Are we happy fooling ourselves into thinking we�re really shopping at a designer store (aided and abetted by the fake French accent) or are we just happy that designers are finally seeing the light and offering quality, practical clothes to the everyday woman who can�t afford to get her entire wardrobe at a snazzy boutique, or even Banana Republic for that matter?

Whatever the reason, we�re buying. Todd Oldham comforters and lamps for under $30! Isaac Mizrahi pencil skirts, pointed toe boots and more, all under $70! Where�s my checkbook? Michael Graves was the first designer to ink a deal with Target. His firm, Michael Graves & Associates, has won over 160 design awards for its architectural and consumer product solutions.

Graves� Target line encompasses pretty much every home item you can think of�from comforters to fondue pots, this guy�s even designed his own version of Monopoly with a pullout wooden drawer underneath the board to store all the loose pieces (Michael Graves Monopoly, $49.99).

Since Graves opened the floodgates, Target has developed a �Designers� Boutique,� offering lines from amy coe, David Kirk, Liz Lange and Cynthia Rowley and Ilene Rosenzweig. Rowley and Rosenzweig�s �Swell� began as a life skills philosophy and spawned books, television appearances and now the bedding, bath and intimate apparel line at Target. This may be the only chance for some women to purchase anything by Rowley, whose stuff usually sells at high-end department store Barney�s. Do they even have those in middle America?

Target spokesperson Aimee Sands said Target�s designer lines have always been extremely popular. This is due, in part, to the novelty factor. Isaac Mizrahi�s clothes were not previously available to the general public and, as Mizrahi said in The Sacramento Bee, �Now [women] can buy something pink that doesn�t cost $600.�

Mizrahi, who told The Bee he was excited to design for such a wide audience after closing his high-end line in 1998, has gone for a traditional approach here, offering contemporary and classic pieces, still sprinkled with his funky, original style.

The pieces are pretty cheaply made, but you can�t expect too much when most of the price tags hover around $20. It�s the cut and the colors that really make these clothes stand apart from Target�s other women�s apparel.

In August 2003, Mizrahi became the latest designer added to Target�s lineup, filling a hole Target saw in its women�s apparel section. The line caters to women 25 and up and lends the store a classy image that has drawn customers who wouldn�t normally shop at discount stores.

Mizrahi�s line is not meant to replace Target�s existing women�s apparel lines, Cherokee and Merona, but �enhance business overall,� said Sands.

Sands said the store is receiving a lot of positive feedback on its alliances with designers. Todd Oldham�s dorm room items are accompanied on Target.com by �must-have� lists compiled by enthusiastic college students and apartment shoppers.

One student/interior designer recommends the Todd Oldham Stripe Bedding Collection ($14.99), the Todd Oldham Floor Lamp ($29.99) and 19 other items from Target�s other designer lines and its own collection.

�I think our sales speak to their success,� Sands said of the designer lines. Indeed they do; sales have been up every month for over a year, with each month since the introduction of Mizrahi�s line up more than 10 percent.

Though Sands said no other partnerships have been announced, she stresses that Target is �always looking for opportunities� and �willing to partner with designers looking to take on a new design role.�

(Let�s keep our fingers crossed for Gucci designer Tom Ford, who is leaving the company in April because of undesirable contract negotiations.)

Designers have also begun to latch onto lower-end department stores like JCPenney.

Though some people tend to think of JCPenney as catering to middle-aged moms more than shopaholic teens and fashion-conscious professionals, JCPenney spokesperson Christi Byrd-Smith asserts that the store actually does quite well with the younger set.

With the introduction of BISOU BISOU (�little kiss� in French), which targets women 18-40 years old, JCPenney is seeing a lot more �20-somethings who are on a tight budget but want to look their best,� as Byrd-Smith put it.

She credits the influx of designer brands into lower budget stores to designers� desire to reach more customers. BISOU BISOU President and Designer Michele Bohbot wanted to make fashion available to more women at affordable prices so they �don�t have to spend a million to look like a million,� she said in a JCPenney press release.

�The economy is leaning toward people being smart shoppers,� Byrd- Smith said. Customers want to get the maximum quality for the minimum buck.

JCPenney�s relationship with BISOU BISOU began amid a surge of designer interest in mass-market retailers. JCPenney CEO Allan Questrom (who switched to the store from Barney�s in 2000) met with Michele and her husband Mark Bohbot, BISOU BISOU�s chairman and CEO. The Los Angeles-based clothing line--founded by the couple in 1989�had recently closed all 500 of its upscale department store accounts because of low profits.

According to Byrd-Smith, the meeting came at a perfect time, as JCPenney was in the middle of a turnaround and looking to add �that fashion equation.� Michele wanted to expand her line beyond the capabilities of smaller boutiques and JCPenney wanted to trump up their image among younger shoppers.

The resulting deal introduced a half-priced BISOU BISOU line of women�s sportswear and accessories in 500 JCPenney stores in February 2003. Business wear is definitely the highlight of the line, but you�ll also find more casual pieces like jean skirts and camouflage-inspired tops.

Byrd-Smith said Michele is very hands on with the line, approving every item before it goes out on the floor. She continually makes updates, designing fresh fashions to be introduced monthly.

JCPenney also recently teamed up with BCBG Max Azria Group, launching Parallel in stores in August.

Another French line, BCBG stands for Bon Chic Bon Genre or good style, good attitude, which Azria says on his web site sums up the way he wants his collection to make people feel. He also says that the most rewarding part of design is that he is helping boost the confidence of his female customers, who he can now reach in wider numbers.

"My motivation has always been to address the genuine need in the marketplace for quality, fashion-forward clothing at a truly accessible price," Azria said in a JCPenney press release. "JCPenney understands that, and they offered us a perfect opportunity to deliver a line of directional, contemporary fashion to millions of women at prices they can afford."

Parallel, like BISOU BISOU, is comprised of very practical business wear. In an age where many designers suggest that cleavage and thighs are appropriate for the office, these two lines present clothes women can wear to work to look both stylish and respectable. Most prices teeter in the $40-$60 range, quite cheap for suit separates. The highest tag belonged to a pair of $122 brown suede pants by Parallel. An unnecessary, but available, splurge.

Kmart, which emerged from bankruptcy at the beginning of 2003, is also trying to get into the celebrity mix. In August 2003, the store announced its partnership with Latin pop singer Thalia Sodi, who will help craft a new line of women�s apparel, accessories and home d�cor, aimed at trendy, fashion-conscious shoppers.

Though the actual design lies in the hands of a team headed by Senior Designer Fabian Molian, Thalia�s input has inspired the line�s vibrant colors and flashy accessories with her own original style and her roots in the Latino community.

�Thalia Sodi the person and Thalia Sodi the brand are one and the same, reflecting a lifestyle that is active, passionate, bold, fashion-conscious, and original,� said Kmart Divisional Vice President of Product Development and Trend, Joe Wagner, in a Kmart press release.

Several months after the line�s debut, Kmart launched Thalia, an accompanying signature scent available in perfume, fragrance mist and body lotion. The perfume is available in 1.7 oz and 1.0 oz bottles for $19.99 and $12.99 respectively. Compare that to the $44 price tag on Calvin Klein�s 1.7 oz bottles.

Though Kmart already had brand name lines with celebrity status--Joe Boxer, Kathy Ireland and, of course, Martha Stewart--this will be the discount kingdom�s first exclusively in-house line.

While Sears and Wal-Mart also house brand name lines--the Levi Strauss Signature line lives at Wal-Mart and Sears recently struck deals with catalog-based outfitter Land�s End and Structure, Limited Brands Inc. male counterpart to the hip, young Express--they have yet to pair with a celebrity figure or recognized designer name.

But there is hope. Sid Mashburn, Sears and Lands' End's vice president of design, who previously worked for Tommy Hilfiger USA Inc. and Polo Ralph Lauren, is taking steps to revitalize the women�s apparel section by adding fresh cuts and colors. Maybe he�ll be able to use some of his professional ties to snag Sears the designer alliance it needs to compete in today�s market.