CLOTHES WHORES Jack and Lazaro

But it might cool the mega-chain's ardor somewhat to know the pair was pooh-poohing similar deals just three weeks ago, on the grounds that they tarnish a designer's brand.

The remarks in question were made at Tokion magazine's Creativity Conference, held in Manhattan on October 15. During a panel discussion on "Repackaging the Label," the subject of partnering with discount retailers like Target and H&M (which whipped penny-pinching fashionistas into a frenzy with lines by Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney) came up. Hernandez ventured that a long-term association like the one between Isaac Mizrahi and Target "ruins a designer's name ... forever."

"When you're there for the long haul, why is anyone going to go to Barneys and buy your clothes when they can get it at Target all the time?" he added. "That gets dangerous."

The duo—who, according to their rep, were already in discussions with Target at the time of the conference—did leave open the possibility of a limited-term relationship. Of course, in doing so, they dispensed with the usual feel-good line about providing affordable fashion for the masses:

"[W]hat happens is that these companies are paying for your name to be out there," Hernandez said. "They're using you to get their name out there, but it's also your name.... At the end of the day, there were huge posters of Stella McCartney all over the city when she was doing H&M, which she probably wouldn't be able to afford."