They may make an odd couple but discounter Target and luxury merchant Neiman Marcus are jointly offering a limited collection spanning from fashion to sporting goods for the winter holidays. More than 50 products from 24 designers including Oscar de la Renta and Diane von Furstenberg as well as younger designers such as Derek Lam will be available at both stores and on their websites starting Dec. 1 until they sell out. Items in the collection will cost from $7.99 to $499.99 but most will sell for less than $60. "We definitely have our differences," Kathee Tesija, Target's executive vice president of merchandising, said of her company and Neiman Marcus. "They're high end, and we're mass appeal. But we both love design." Target pioneered the idea of low-price chains teaming with designers to create limited-time, affordable versions. It made headlines last fall with the launch of a lower-price collection from Missoni that was so intensely anticipated that Target's website crashed for almost an entire day, angering customers and leading to order cancellations.But the partnership with Neiman Marcus is unprecedented. Target sells $25 dresses and generates almost half its revenue from staples like food and detergent, while Neiman Marcus has cultivated a reputation for expensive fashion, selling $1000 shoes and $3000 handbags.Now, both want to grab a new segment of customers who are increasingly shopping around, checking out both higher- and lower-price stores
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