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Target: Not just for toothpaste and underpants anymore!
Yesterday, Tar-jays across the land had selections in stock that had been long gone, including locally at the Hampton Avenue location, which your correspondent visited with the intent of doing serious damage to her bank account. The store had most of the collection in stock, with only a few omissions.
By late afternoon, the selection wasn't too picked over, though several of the pieces were only available in extra small and extra large. There were dresses (and only dresses) by Jovovich-Hawk, Proenza Schouler and Luella Bartley, among others.
There were some standouts. A green-and-blue striped T-shirt dress by Libertine would work well in a sweltering St. Louis summer. Thakoon, a line much loved by stylish first lady Michelle Obama, offered a colorblock shift in cool blues. A frilly pink wrap-style frock by Zac Posen had a flattering fit. We really wanted to like a Jonathan Saunders dress in black with a polka-dot motif down the front and a skinny orange belt, but it was ludicrously short.
The big star of the show, of course, was Rodarte. The design darling by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy burst onto the fashion scene in 2005 and has scarcely made a misstep since. Their avant-garde shreddy gowns and knits are on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and are much loved by fashionistas like Chloe Sevigny and Natalie Portman, who wore their work in Black Swan. Their Target line has two pieces, and alas, the more distinctive of the two wasn't on offer at the Hampton Avenue store. (Anyone seen it at others nearby?) I didn't see the peach slip dress, which looks more identifiably Rodarte.
They did have the beige lace print dress, which is an elegant take on a basic that screams to be accessorized. The print is gorgeous, and the black underlay has raw edges, which is a really nice detail. At forty dollars, it would make a go-to wardrobe anchor. Talking ourselves out of buying it may have actually been pretty dumb.
Prices range from $24 to $45. Browse through the whole collection online and get 'em while they're hot.
