Sunday, March 7, 2010

My review of Jean Paul Gaultier for Target


In lieu of a Pick of the the Week post today, I am instead going to post my firsthand review of the new Jean Paul Gaultier for Target collection. In a nutshell: you know how you can appreciate an art form even though it's not your cup of tea? For instance: you may hate the free-form style of Impressionist watercolors, but you can appreciate them for the classic art it represents. That is how to best sum up this collection. It may not personally be for you (as was the case for me) but I commend JPG for being true to his vision and bringing his fashion to the masses at a price point we can all love. All that said, here goes:

Most of the retro-styled sundresses are made of a weird, parachute-type of fabric or a shiny, disco-style jersey. The exceptions are the floral eyelet ones, which are made of cotton and seem to be better made (IMO) but are cut really small. Also, both the black/white and yellow halter dresses are cut WAY low. In other words, not for the modest or faint of heart!

Both the brown leather jacket and the tan trench coat are already sold out online, and I also did not see them at either of the two Target stores I visited this morning. I did, however, see plenty of the brown/red motorcycle jackets (shown) on the racks, and at $199, I'm not surprised. Then again, they may sell out as well, as there are currently only size XS and S left online.

The swimwear was the glam, skimpy stuff suited more towards "sunning" or "strutting your stuff" vs. actually swimming in. And the tops were best suited for clubbing. Again, most were made of this shiny jersey stuff, except for the screen printed lip, eye, and striped anchor tees, which were made of a cotton/spandex blend. And these were a letdown (for me, anyhow) as they are completely split up the left side (the side that ties at the hip) which means you have to wear another tee or a tank underneath or lest be walking around naked.

The one thing I almost (ALMOST) bought was the short-sleeved double-breasted pinstriped jacket. This piece SCREAMS 80's-retro, and in fact I think I had a suit jacket like this in the early 90's when I first entered the job market. This jacket is fitted and styled extremely well, and if I didn't work in such a business-casual environment, I may have purchased it. But alas, it's simply too structured a piece for my sort of lifestyle.

So to sum it all up: Jean Paul Gautier for Target is a fun, colorful, young collection for those who can (and want to) wear it. While it's not my personal style, I can still appreciate it as well-executed capsule collection for Target.

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I ordered the double-breasted pinstripe jacket online since I wasn't able to head to the store today. It looks awesome.

Marie said...

There was a red dress online that was long enough to be somewhat modest enough! I agree, lots of skin shown, fab post!
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge

Critifur said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Critifur said...

I am a huge fan of JPG, but I found the Target collection a letdown. I was seriously thinking of buying the pleated mini, which was cute, but not for me. Otherwise, I also found the clothes made out of very strange textiles. Those nylon dresses, actually made of the same material as an umbrella. Oh, well.

Anonymous said...

It should have been called the JPG for 12-year-olds line for Target. Horrible fabrics, terrible construction/fit, ditto on availability. Too bad--Anna Sui did such a nice job for Target, I had higher hopes.

Target Addict said...

Critifur, YES! I called the nylon "parachute fabric", but you're right: it is very much like what umbrellas are made of.

I actually didn't see the skirts on the racks at either of the 2 Target stores I went to. I did see the pinstriped tailored shorts, though (which match the jacket I wrote about).

Anonymous said...

For me.. this is the first Trget Collab that I can't stad by just looking at photos.. there is not one thing I care to see in person.. Tomorrow, I will, but I am just NOT sure about this one.. :(

Unknown said...

Went to a Target store today to check out the collection. I stand by my purchase of the pinstripe jacket. It's a nice piece you can wear to work.

I liked the design and prints on many of other items but the fabrics were odd. Why do I want to wear a skirt made from raincoat fabric? Some of the shiny jersey tops looked like swimsuits. The only other standout piece for me was the anchor tee, even though you'd have to wear something underneath it. But I'll wait to see if it goes on sale. I'm going to see how the Liberty of London clothes turn out.