Strut like a Peacock

By now, we've all come to terms with the fact that Sex and the City 2 is not as good as we would like. Plenty of vitriol has been spewed about the writing and the setting and Sarah Jessica Parker's face (which, in my opinion, is no more unfortunate than it's always been). But besides Carrie's $50,000 outfit, there's been less talk about the fashion. My pet peeve was when Patricia Fields would dress the characters in matching outfits--in this scene, they're all wearing prints! Here they all wear maxi dresses! Now they're all in capes!

But there was one dress that made me lean over to my sister and mom and say, "I LOVE that." And, surprisingly, it wasn't a Charlotte dress! (I have a theory that Pat Fields is bored of dressing Charlotte and so doesn't put any effort into interpreting a classic style in an interesting way. Charlotte used to have jaw-droppingly gorgeous outfits that were also un-insane--remember her black dress that she wore to the wedding, and described her thought process as, "I'm usually, 'Oh, look at the bride, look at the bride!' This time I want people to look at me!")

I'm sad that this is the only photo of it I could find, because I know it doesn't do it justice. First, you're probably distracted by her hideous hair, which she is far too old to pull off. And the shoes are wacky and don't remotely match. But that dress! Delicate, glittering beading in the pattern of peacock feathers--so exquisite. It looks vintage, but if anyone knows the brand please chime in! Here's a close-up of just the dress:
I love the scalloped hem on the skirt is the only significant form detail--the rest is very basic so the beading takes center stage.

Naturally, I'm not searching for a peacock dress of my own but am finding the options lacking. Most "peacock" dresses interpret it a little less literally, like this DVF mini dress that another blog posted about in late 2009:
You can see the peacock inspiration, and this is a drop dead gorgeous dress to be sure, but why bother with peacocks if you're not going to do feathers?

See, Liberty of London has the right idea with this piggybank, part of their collection for Target:
Who would dare smash this delightful cross between a pig and a bird? Perhaps I should put money in the bank that I'm saving for my dream peacock dress, so I can know I'm destroying it for a good cause. (I know, I know, there's probably a hole on the bottom where you can get the change out without smashing it. But that's cheating and I'm going to pretend it doesn't exist.)

Wrapped in Plaid

I think I found my new go-to summer work dress. You know, for when it's 86 degrees and completely muggy, and the thought of wearing pants makes you want to crawl inside your fridge and hide from the world.

It's casual, yes, but I think it's just dressy enough to pass at the office (especially on Fridays). Since Target has the worst models in the world, it looks really unflattering and bulky, but I swear the Converse One Star Ruffle Sleeve Dress, $27.99, is actually very flattering towards your curves. I felt a little Sofia Vergara (Gloria from Modern Family and, for my money, the hottest woman on TV right now) in this dress--wrap dresses are famous for creating the perfect hourglass figure. And what I love about this dress is that the wrap portion isn't too meager; the two sides overlap enough so that if a breeze comes and blows up the top portion, the bottom portion will still keep you covered. I tend to favor the faux-wrap dress for this reason (and I always wear a slip, just to be prepared for when I walk over subway grates), but this dress has the benefit of being totally adjustable. I also dig the tiered ruffles at the bottom, which keep this from being just another plaid dress.

While at Target I also tried this dress from the Zac Posen collaboration. FYI, the Atlantic Terminal Target in Brooklyn had a surprisingly good selection of Zac Posen stuff, and a lot of sizes, but it was a bit weird because they didn't have the words Zac Posen on any of the displays. I'm going to make a wild guess and say that they sold out, took down the promotional stuff, and then unexpectedly got another shipment. Not that it benefited me, because the dress I was hoping to score didn't fit right in either a medium or large.
The Snap Tape Dress, $69.99, just wasn't flattering to my boobs in either size, and with that neckline, you have to make sure your decolletage looks its best.
If it were cheaper I might have done that really, really stupid girl thing of buying something that doesn't fit but telling yourself, "I can totally lose enough weight to zip this up in a few weeks!" But I don't plan going up or down a cup size, so, alas, I had to leave without it. I just wish there was some stretch to the fabric--instead, it's a very unstretchy polyester that reminds me a bit of a raincoat, but it works for the design. Sigh. I love the "sailor by day, dominatrix by night" associations of this dress. Maybe in a few months I'll add it to my regular Ebay search rotation, along with a Proenza Schouler for Target dress (the aqua and white palm tree one) and a Vena Cava for Gap dress (the zip-up tank dress; for some reason, the other dress they did pops up on Ebay every day, but the zip dress is much more elusive).

Amanda Seyfriend and Zac Posen

Amanda Seyfried has officially replaced Rachel McAdams as the celebrity I most wish I looked like. Sorry Rachel--you're still gorgeous, and you made a real run at regaining your title in that sublime Oscar dress.......which reminded me of a Barbie I had with a dress inspired by Monet's waterlilies (I used to be really into collecting the fancy Barbies, and would get a new one every Christmas. My favorite was the one with Eliza Doolittle's white racetrack dress from My Fair Lady, because it had a ginormous hat that reminded me of Kate Winslet in the opening of Titanic). On Oscar night, Rachel McAdams completed topped Amanda Seyfried's cake-icing gown, but besides that, it's been a while since anything Rachel McAdams wore made me go, "Ugh, why is she so perfect? (I hear she does car commercials in Japan. One time she punched me in the face. It was awesome.)

Amanda Seyfried, on the other hand, makes me react like that every time I see her, and I can pretty much guarantee that I will go see Letters to Juliet just so I can ogle her shiny, shiny hair (I'm also interested to see her stick her whole fist in her mouth and predict the weather with her breasts, two things that I don't think she does in that movie). And I've had an old issue of Vogue sitting on my desk for a week, open to this page, just to remind myself that perfection is possible:
So gorgeous, right? She's perfectly walking the line between classic and fresh--she has the loose screen siren girls and curvy figure, but looks clean-faced and wholesome. It's like when you see photos of Dita von Teese and think, "She looks amazing, but not quite human..." but here Amanda took that over-the-top look and translated it into an everyday, just hanging at Coney Island outfit. I adored it even more when I saw photos of the dress online. On Amanda, it looks like a staple of your fantasy wardrobe. On this model, it looks like something you'd see at a thrift store and think, "Oh man, if only this were a little less weird..."
Those sleeves! Why are those sleeves ripped open?! It ruins everything for me, because it's one of those really unnecessary designer-y things. It doesn't help that the model has very strange proportions--her neck, in particular, is freaking me out. I should mention that this dress is from Zac Posen's new lower-priced collection, Z Spoke. Of course, "lower-priced" is relative, as this Silk Polka Dot Flared Dress is $495, and then it'll be an extra $15 bucks or so to get your tailor to fix those god awful sleeves. The solid version is a little less offensive to my eyes, since it's in a gorgeous merlot red.

In the Vogue article that the Amanda Seyfried photo is from, Zac Posen does a lot of patting himself on the back for having this new "affordable" line. But it's such a joke, just like every "Steal of the Month" feature. A 500 dollar dress is not affordable! It's not a steal! In New York, it's half a month's rent; in Phoenix, it's 2 months rent. I know that complaining about how Vogue is out of touch with the real world is as old as complaining about bad weather, but I still see red when I read, "Posen is keen to come up with prices that won't break the bank ($78 to a bit over $600). 'T-shirts at T-shirt prices' is how he puts it." Zac Posen obviously hasn't been to a Gap ever in his life, because T-shirt prices should be somewhere between $20 and $30 (if you're too impatient to wait for that v-neck to go on sale). This Z spoke t-shirt--cotton, jersey, and ugly as sin--is $98.

But hey, Zac Posen is doing a collection for Target that comes out on April 25th, and hope springs eternal! Sure, his pieces seem to be at a higher price point that previous Target collaborations, but maybe that'll translate into higher quality. I'm intrigued in a few dresses, but as always, I won't know until I see them in person if they're hideous or awesome. This first dress is so weird that it just might work--it's like sailor meets punk:
And this dress is just pure glam fun:

Wow, this post meandered a bit. Shall we bring it all back with a final appreciation of the late Lily Cane's perfect hair?

Metallic Target Gladiator Sandals--back and almost as good as ever!

Those of you who know me in real life are well acquinted with my ongoing love affair with gold gladiator sandals from Target. Got them two summers ago, wore them to pieces, and have been regretting not getting multiple pairs ever since. Well, BIG NEWS. Happily for me, Target is shamelessly ripping off Isaac Mizrahi's design (he did my original sandals, and left the company a year or two ago) with the Merona Elyssa Strappy Sandals, $19.99.
They are almost exactly the same as the IM version, but the footbed is a neutral color instead of matching the straps. And, the biggest bummer, is that they come in silver, bronze and black but not gold. And I am all about gold, so I might have to get these Target sandals too, just to cover my metallic summer sandal bases:
The Xhilaration Tanya Grecian sandals, $17.99, are a fairly slight shade of gold--I'd worry about them getting noticeably dirty. But the braided top is very trendy, in a good way, and I like how it's a thong but not a flip-flop. And look at this! Target is having a buy one pair of shoes, get one off sale! This is just what I need to brighten my spirits on this uber-gloomy, rainy March day. And I'm just going to ignore the fact that I was at Target, literally yesterday, and spent a bit too much money on fruit snacks and poster frames and dvds and all the other amazingly cheap shit Target specializes in.

Steal of the Day

Remember when Rodarte's collection for Target came out, and we were all, "Oh my god, it's going to be so cute! I can't wait to check it out!" And then we went to Target, tried everything on, and were like, "Eh, the dresses that aren't already sold out isn't that cute. Especially not for $45 when I can buy a more practical Mossimo dress for $19.99."

Flash forward to two months later, and there's just a few pieces of the collection left on Target.com. Happily, one of those is the Lace Halter Dress for just $15.74!

Very versatile, classic Little Black Dress. The skirt is a little poofier in person than in this photo, but I like a little poof in a party dress. The lace overlay looks very high-quality and the satin ribbon bow at the neck adds a whimsical note. I would recommend ordering a size up, especially if you have a decent-sized rack.

I'm happy to see that a lot of the other Rodarte for Target dresses are on Ebay for under $50. If you want a LBD with more of an edge than the sweet lace halter dress, bid on the sequin skeleton ribcage dress. This dress is also good if you're sort of anti-Halloween, don't want to wear a real costume but don't want to be a that killjoy at the party. Wear this dress and be a sexy skeleton!
Very quickly, let's look ahead to the next Target Go Collection, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. The lookbook features a lot of very suspect layering (dude, tattoo shirts do not go with sweet floral dresses. They don't go with anything, because tattoo shirts are fugly to the nth degree), but there are a few pieces I have my eye on. Number one is this trench coat with a nautical twist.

Family-friendly Swimsuits

So I'm going on vacation next week, to my family reunion in upstate New York. After a few days shuttling around to places like the Edelweiss and Bob-o-Link Hill, a good chunk of my extended family is heading to a local lake and renting two neighboring cottages. The water will be just feet away, and while it isn't an ocean (my body of water of choice), I'm still looking forward to swimming as much as possible.

Naturally, I want a new swimsuit; naturally, I don't really need one. I have a reliable stable of mix-and-match bikinis and a nice Speedo one-piece for swimming workouts, and for the last year they've been gathering dust in my closet. It is very possible, baring any trips to Coney Island or Jones Beach in the next month, that this trip will be the only time I wear a swimsuit until next summer.

But that isn't going to stop me from checking out my options. Here's what I need: a swimsuit that's cute but very PG-rated. Besides my parents, there will be aunts, uncles, cousins, second-cousins--none of whom are within 10 years of my age. There is no one there I need to worry about impressing, and no one there is interested in seeing my cleavage. But that doesn't mean I need to be a total matron.

I really love this red one-piece from Mossimo, $19.99 at Target. It's adorable and flirty, so I could definitely wear it if I ever went to the beach with my friends. The color is bombshell but the cut is modest, which is a nice compromise between my dualing instincts to show-off or hide.

This J.Crew Watercolor Stripe halter top, $19.99, and bottom, $29.99, shows a little more skin, but I think the sweet pink and white color scheme makes it more tame. It makes me think of the bikini your babysitter would wear when she'd take you to the pool, and you'd just dream about the day when you'll turn 16 and be able to look just like her in a cute swimsuit. Unfortunately, the top is only available in x-small and small, and the bottom is only available in large and x-large. Never have I wished to be pear-shaped so badly.

Back to Target: Converse One Star has a great sporty swimsuit that's on clearance. In Federal Blue, the tankini is $13.98 and the bottoms are $11.88. I'm a big fan of water sports, and this swimsuit will stay in place for many games of Marco Polo or a long kayak ride. The boyshort cut of the bottoms is adorable in a tomboy way, and the white piping gives it my beloved nautical vibe.

Ok, so this photo makes it hard to tell if this bikini is the right choice for a family lake vacation; I'm leaning towards no, but I'm including it anyway because it's a freaking cute suit. From Victoria's Secret, the Beach Sexy Striped adjustable triangle top is $13 and the bottom is $14. Any swimsuit that involves actual knots to stay on is usually not good for being low-key, and the adjustable aspect of the top (you can tie it was a halter, around the neck, or a bandeau, around the back--this is great when you're trying to avoid tan lines) makes me think it's not going to stay in place when I'm having a splash war with a 10 year old. But the stripes, the cut-out rings, the big hip bow: I can't resist that sort of easy, sporty glamor.

Almost as essential as the swimsuit is the cover-up. J.Crew to the rescue! I can throw on this Linen Getaway dress, $29.99, over my damp swimsuit, and sit around roasting marshmallows until bedtime. It's loose, soft, effortless--the only problem is that I'll want to wear it when I'm back in the city, and that'll bring up a whole undergarment dilemma of its own.

Miss Trish of Capri Lion Sandals

I'm horribly disappointed that Target isn't selling anything as adorable as the Isaac Mizrahi gladiator sandals from last summer. I wore these babies everyday, never got a blister, and got plenty of compliments. Unfortunately, at $25 they weren't made to last, and while I can still wear them and feel cute, the gold is all worn off the inside bed and it won't be too long before they fall apart completely. It is my greatest regret that I didn't buy three pairs when I had the chance.


But I should look at the bright side: now I have a reason to buy a new pair of gold sandals! Right now, the frontrunner for Sandal of the Summer is the Lion Sandal, $29.99, by Miss Trish of Capri for Target. The classic t-strap shape is accented by a glamorous gold lion medallion. Up close, you can see the lion's green eyes and fierce expression; it's the level of detail that make these shoes look much more expensive than they actually are. Oh, and I also like the little half-inch heel, since it forces you to put a little bit of swing in your step and not just stomp around like you would in totally flat flip-flops.

Converse One Star at Target

You know, I could do a whole post on Chris Pine's awesome sneakers. And you know, I just might write that. But for now, here are another pair of Converses that I want:

From the Target Converse One Star line, these Perforated Oxfords, $34.99, are unlike any other Converses I've ever seen. It's hard to tell how they'd look with a foot in them, though; up close, it looks a bit like this shoe has a rare skin disease. But in a cool, sporty, hip way, right? And you know what the weird thing about these shoes are? I would want to keep them pristine white, while if I got regular white Chucks I'd try to get them dirty as soon as possible. Maybe I should get a pair of each, and have one inside pair and one outside pair. Although then I'd be about five years away from those women who have all-white homes and make their toddlers drink their juice outside.

Also from Converse One Star, this Twisted Dress, $34.99, is incredibly adorable and fresh. You can't quite tell, but the fabric has an ivory and powder blue stripe print, which makes it even more charming and summer-appropriate. I'd want to wear this dress to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden or maybe lunch at the rooftop sculpture garden at the Met.

Simply Vera Paintbrush Skirt and Anthropologie Sound Mooring Skirt

One of my New Year's Fashion Resolutions was to wear skirts more often, and I have to give myself credit for really following through on this one. I think part of it is that I haven't bought a dress (and kept--I've been doing an awful lot of returning lately, including this Target dress and this Modcloth dress) in ages, so that giant section of my closet seems old and tired. My skirt section, however, is full of barely worn yet adorable pieces that are begging to be mixed and matched with equally underworn tops. I've been having fun trying out this new skirt thing, and I bought two new skirts this week that I think will make excellent additions to both my work and play wardrobes.

First, from Kohl's, the Simpy Vera Vera Wang Pleated Paintbrush Skirt, $33.99. I saw it in March Vogue (with HBIC Michelle Obama on the cover) and immediately knew I needed to have it. I don't know if I've ever bought anything featured in Vogue before, but These Economic Times have forced Anna Wintour to feature some poor people clothes, at least for a few pages. Don't worry, she called a $335 turquoise clutch a "steal!" and a "wear-anywhere" piece. Oh, A-Dubs. Vogue just wouldn't be the same if you ever got in touch with reality. Although, I'd very much appreciate it if you stopped letting Plum Skyes write about herself and her fabulous hair/clothes/house/life every month. OMG, Plum Skyes is now able to blowdry her own hair thanks to her fabulous new haircut! What a superwoman! Alert the Profiles in Courage committee! All of us who blowdry our hair every freaking morning will now give Plum Skyes a standing ovation-- or perhaps a tear-inducing slow clap!

Sorry for the diversion. Nothing brings out my sarcastic side like Vogue. I should be thanking A-Dubs for convincing me to visit my local Kohl's, since only the X-Large size is available in line. In store, there were plenty of sizes and I think every single Simply Vera piece was on sale, so I'd advise you to go check it out in person. This skirt is pretty loose, and the back waistband is elasticized, so I'd recommend going a size down. I can't wait to jazz up my boring blue button-down shirt on Monday morning! And I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on what Vera Wang is designing for Kohl's.

The other skirt I bought is from a more usual suspect: Anthropologie. The Sound Mooring Skirt, $49.95 online but $39.95 in stores (although that might have been a mistake just in my local store, since it rang up the higher price and I had to point out the lower price handwritten on the tag), is pure nautical adorableness. I love the crisp blue and white vertical stripes, and the solid blue ribbon belt, although I think it looks cleaner to tie it in a bow in the back. When I tried it on in the store, I paired it with this Plaited Boatneck shirt, $29.95, since I was shopping in a dress and it isn't helpful to see what a skirt looks like when worn topless (unless you work in a topless bar, I guess). They worked smashingly together: the blue of the ribbon and the shirt were right on, and the loose top created a great hourglass shape with the tight waistband and bigger skirt. I probably should have bought the shirt, but $30 is too much for a navy blue tee, even if it does have cute fluttery sleeves and a nice subtle braid on the neckline. So when I went home, and tried it on with a form fitting tank, I was less pleased with the look. The inverted pleats in the front and back tend to open up in weird, unflattering, origami-like ways. You can see it in the model photo, too, so I know it's not just my child-bearing hips that are causing the problem. So I'm planning to bring it back to New York, see what tops I have there that could work, and return it if I can't fix the proportional problem that is making my bottom half look distinctly egg-shaped.

Would it be confusing to tack on some Target news to this post? It makes sense to me because I went to both Kohl's and Target today, so I'm sure you all can follow along. I went to the Target at Pavillion's today, to return the Converse One Star dress that I wasn't in love with, and do some more searching for McQ collection. On luck on that front, but they did have the Felix Rey handbag collection out, which isn't supposed to be out until March 29th (there's a big two-page ad on the very first page of April Lucky Magazine, with annoying Vanessa from Gossip Girl on the cover). I thought it looked great, although it's extremely beachy. Lots of coral prints, and gold shells, and a tote with a huge sequin fish on it. The two clutches were a little more subtle, and very affordable at $19.99. I might have gotten the blue one if I hadn't already decided to get some shoes, but the material felt a bit cheap (which it is, of course), so I passed. They aren't on Target.com yet, but you can see more images here.

The shoes, I had to get, because I've been to three different Targets this week and in each I've gone to the shoe section specifically to visit and try on the Merona Mavis Pump in Metallic Tan, $24.99. The photo doesn't do justice to the best part of these shoes-- the gold thread interwoven into the tweed! Gold tweed is the best, because it takes something really stuffy and old-fashioned and slams it into something ghetto fabulous and always new. The faux-leather trim and demure bow keeps it classy, and the 3 inch heel is no problem to walk in. I would also like to give a shout out to the fellow Target shopper who used her lighter to cut the elastic Target likes to use to tie their shoes together, making them impossible to properly walk in. I wouldn't have bought them if I didn't get the chance to do a test walk, so I guess Target should be thanking her, too.

Adventures at Target

I went to Target yesterday, and left sort of confused. I thought that the McQ collection would be in stores until early April, but it wasn't in either my local Target or Super Target. Instead, there was a generic "Go International" collection, without a designer's name attached. Maybe Arizona isn't cool enough for McQ? That's definitely possible. Have any of you seen Target at your local store recently?

The Go International clothes they did have were pretty cute, and I fell in love with this Zip Dress, $34.99. It reminded me of the zippered skirt and dress I posted about last month, except with a sportier twist. I love the asymmetrical neckline, the gathered waist, and the cute A-line mini-skirt. I hate that it's sold out online and my stores were sold out in my size, so I couldn't buy it.

I did buy this Converse One Star Bruxelle Dress, $34.99 online but $17 in stores. I swear, it looks cuter in person than it does in this photo (although I'm playing with the idea of returning it, because it's definitely not as cute as the Zip Dress). The simple sheath shape is very slimming, and I like how the zipper down the front lets you layer something fun underneath, show some skin, or zip it all the way up for a modest look. The tie at the waist is fun, too. I'm not crazy about the color--it's sort of a dull blue, like cheap denim. Yeah, I might return it-- even if it was $17, it's a bad sign if I'm not excited to wear it.

Then I got two basic tank tops from Mossimo, $8.99. Super soft, super cheap, nice long length, in the colors "Purple Duet" and "Cool Sky." I can't wait to wear them to yoga class.

Thakoon for Target

Every middle class fashionista worth her salt knows about Target's GO International collections, in which some of the world's top designers create limited edition lines at a much lower price point than their regular collections. But they can be inconsistent; sometimes the stuff looks tacky and cheap, with poor fit and construction. But othertimes, they're a veritable jackpot. I got this coat from the Libertine collection a few years ago, and I literally get compliments every time I wear it. From friends, classmates, neighbors-- once I was getting money from an ATM and a stranger stopped to ask me where I got it. A male stranger! You can't see it very well in this photo, because of the strange bow on the shirt underneath the coat, and you may also be distracted by the dorky looking model. But I like the bag! I also rue the day I decided not to buy this white skirt-- it has little embroidered navy whales and skulls! So cute! I remember trying it on and deciding not to buy it because it was see-through, but now I wish I could go back in time and say to myself, "Dude, just wear a tan thong." You can see more of the Libertine collection here.

I also really wish I had gotten my hands on this gorgeous Proenza Schouler dress (and I would obviously accessorize it with yellow pumps and a giant anchor). If it ever shows up on Ebay, I'm clicking Buy It Now faster than you can blink. That's the other thing about these Target collections: they sell out so freaking fast, so by the time I make it to the store there's nothing left but some XXL bikini bottoms (but no tops!). So, knowing that, I made sure to go to Target within days of the new Thakoon collection dropping. Thakoon had a big coup a few months ago when Michelle Obama, the First Lady of Fierce, wore one of his dresses at the Democratic National Convention. I was very excited to check out what he would design for the masses, but when I looked at Target.com I was so disappointed! Everything looked really shapeless and dully colored, totally uninspiring.

I mean, who'd want to wear this?

Wouldn't you much rather wear this?
I'm going to ignore the fact that I don't think this dress actually comes in purple, it's just a misleading photo, to concentrate on how the same Shibori Woven Dress, $39.99, looks about five hundred times better in this promotional photo than it does on the Target website. You can see how the print is more refined than some random splatters, how the belt at the waist helps create a shape, and how it's actually a shirtdress. You can't see the awesome pleats that run down the front and the skirt, or how the sleeves are cuffed with a button, but you can look at the second photo and imagine how you'd look stylish in that dress, too. I bought it, because it looks even better unbuttoned with a solid colored tank top underneath (although I like it as a bathing suit cover-up, too-- the bikini matches the bottom part of the skirt). It's nice enough to wear to work, and it's not every dress that can go from the office to the beach. I should warn all prospective buyers, however, that the sizing is sort of wack. I went a size smaller and it still was very roomy in the hips and waist, and easily buttoned over my chest. The arms were a little bit snug, however. Something I really like about this dress is the length-- it hits above the knee, and if it were any longer the print would be way too overwhelming.

I also bought this navy pleated skirt, $24.99. The tie on the waistband is nice and flirty, and the full skirt gives it a wholesome 50's spin. I want to wear this high on the waist, with maybe a brightly patterned top tucked in. It'll be a nice basic to help me with my New Year's Resolution to wear more skirts!

I also tried on the Canvas Floral Trench, $44.99 (see both the awful website photo and the good model photo, which actually isn't that great, but at least she isn't wearing cropped pants from 2002). The print is really pretty, but the cut isn't anything special and I don't want to look like a block of wallpaper. If it goes on sale at the end of Thakoon's run at Target, I might pick it up.





Moving on from Thakoon, I want to mention the other big designer collection Target is featuring: the Hayden-Harnett handbags. They look very luxe and stylish, in my opinion. I particularly like this Double-Flap bag, $29.99. The oversized gold square is very sophisticated, and I love how the overlapping layers of leather look. Bonus: the strap is detachable, so you can also wear it as a clutch.



I also really like the print on the Flight tote, $49.99, not to mention its roomy size and many pockets. It comes with a long strap so you can wear it across the body as a messenger bag, as well. It reminds me of this Gap tote, $39.50, in the bodega bay print. The design is way more simple-- it's a pretty basic tote-- but I'm digging the shiny blue leather pouch that's included with the bag.