Will Macy’s be the new Target? Department store excited about Isaac Mizrahi’s move to Liz Claiborne

We’re slowly getting over our crushing disappointment that this will be the last year to find Isaac Mizrahi designs at Target, since Catwalk Queen yesterday reported his defection to the Liz Claiborne brand. We’re going the hopeful route and exploring the possibility of wearing Liz Claiborne before we turn 40.

This is just the attitude that’s getting Macy’s chief executive Terry J. Lundgren cautiously excited. “It’s a good step — I am encouraged by this move,” Lundgren told WWD. “Obviously the answer will come in the product itself and the response to the product. I’m hopeful Isaac will bring some freshness to the product.”

The brand has been struggling for years and losing ground in department stores like Macy’s. But if Mizrahi really can refresh the brand, perhaps it will earn back more floor space, its old customers, and some new.

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