Mini-Review: Altuzarra for Target

Been a while!  Sorry for the lack of updates.  Life has been busy these days, but the most recent Target collab has brought me back out of hiding.  And that would be Altuzarra!

I have such mixed feelings about this collection.  The degree of anticipation I had leading up to launch day exceeded that of any other collab.  I loved just about everything on paper.  More of it was my style than any collab since this all started with Jason Wu.  I loved the sleek silhouettes, darker colors, and sophisticated styles.  But when I tried them on, most of it was a huge disappointment.  This collab was riddled by fit issues, which isn't new when it comes to Target clothing, but it was really ridiculous this time...

- The dresses I liked were cut really oddly.  Target, why do you hate broad shoulders and long torsos?!?
-Lots of the pieces I liked were sheer, either over the whole top or just the back.  Target, why do you hate bras?!?
-I really coveted the over-the-knee boots and thought the rest of the shoes were pretty awesome, but they did not come in my size.  Target, why do you hate people with big feet?!?  We like pretty shoes too!

Anyway, here goes...

This maxi was my #1 must-have piece of the collection, and one of the few that didn't disappoint.  Others have mentioned the poly fabric as a downside, but I think it photographs well and doesn't look cheap.  The top is a little tight, but I can still move my arms.  The only problem is that there seem to be a lot of sizing inconsistencies.  I loved the way this particular one fit, but it had a few fabric pulls, so I had to return it.  Unfortunately, the one I got from my online order doesn't fit quite as well.  The waist sits just below the bust in a true empire style, whereas this one, as you can see, sits closer to my natural waist.  I very much prefer the natural waist because I have a long torso with a wide ribcage, and I look pregnant in many empire waist styles.  If I don't find another one that fits like this, I'll probably wear it with a wide belt to cinch the waist.

I really wanted to love this dress.  The color is perfect with my fake red hair and skin tone, the sequins are pretty, and it has pockets!  But sadly, it looked frumpy on top, even with a belt, and the waist hit far above my natural waist, although it doesn't look like that in this photo.  No good.

Oh, the disappointment.  This was also on my list as a must-have, and had it worked out, I would have kept it over the black orchid maxi because it seems more versatile.  Unfortunately, it's completely unwearable.  It has a gorgeous shape and is reminiscent of the Issa Banana Republic dresses, but with one major difference: the fabric has absolutely ZERO give.  It is impossible to raise my arms in this dress.  You can see the fabric straining on my left shoulder as I attempt to raise my arm to take this picture.  It ruins an otherwise beautiful and well-fitting dress...the bust, waist, hips, and sleeves are all perfect.  I won't buy a dress that I can't drive, eat, or move in.  Sad.

This was the dress that everyone seemed to love, but I hated the fabric.  The entire dress is covered with these silly raised dots that make me want to rip them off.  It's a shame it wasn't flat like the red one, because it fits beautifully, is nice and comfy, and has pockets.  The belt, on the other hand...winner winner chicken dinner!  I'm so glad I ordered it online because it sold out right away.  It's structured and substantial.  It came in the mail rolled around itself so it would maintain its shape without being crushed.  Can't wait to wear it!

A lot of people really liked the crane embroidered items (sweater and dress).  The sweater was nice, but I felt the $50 price point was not justified, since the design is very simple, and the crane embroidery is scratchy.  I might have bought it if it were long enough to wear over leggings, since I really like that look, but it didn't cover my booty.  The dress was, as usual, too tight on anyone with a booty, so I didn't even try it on.  It looked great on skinny girls and hourglass figures, but isn't for the pear-shaped.

Finally, I'm expecting the black trench coat in the mail, and I hope it fits, because it's really gorgeous.  I didn't buy it on launch night because I convinced myself I had too many coats and didn't need it, but then I couldn't stop thinking about it.  Luckily I was able to find it through a wonderful Facebook group.

So even though I coveted so many items from this collection, I only ended up with the black maxi, belt, and trench coat.  I hope Target learns from the problems with the fit and fabrics enough to improve them for the next time around.

Outfit: Chillin' in my skirt

A few weeks ago I bought a lovely pencil skirt at Nordie's.  It has just the right amount of structure and is incredibly slimming!  The "midi" length (just below the knees) was different from most skirts I've seen, and I was immediately attracted to the print and colors.  But here's the problem: it's winter! I'm extremely intolerant to cold and can't wear anything that isn't full-length in winter.

Then a light bulb went off...*tights!*  I'm slightly ashamed that it took me this long to figure out that I can wear tights or leggings under shorter pieces in winter.  Here's how I made this skirt cold weather-appropriate...

The footless tights combined with flats dress it down for everyday wear.  If I were wearing it to a work-related thing, I'd have worn nude regular tights and heels.  The blazer has cool faux-leather accents, and that gorgeous purse makes another appearance.  I like the pop of color that the top provides, and it has a knot design that's just slightly visible under the blazer but doesn't compete with the pattern of the skirt.  Off to do some shopping!

Blazer: Target/Mossimo
Top: Banana Republic Factory
Skirt: Halogen (via Nordstrom clearance)
Tights: Spanx High-Falutin' Footless
Shoes: Maria Sharapova by Cole Haan
Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

Review: Peter Pilotto for Target

Hi all, if anyone is actually reading this!  It's been a while - life got in the way of keeping up with the blog, but I'd be remiss if I didn't post about the latest Target collab!

So unless you've been living under a rock (or are in medical residency like a lot of my friends :-p), you've probably seen the ads, heard the buzz, or walked into a Target store and seen the pieces themselves.  This collection has been distinctly polarizing.  Most people either adore it or hate it.  I think it was aimed at a slightly younger and bolder audience than previous Target collabs, for whatever that's worth.  What this means is that many of the pieces come with short hemlines, eye-popping prints, and textured fabrics.

My first impression of the lookbook was decidedly negative.  Target unfortunately layered printed pieces over printed pieces, creating a cacophony of prints that hurt my eyes.  I like prints, color blocking, and bold colors, but one trend I just cannot get into is print mixing.  Styles like these make me cringe a little:

I can't be the only one that wishes Target had made a full bodysuit out of the lace sleeve material in these two looks and sold them as separates, right?  Then people could choose to wear the lacy sleeves or not.

As usual, I ordered everything I thought I would want as soon as it went live, then woke up at a reasonable hour and moseyed into Target (rather than stand in line at 7 AM).  My goal was basically to get the moto jacket, something in the red iris print, and something in the purple floral print, and that was all.  There was still a really nice selection left, although the smallest sizes were gone in many of the pieces.  My impressions upon seeing the pieces in person were...

1) All the prints were much cuter in person.  Still, I shied away from the louder ones and the mixed pieces.  Stripes mixed with floral?  No thanks.  That yellow-green dress with lace sleeves in addition to two different prints, pictured above?  Not for me.  But I appreciated how much nicer they were in person and saw lots of other girls looking cute in them.  For myself, I really only liked two of the many prints: the red iris and the purple floral.

2) The fabrics were quite varied, but the most interesting pieces unfortunately had fabrics that I thought were hideous.  I'm talking about the moto jacket (actually the only item I really loved from the lookbook and thought I'd keep), the romper, the strapless dress, and the purple tank dress.  The fabrics were crepe-like, with an odd shiny texture that I just did not love at all.  I guess Peter Pilotto uses textured fabrics in his real collection, but I dunno...hopefully they translate better in more expensive fabrics, because these just did not impress me at all in the cheap synthetics that Target is notorious for.  I'm all for saving money with inexpensive fabrics, but sometimes designer looks don't translate well to budget fabrics, unfortunately.

3) There were major fit issues.  More so than any Target collection that I recall.  I didn't try on a lot of these but kept hearing the same complaints over and over again from my online friends.  Here are the issues I can remember off the top of my head:
-the purple floral bodycon dress was ridiculously slim in the hips and loose on top
-the strapless iris dress ran tiny in the bust but large in the waist
-the high-low dress was too short in front (even on someone I saw who's 5'2"!)
-the romper was scandalously short...more on that later...
-the printed shorts looked like a big ol' diaper on everyone
-the wrap-style skirts were snug and unforgiving in the hips, requiring people to size up 2-3 sizes
-the bustier-style bikini top had huge cups with a more true-to-size, if not small, band
-the one-piece swimsuit was disastrously short in the torso
-the vertically striped ruffle dress was shapeless in the middle

4) The most universally coveted pieces, those pretty little flared dresses, had a horrendously poofy layer of stiff tulle that I would have cut out immediately had I bought the dresses.  The poof adds volume to the backside on everyone, and the dresses look so much better without it.  The models didn't seem to have any tulle in their dresses, but it just magically appeared in real life.  Blah.  Between this and the fit issue with the bust of the strapless, they turned out to be the most disappointing pieces for many people.  Neither of these dresses were really on my list because I typically have a more casual style, and a girl only needs so many fancy party dresses.

Yet despite all of these caveats, I was strangely drawn to many more of the pieces than expected.  Here's what I'm keeping:

1) The moto jacket.  I could go on and on about how much I loathe the fabric...but everything else about this piece is just sublime.  The cut is feminine and edgy, the colorblocking makes my heart sing, the colors themselves are cool and subdued in comparison to the louder prints in this line, and the belt hits my natural waist perfectly (normally Target tops are way too short for my excessively long torso).  Winner, winner, chicken dinner!

2) The sunglasses.  I didn't think the round shape would work well on my face, but they were really fun and much cuter than expected.  They seem well-made, not lopsided or too light, like some cheap sunglasses can be.  I loved the red but not the black and white pattern.  They'll go nicely with my new red hair.  (Not pictured.)

3) Two tank tops: the purple floral peplum and the red iris racerback.  The peplum fit impeccably and was a nice soft cotton blend with a criss-cross design under the bust.  Something about that print makes everyone's chest look voluptuous too!  The red iris tank ran big but will be a great spring/summer piece to wear with skinny jeans.  Or these white straight jeans I'm wearing.  Everything in this collection seems to look great with white pants.

4) The romper.  I was somewhat curious after seeing the lookbook and instantly drawn to it in person, but nixed it after trying on my regular size because it was WAY too short.  So short that when I took a picture in the fitting room, I draped my jacket over the backs of my legs because I didn't want to see the backs of my upper thighs in the mirror on the opposite wall.  And nobody else wants to see them either...so back to the rack it went.  A few days later I tried on one that was 2 sizes larger and was pleasantly surprised at how much longer it was.  It wasn't that much looser, and I realized I actually liked the slightly looser look.  I should mention that it seemed to make my gargantuan hips and booty magically vanish in both sizes - something about the slightly A-line cut of it.  I'll wear it with Spanx/bike shorts for additional modesty, since I'm still not 100% comfortable with the length.  Also, a fitted black tee will help to camouflage the looseness of the top part and avoid visible bra, and a belt cinches the waist nicely.

Overall, I'm happy with my haul despite seeing the overall collection as somewhat disappointing.  The facts that I could completely skip most of the prints and that the most expensive pieces were not for me were great for my wallet.  And I really love the ones I picked up.  Ironically it was kind of refreshing that I disliked a lot of the pieces, because that way I didn't have to pick and choose which ones to keep among a multitude of pieces I liked.  Not bad!

Splurge: The Urban Shoe Myth!

"Do you know what these are?  Manolo. Blahnik. Mary. Janes.  I thought these were an urban shoe myth!"

Carrie's now-famous reaction to the Manolo Blahnik Campari was pretty much the same as mine when I saw them at Last Call.  They were more than I typically spend on shoes ($240 for shoes that still retail for $685), but given how rare it is to find well-fitting designer shoes in my size, I jumped on them!  Well, I guess that's not entirely true.  I hesitated for a moment because they were actually a half-size too small, and the associate wasn't able to find my actual size in any other store.  But they actually felt better on my feet than the shoes I was wearing on the day I found them, probably because the long toe box allows me to squeeze my crazy monkey toes in.  I love me some pointy-toed action.  And the Mary Jane strap prevents them from trying to jump off of my feet.

Could I have found a similar style for less?  Sure, but Manolos are still a status symbol to me.  And even though my mama didn't raise me to be a sucker for labels, sometimes a girl needs her guilty pleasures.  The discount price makes these attainable and more pleasure than guilt!

Tip: If you live near a Nordstrom Last Chance, there are reports of people finding these babies for $99!!!

Outfit: Business Casual

Last week I had my first interview session for prospective students, and we interviewers were asked to wear "business casual" clothing.  We were actually told we could wear jeans provided they had no holes, but I took the opportunity to dress up a tad.  I've been dying to wear this Issa dress ever since I got it (at 40% off the clearance price, plus the savings from my Banana Card!).  It's insanely flattering  with the wrap-tie waist and just long enough to be professional.  It goes nicely with this color blocked cardigan that I picked up for less than $10 from the Kohl's clearance rack:

Since there are a lot of colors in the top and cardigan, I kept the accessories neutral, with my trusty Lim bag making another appearance.  I could have gone with black shoes but wanted to brighten the outfit a little, so I chose nude pumps.  Nude shoes are a wonderful wardrobe staple that visually elongate my legs (especially paired with the perfect length and the tie at the natural waist).  I hope to get a lot of wear out of this outfit!

Dress: Issa London for Banana Republic
Cardigan: Narciso Rodriguez for DesigNation at Kohl's
Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target
Shoes: Target/Merona

Outfit: Teal Appeal

I've given lots of blog space to Target collaborations, but today I'm going to showcase a piece from Kohl's.  They have a recent line called DesigNation, in which the designer chooses a city for inspiration, and they send the designer out to that city to create the pieces.  The first designer was Narciso Rodriguez, who was inspired by Istanbul, then Derek Lam with Rio, and currently we have Catherine Malandrino and Paris.  These collections are for some reason given less publicity than the Target ones, but the pieces are usually just as nice.  Last year, I bought a swimsuit and two tops from the Derek Lam collection.  This time around, I didn't have much on my wish list because most of the pieces are black and white, which just isn't my style.  I'm a color lover!  I deliberately sought out the pieces with color and am so glad I didn't overlook them!  Like this lovely teal sweater...

I can't seem to get it to photograph right, but it has a wonderful collection of textures, with the raised ribbing contrasting with the pointelle holes.  The ribbed part over the bust is, I'm sure, a strategic decision.  I do have to wear a flesh-toned cami underneath it for modesty, but that's no big deal.  The color is a dark teal, and it matches my super-comfy Cole Haan ballet flats just perfectly!

I also want to take a minute to mention these incredible skinny jeans...they're made by Uniqlo, and they're amazing!  I've never seen my legs looking better, and I feel super-sexy in them.  They're a perfect length (32" inseam - you can choose between that and 34").  I could wear them with heels, flats, or boots.  And they're only $19.90!  The downside is that since they run small in the thigh-to-calf area, I had to size up, and they gap enough at the waist that I can get an entire hand into the waistband.  And while they say they're mid-rise, they're not...the rise in my size is 8 inches, which is technically a low rise.  But they do cover my butt and sit comfortably on my hip bones, and the waist gapping is (A) something I'm very used to, as a curvy chica, and (B) nothing that a little belt can't fix.  Finally, the straight cut is much more forgiving than the tapered cut in the hip-to-knee area, so try out both to see which works for you.

Top: Catherine Malandrino for DesigNation at Kohl's

Jeans: Uniqlo skinny fit straight leg

Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target

Shoes: Maria Sharapova by Cole Haan

Outfit: Fashion Faux-Pants

As they say on What Not to Wear...shut the front door!  I never, ever, EVER thought I'd be able to pull off a leggings-as-pants look.  I've always thought of leggings as something I would need to wear with a long tunic that covers the butt.  Enter Uniqlo's "Leggings Pants."  Aside from the fact that I really want to rip the "s" off of Leggings and just call them "Legging Pants," these are perfect in every way.  Unbelievably slimming, they have the fit of skinny jeans but the feel and comfort of leggings.  Today I was going to a choral workshop for a musical I have a part in, and I knew I'd have to move and stretch a lot, so these were perfect.  Uniqlo's sizes tend to run small since they're designed for skinny Japanese people, but I managed to work myself into a medium, so I'm sure there's a size for almost everyone out there!  And they're on sale right now at Uniqlo for $14.90 ($5 off the regular price)!  Even if you miss the sale, the regular price isn't bad for the quality.  Side note: the faux leather and corduroy run smaller because the fabric has very little give, so I sized up to large in those.  YMMV.

I went with earth tones for fall, and it actually threw me for a bit of a loop.  Lately I've been wearing almost exclusively bold colors and bright prints.  But earth tones were the staple of my older wardrobe, so I have plenty of them.  I dug out a brown embellished almost-tunic top to pair with these dark olive leggings.  It's not quite long enough to cover my butt, but it's OK because, again, these leggings are really more like pants!  It was a little chilly in the rehearsal hall, so I threw on a soft and warm hooded sweater, and that one does cover my butt.  So it's an option for when I'm both cold AND self-conscious.  The bag is my ridiculously adorable Phillip Lim for Target taupe mini, and the shoes are a guilty pleasure...sequined leopard-print TOMS.  They're brown, gold, and black, and they gave this casual outfit a little ZING!

Top: Chico's
Sweater: Tag says "Kenji handknit" - honestly can't remember where it came from!
Leggings: Uniqlo Leggings Pants
Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target
Shoes: TOMS (Nordstrom Exclusive "Panthera" style)