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Like most of Target's designer collections, Jean Paul Gaultier's collection for Target is expected to fly off the shelves. This may be true, but I'll tell you this: the pieces will not be flying into my closet. Even though there were quite a few pieces that looked promising in pictures, I was really disappointed with the quality of the entire collection. The pieces I thought I would like still looked decent on the hanger, but once I placed the fabric between my fingers it was over. I get that these designer collaborations cut corners on fabric choices in order to offer high-end design at a normal person's price point and I wasn't expecting runway-quality fabrics, but this is the first Target collection that has been basically unwearable mainly because of poor fabric choices.
Let's start with the Spanish Mustard Halter Dress ($59.99); it's really sweet looking, like a modern update on the iconic white Marilyn dress. (The mesh tattoo top is not part of the dress. Thank goodness.) In person you can see the fabric's lovely raised floral pattern. The dress appears, at first glance, to have a great shape and the skirt is even lined with tulle to give it a bit more poof. But man oh man, the fabric! It's absolutely horrendous. It's basically cheap nylon raincoat fabric -- stiff and plastic-y. It doesn't drape well at all and does a total disservice to the dress. To add insult to injury, the tulle lining was of the annoying super itchy variety. Ugh!
The fabric is almost tolerable, however, for this wonderfull Black Strapless Cloque Dress ($59.99). Unlike the yellow dress, which is made of the same fabric, this dress fits beautifully and doesn't hang awkwardly at all because it doesn't have to; it's very structured. Because of the super stiff fabric, however, you basically have to fit into the curves the dress assigns for you because it's not at all forgiving. And even though I loved how I looked in the dress, I could tell those beautiful pleats were this close to ripping apart. So no. $60 may be a good price for a Jean Paul Gaultier dress, but it's not a good price for a dress that's going to fall apart after not even wearing it once.
Other pieces also failed the fabric test; the Lipstick Red Tank Dress ($34.99) is made of a fabric that reminded me of gym clothes. The plasticy, static-cling kind. The bad kind. And the trench coat (which has gotten a lot of press) looks good in the pictures and at $34.99 seems like a great price -- but Target.com reviews are critical of the fabric.
The only exceptions to the bad fabric choices seemed to be the $199.99 leather jackets:
I've wanted a leather jacket for a long time, but neither of these were the style I was looking for. The first is a bit too rock and roll chick (not that that's bad and it's definitely in keeping with the concept for the collection, but just not me) and the other was too, well, blah.
I'm sad to say that Gaultier for Target was an all-around disappointment. I may not have the money to buy the "real" stuff, but that doesn't mean I want ill-fitting clothing made of ugly, uncomfortable fabrics or, worse yet, disposable clothing. I have a sweater vest from Thakoon for Target that I wear all the time and it's still in great shape. I play with my kids while wearing my navy tulle skirt from Rodarte for Target and it's no worse for the wear even though the fabric isn't anything fancy. I expect cheap fabrics coupled with great design when I go to buy Target's designer collections, but I don't expect those fabrics to make the clothing unwearable.
Did you check out Gaultier's collections for Target? What did you think of it? Or do you steer clear of these type of mass-marked designer collections?
Nina
