo8]

I agree that you cant stop ebayers and that Target wouldn't want to as they would be loving the fact they just made a ton of money today.

But, it really wasn't pretty seeing the people wheeling full trolleys of clothes in every size around and basically just buying everything so no-one else could get it.

I know it's twee but in her media for the range Stella McCartney said she wanted to make her design vision available to the average Australian. Not her fault but obviously the average Australian prepared to stamp on anyone else to get it.

It was launched on a Monday and heaps of people even missed out seeing any of the clothes in real life as they were all gone and they had to work. Just a bit dissapointing I think.

But obviously all of these capsule collections are designed just to generate this type of hysteria. I won't be eager to rush in to another one any time soon unless...fingers crossed...Marc Jacobs ever decides to sell out and do a Target line!

 

[morriseel]

It is a difficult issue...ebay...but if it wasnt for ebay, i would never have been able to buy celia birtwell for topshop(which was gorgeous but terrible quality!). I didn't even make it to target..as i'm out of oz at present. everyone who sms'd me said it was madness, pure madness.

 

[Squizree]

lol you guys HAVE to read this article!

http://www.gcbulletin.com.au/article/2007/03/13/3803_news.html

I'm not a fan of Stella but this pure madness. Pure madness I tell you!

 

[saturnine]

I know what you mean, Fashion Puss. The build up to the launch was quite exciting, especially, as you said, nothing like this has been done before. And now it's all over, after 15 minutes in some stores, and now the ugly bidding wars will start on eBay.

The beautiful world of fashion.

 

[lucy92]

Bruised the new black

news.com.au

IN THE battleground of buying that was the Bondi Junction Target store yesterday, a plea for sanity went out from one woman deep in the crush.
"Stop, stand back!" the young blonde customer yelled. "It's only f. . .ing clothes."
Few took any notice, as there were fashion finds to be had in the Stella McCartney for Target range.
Besides, the woman who had made the call was carrying a basket of designer discount loot.
All concepts of sisterhood and compassion went out the window when Target launched their Stella range in 40 stores in NSW and 85 stores across Australia.
From Bondi to Blacktown, Miranda to Chatswood, women fought to get their hands on Australia's most hotly-anticipated designer discount range.
Target had expected a crowd but even they said they were surprised by the Beatlemania-like response.
"This is stronger than expected," said Target general manager of merchandise, Larise Lewis.
She watched the rush in Melbourne's Chadstone store – where the range sold out in seven minutes.
"People were on a mission. They were buying for themselves and for their girlfriends and boyfriends were just standing on the sidelines being loaded up with clothes," she said.
Target tapped into women's desire to shop and the fashion trend of "cheap chic", where top designers create collections for discount department stores.
The formula had been successfully tested. Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld caused chaos in New York and London when crowds rushed to buy his discount range.
US Target has been snapping up the hottest names for limited edition designer ranges for many years.
This year the fashion crowd at New York Fashion Week fought it out with local fashion lovers to get their hands on the limited line that hot label Proenza Schouler had completed for the store.
Stella McCartney created a designer range for H&M in 2005. It is rumoured Target Australia paid Stella McCartney $1 million to create the 42-piece range.
The pay off for Target is publicity and a step up in the fashion stakes. Stella McCartney gets the extra publicity for her label.
Most who bought her Target range, that started with t-shirts from $29.99 and silk dresses at $199.99, are unlikely to buy her main line. which retails in the thousands for even a pair of jeans. They may, however, become Stella addicts and buy her much more economical Sheer Stella perfume. They also pick up a lot of fashion cred.
Many a fashionista has found it difficult in the past to even pronounce the name of one of Australia's biggest discount department stores. Now there is nothing so hip as buying from stores such as "Tar-Jay".
While top-to-toe designer looks were the fashion in the '80s and '90s, the noughties is all about "hi-lo".
The term describes the trend of mixing high-end designer fashion with lower-end bargain buys.
"We wanted to talk to customers who would not normally come to Target and show them that we have fashionable clothes not just in the Designers for Target range but in all our Target ranges," Ms Lewis said.
The theory is that buying across all pricelines shows your fashion smarts – that a discerning eye can pick great finds – if they have a designer label and mile-high price tag or not.
That theory was put to the test yesterday in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs, at Westfield Bondi Junction.
Daniella Ledaca, of Woolloomooloo, used her smarts and a few bucks to make her way to the top.
"I went to the gym at 6am and did a spin class, arrived here at 7am, paid a woman $50 to mind my spot in the queue, went and did my grocery shopping and then jumped back on the queue before it opened," she said.
Even with that forward planning she was forced to strip a store dummy to retrieve a pair of skinny jeans she coveted. She said the early morning training also helped her deal with the manic crowds.
"I think I was still spinning from my spin class," she said.
Others admitted the rush to buy the limited edition range forced them into a mad grab.
"I've just grabbed a dress and I don't even know if I like it or not," Bondi resident Michelle Tarlington said as she battled the crowds.
"It's just insane," she said.
Babies were abandoned in strollers as mothers fought for Stella steals. Crying kids were pulled out of the frenzy for fear they would be crushed.
For those who landed their ideal buys the fight was worth it, even if they did spend more than intended.
"I don't usually have access to designer clothing," Marion Tynan said. Lining up at 6.45am and calling in late for work paid off for Tynan.
She left the store with two bags full of designer clothing, including a suit and jacket.
"I budgeted to spend about $200 or $300 but I spent $800. I don't know how I am going to pay the mortgage this month and I won't be able to go out anywhere," she said.
"But it was worth it."

 

[iamthewalrus28]

Well it took a little longer than I expected...but it has begun!

 

[Pherber]

The "call for Stella ban on ebay" on the Vogue forum only really referred to the people buying whole racks with the only intention of reselling. I don't think there was any ill will directed at people who bought the wrong size or a couple of extra items.

Everyone at the Hobart store seemed well-behaved (although slightly like ravenous locusts politely snapping up what ever they could reach)

 

[teiko]

Hmm, how many sizes did you all have to go down for this??

 

[adorefaith]

what a zoo....i think its actually quite embarassing...
i didnt go in today to see what was left...
ive decided i dont want to be walking around the eastern suburbs looking like every other woman in her stella for target clothes....

these stories of people swearing and fighting...
and snatching things out of each other's hands...
are a complete embarassment....humans can be bizarre creatures...

congrats to those who are happy with their purchases though...
...

 

[Pherber]

Hmm, how many sizes did you all have to go down for this??

The general consensus seems to be at least one size, although the bird print dress in my normal size seems to fit me

 

[DPD]

ive decided i dont want to be walking around the eastern suburbs looking like every other woman in her stella for target clothes....

I saw something about there being only 3,000 units of each line available, so fingers crossed that won't happen