In a marriage of discount and dreams, a major retailer wants to prove that a once-in-a-lifetime experience doesn't require a once-in-a-lifetime investment.
So here comes the bride . . . in a budget wedding gown from Target.
The gowns, sold through Target.com for less than $200, have appeared in recent weeks on ''Oprah'' and on the pages of Lucky and Glamour magazines. And they've caused a stir on fashion blogs, where their arrival has ignited a debate about whether there are any boundaries left when it comes to saving money.
Marketing to brides is nothing new for the Minneapolis-based retailer, which has operated its Club Wedd registry for more than a decade. Only time will tell if adding wedding gowns to the list is a logical extension or an overreach of the ''cheap chic'' phenomenon the chain gets credit for popularizing.
''It certainly is quite bold,''
said Wendy Liebmann, president of WSL Strategic Retail, a New York-based consulting firm that has studied the bridal industry. ''It's taking them into an area where you say: 'Wait a minute.
Is it cheesy to buy your wedding dress at Target for $100?' It's a very delicate balance. If anybody has the brand equity to do it, Target is the one.''
Cheap chic - sometimes also referred to as the democratization of fashion - has led Americans to expect both thoughtful design and a low price. You can pin the idea on the convergence of warehouse-style stores, an increasingly sophisticated public and a faster-paced economy that now brings the freshest ideas from Paris and Milan to the middle-class shopping mall in a matter of weeks.
Target Corp. is pushing its fashion quotient into new territory just as rival Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, founders in its bid to move beyond low prices to high style. A recent widely leaked report from a Wal-Mart ad agency suggested that the ''hillbilly stereotype'' of the Wal-Mart shopper is alive and well, noting ''our low prices actually suggest low quality.'' Target, on the other hand, has changed what shoppers expect from a discounter, the report said, and succeeds in making shoppers feel ''smart'' instead of ''cheap.''
''It's a badge of honor to say you're on a budget,'' said Kathryn Finney, founder of The Budget Fashionista blog. ''It's about being frugal and fabulous.''
Target isn't revealing how far it plans to take its wedding collection. For now, the items are sold only through its Web site, spokeswoman Amy von Walter said, But analysts suggest if the experiment goes well, it could move to the stores.
The early reviews from customers on Target's Web site are mixed. The ivory silk taffeta and polyester full-ball skirt for $129.99 and lace shell for $69.99 received only one star out of five from the sole customer who reviewed it because it was too short and ''the color is more yellow than cream.'' The ivory silk taffeta and polyester trapunto bell dress for $159.99 rated four stars and was described as ''gorgeous'' by one bride, while another called it ''extremely disappointing.''
Target unveiled its first bridal gown collection May 5, just as the high season for weddings began. The collection includes bridesmaid dresses for as little as $30, as well as affordable floor-length veils, white gloves, little clutches, shoes, wraps and sashes.
From Wall Street's point of view, Target's online wedding foray is a low-risk venture. If it works, ''it could revolutionize the business,'' said Stephanie Hoff, retail analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis. If brides balk, Target will have lost little.
When Target got into the bridal registry business in the early 1990s, it caused plenty of head-scratching. At the time, brides registered for gifts at their local department stores, not at a discount chain. Today, Target's Club Wedd is one of the most popular bridal registries.
Maybe Target wedding gowns will be next.
''There aren't wedding gowns at that price point anywhere, period,'' said Julie Raimondi, editor in chief of Brides Chicago. ''It doesn't exist. It's a completely different model. If it helps people from going into debt, I think it's a great thing.'' |
