The holiday hype has begun, and Target this week launched one of the first salvos, announcing an innovative partnership with 24 designers and the upscale department store chain Neiman Marcus.

Neiman Marcus reported total revenues of $1.06 billion for the third quarter compared with $983.8 million in the prior year.

Neiman Marcus said Thursday it has launched its first-ever foursquare challenge to take place on Oct. 1 in conjunction with the department store retailer’s Shoe & Handbag Event.

High-end apparel retailer Neiman Marcus has announced the launch of NMdaily, a fashion blog, which the company said will provide daily updates from "the front lines of the design world."