AUSTRALIA'S TARGET TO LAUNCH ZAC POSEN COLLECTION

I have many Australian visitors to this blog (hello Caz & Gervy in partic), so this piece of news is for you all.

Following in the steps of Stella McCartney's widely hyped line for Australian Target, WGSN reports that Zac Posen is the next international designer to create a discount range for the store. The autumn/winter range will arrive in selected Target stores from April 3.

Posen described the 20 piece mini-collection as "colourful prints balanced with more architectural and structural pieces", with the price entry level fixed at AUS$49.99. There is also, in a somewhat tacky celeb-tastic move, a $299.99 copy of the fishtail hem evening dress created for Katherine Heigl's Emmy awards appearance last year.

The collection also includes fitted high-waisted pants and asymmetrical skirts with matching suit jackets, cocktail dresses with brocade trim and elaborate shirts that echo the looks of his high-priced designer line.

It remains to be seen whether Posen's usual reliance on expensive fabrics and complex cutting can translate to a very cheap diffusion range - we all know what happened when Temperley made the attempt in the US. Still, the chance to reach out to an entirely new market in Asia-Pacific must have been irresistable and, with the predicted downfall in revenue for American houses, due to international currency fluctuations, Posen will have jumped at the chance for a slice of corporate cash.

Image: Zac Posen mainline AW08 style.com